DPH Motorsport’s Yamaha rider Jed Beaton has secured his second consecutive round win, and been awarded with the MX2 championship red plate, after Round 8 of the Motul MX Nationals at Shepparton.
KTM’s Rykers collected the first MXStore holeshot in Race 1 and moved in to the early race lead before DPH Motorsport’s Beaton moved in to take control of moto one, while Serco Yamaha’s Wilson Todd followed suit, passing Rykers to move in to second position.
With four laps in the books, both Crawford and Todd began to close in on Beaton’s lead but it was at the 12-minute mark that Todd made his move to the front, making a clean pass on Beaton in the top section of the track.
By the half way mark in moto one, Todd remained in control with the race lead, followed by Beaton and Crawford.
Beaton break checked Crawford in a corner before the pair nearly came together over the finish line, but it was Crawford who made a pass stick, moving in to second position, leaving Beaton behind him.
With five minutes left to run, there was no change to positions, with Todd remaining out in front with only a minimal lead, followed by Crawford and Beaton in second and third.
However, in a huge twist of events, both Crawford and Todd were handed 15 second penalties for jumping under a yellow flag, which put Beaton in the lead with only one lap remaining.
When the chequered flag flew, it was Beaton who was awarded the victory from Todd and Crawford once penalties were applied.
Rykers and Ward completed the top five finishing positions, while Makeham and Wills were awarded with sixth and seventh places at the conclusion of the moto.
DPH Motorsport’s Beaton once again launched out of the gate in Race 2 and in to the race lead, but this time Crawford was hot on his tail in second position, followed by Rykers in third.
With Ward on a charge, Beaton also began to come under fire from Ward’s KTM machine. However, by the time race two reached the halfway mark, Ward had gotten by Beaton to move in to the race lead.
As race two reached its final stages, Ward and Beaton had put significant ground in between themselves and third placed Crawford, providing the front pair with a clear track to allow the final battles unfold.
And despite Beaton’s every effort to chase down Ward, it was Ward who crossed the finish line for the final time today victorious, followed by Beaton in second and Crawford in third.
But with 1,2 results, it was Beaton who was awarded not only the round victory at Shepparton but the Motul MX2 red plate for the second time this year, while second place on the podium was taken by Ward, followed by Crawford who collected third place at Round 8.
Beaton now holds the Motul MX2 red plate, equal on 507 points with Crawford with two rounds remaining.
Jed Beaton – DPH Motorsports Yamaha – Round 8 Overall Winner
“I’m really happy to finish with another round win here at Shepparton. The championship is coming down to the wire and we all want to win just as bad as each other now,” Beaton said.
“When you’re that close to each other on the track, and there’s three of us going for a championship, then it’s going to get a bit heated now and then, but we’re all in it to win.
“I had a slow start to the season but I feel as if everything is coming together now. I feel confident and I believe in myself more than ever before so I’m really looking forward to these last two rounds.”
Motul MX2 round eight results
1) Jed Beaton – 67 points
2) Caleb Ward – 61 points
3) Nathan Crawford – 60 points
4) Wilson Todd – 58 points
5) Jayden Rykers – 56 points
6) Kale Makeham – 50 points
7) Dylan Wills – 47 points
8) Keiron Hall – 45 points
9) Hamish Harwood – 44 points
10) Joel Wightman – 42 points
Motul MX2 Championship Standings
1) Jed Beaton – 507 points
2) Nathan Crawford– 507 points
3) Caleb Ward – 492 points
4) Jayden Rykers – 449 points
5) Wilson Todd – 412 points
6) Dylan Wills – 381 points
7) Hamish Harwood – 353 points
8) Joel Wightman – 341 points
9) Wade Hunter– 324 points
10) Kyle Webster – 296 points