A spectacular second round of the 2023 Penrite ProMX Championship, presented by AMX Superstores, has been won by defending Thor MX1 champion Aaron Tanti, with Nathan Crawford rising to the occasion in Pirelli MX2 and Ky Woods taking home the MAXXIS MX3 class overall. With temperatures hovering towards the 40-degree Celsius mark throughout round two, the action was just as hot on track in the series’ welcome return to Appin, New South Wales.

Aaron Tanti: “Getting the championship off to a positive start was the goal for me today and taking the win means we achieved. We had a lot going on today as the track changed considerably from being wet and muddy in the morning to becoming dry and hard pack in the afternoon due to the heat, but the team did a great job, and we were able to get the win. The track was tough and even though we have raced here many times in the past, the new direction was a good change and the way the track shapes up is always different. But overall, the day went well, the new YZ450F is awesome and I’m ready to get stuck into defending this championship.

Wearing the number one and red plate following his Thor MX1 championship victory last season, CDR Yamaha Monster Energy’s Aaron Tanti was a picture of consistency at Appin to pick up what was the first overall of the 2023 season. After qualifying fifth following the Top 10 Shootout, Tanti rode to third position in the opening moto of the weekend. He went 1-3 in the two-part second moto, which under an Olympic scoring system, was enough to seal him the race win and overall.

Former three-time champion Dean Ferris (Brisbane Motorcycles Yamaha) was the class of the field through much of round two in topping qualifying and winning moto one by a significant 33.331s margin, however, a costly crash in the opening portion of moto two saw him cross the finish in P5. He rebounded to win again in part two, which on combined scores placed him in P3 for the moto and second overall – importantly tied on points with Tanti.

Third position to complete the round podium was a solid result for Jed Beaton (Boost Mobile Honda Racing), delivering a 4-2 scorecard once the results were tallied, which placed him three points clear of Kirk Gibbs (KTM Racing Team), who stood out on his way to second in the earlier encounter. A turn-one fall in the first outing cost Luke Clout (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy), finishing with 9-4 results to complete the top five this weekend.

Positions six through 10 were filled by yet another former champion in Todd Waters (Raceline Husqvarna Berry Sweet Racing), Kyle Webster (Boost Mobile Honda Racing), New Zealander Hamish Harwood (Davey Motorsports KTM) in his first appearance of the year, Brett Metcalfe (Penrite GO24 KTM) and popular Queensland privateer Joel Evans (Honda).

Round two of the Pirelli MX2 championship was all about KTM Racing Team’s Nathan Crawford, who after qualifying in third position early this morning, effectively dominated the pair of 250 class motos for the overall victory. His result elevated him to third in the standings two rounds into the new season.

While Crawford marched to a pair of convincing wins, it was a case of damage control for reigning champion and current red plate-holder Wilson Todd (Terrafirma Honda Racing) in battling to 2-2 results. That runner-up overall means he is leading the standings by 17 points. Finishing P3 was Kiwi Brodie Connolly (Polyflor Honda Racing), followed by Rhys Budd (Serco Yamaha) and Kaleb Barham (Husqvarna), in a standout effort for the privateer.

Last year’s MX3 champion Kayden Minear (KTM Racing Team) took sixth place this weekend, with Jesse Dobson (Serco Yamaha) and Jayce Cosford (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) seventh and eighth, respectively, as Liam Andrews (Honda) and Ryan Alexanderson (KTM) completed the top 10. After being unable to score points in moto one, Alex Larwood (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) bounced back for fourth in moto two for 11th overall.

There was no denying GASGAS-backed Ky Woods the victory in MAXXIS MX3 at Appin today, qualifying on top of the timesheets and then going on to record 1-3 finishes. Woods was joined on the podium by Liam Owens (Husqvarna) and Byron Dennis (GASGAS), each tied on 38 points following the two motos.

Finishing fourth overall was Jack Mather (Husqvarna), while second moto winner Connor Towill (KTM) was fifth overall after finishing 13th in the opening race this morning. Sixth came Kobe Drew (Yamaha), ahead of Seth Burchell (Yamaha), Koby Hantis (Yamaha), Kayd Kingsford (Yamaha) and Rian King (KTM).

Also on track at round two of the year was the bLU cRU YZ65 Cup, which saw both races won by Blake Bohannon ahead of Luis Cannon and Xavier Scott. Fourth was Ryder Burchell, with talented young Eliza Dennis completing the top five.

Next up for the 2023 Penrite ProMX Championship, presented by AMX Superstores, will be round three of the season at Wodonga, Victoria, scheduled for Sunday, April 16th.

Australian Motocross Championship Points

Pos	Rider	Bike	M1	M1	Total
1	Aaron TANTI	Yamaha	20	25	45
2	Dean FERRIS	Yamaha	25	20	45
3	Jed BEATON	Honda	18	22	40
4	Kirk GIBBS	KTM	22	15	37
5	Luke CLOUT	Yamaha	12	18	30
6	Todd WATERS	Husqvarna	16	13	29
7	Kyle WEBSTER	Honda	11	16	27
8	Hamish HARWOOD	KTM	13	14	27
9	Brett METCALFE	KTM	15	12	27
10	Joel EVANS	Honda	10	10	20
11	Jai WALKER	KTM	6	11	17
12	Luke ZIELINSKI	Yamaha	9	7	16
13	Matt MOSS	Yamaha	14	1	15
14	Zachary WATSON	Honda	7	8	15
15	Cooper HOLROYD	Yamaha	5	9	14
16	Bryce OGNENIS	KTM	4	6	10
17	Levi ROGERS	Yamaha	8		8
18	Joshua WHITEHEAD	KTM		5	5
19	Dylan WOOD	Honda		4	4
20	Regan DUFFY	GasGas		3	3
21	Liam JACKSON	GasGas	3		3
22	Cody O’LOAN	KTM		2	2
23	Navrin GROTHUES	Yamaha	2		2
24	John DARROCH	Yamaha	1		1