A dominant double-moto victory was earned by KTM Racing Team’s Nathan Crawford in today’s second round of the 2023 Australian ProMX Championship at Appin, winning both MX2 races for the overall.
The 25-year-old qualified in third position and, as the track became increasingly technical, Crawford and his new generation KTM 250 SX-F were in a class of their own throughout both motos.
Crawford led every lap on his way to a commanding 11.466s winning margin in the first encounter, before he had to work even harder for it in moto two. The Queenslander was fifth after lap one and charged forward from there, taking over the lead by lap five before sprinting away to win by 7.447s this time around. He’s now third in the point standings.
KTM Racing Team teammate Kayden Minear was also in fine form at Appin, the MX2 class rookie delivering 5-8 results for sixth position overall. The 15-year-old talent is currently fifth in the championship three races into the season.
The gates dropped on the MX1 category for the first time this year and former champion Kirk Gibbs impressed from the outset on his KTM 450 SX-F. He was fourth in qualifying, improved to third in the Top 10 Shootout, and then made further progress by powering to second in moto one.
Come the afternoon’s two-part second moto, Gibbs crossed the line seventh in the first portion and sixth in the second half of the race. That placed him sixth for the moto under the Olympic scoring system, which resulted in a convincing fourth overall at round two.
Next on the 2023 Australian ProMX Championship calendar will be Wodonga, Victoria, on Sunday, April 16.
Nathan Crawford: “The track formed up really well today, it was super-technical and I gelled with the ruts quite well. I’ve got quite a good track record going here at Appin, so I like it here a lot and the results have been strong here. I feel like I let my riding do the talking today, put my head down, worked hard and now we’re here. We’re third in points now, which is really good at the moment, and now we look ahead to the next one!”
Kayden Minear: “Round two at Appin today, it was definitely a good day. The track was very tricky in the morning, which I really enjoyed. The team had the bikes dialled in and my mechanic did an absolutely amazing job keeping my bike light and not holding lots of mud, so going 5-8 for equal fifth overall. I’m very happy!”
Kirk Gibbs: “Today was up-and-down because it started quite well in the Shootout with third, then I got into second quite quickly in moto one and pretty much rode my own race. I rode solid to come away with second, which I was happy with, but in the final moto I made an error in where I started, so that cost me two bad starts. On a track like that, with so many fast guys, it makes things tough. I felt like I rode well, I’m right there in the hunt and am super-keen for the next round. I want to come out and nail these starts, give them something to chase around.”
2023 Australian ProMX Championship – Appin, NSW
MX1 round two results:
1. Aaron Tanti (Yamaha) 45
2. Dean Ferris (Yamaha) 45
3. Jed Beaton (Honda) 40
4. Kirk Gibbs (KTM Racing Team) 37
5. Luke Clout (Yamaha) 30
MX1 championship standings:
1. Aaron Tanti (Yamaha) 45
2. Dean Ferris (Yamaha) 45
3. Jed Beaton (Honda) 40
4. Kirk Gibbs (KTM Racing Team) 37
5. Luke Clout (Yamaha) 30
MX2 round two results:
1. Nathan Crawford (KTM Racing Team) 50
2. Wilson Todd (Honda) 44
3. Brodie Connolly (Honda) 36
4. Rhys Budd (Yamaha) 31
5. Kaleb Barham (Husqvarna) 29
6. Kayden Minear (KTM Racing Team) 29
MX2 championship standings:
1. Wilson Todd (Honda) 69
2. Brodie Connolly (Honda) 52
3. Nathan Crawford (KTM Racing Team) 50
4. Jesse Dobson (Yamaha) 47
5. Kayden Minear (KTM Racing Team) 47
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