Kingsford Seizes SX2 Title Lead

AUSX Open podium finishes land Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha rider at the top of the SX2 championship standings

Ryder Kingsford will roll into Adelaide with the SX2 red plate firmly in his grasp after a composed, gritty night at Marvel Stadium that pushed him to the top of the AUSX Supercross Championship standings.

The Yamaha young gun came into round four sitting second to teammate Lux Turner—until Turner’s heavy practice crash changed the complexion of the championship entirely. With Turner injuring his wrist and immediately ruled out, Kingsford suddenly found himself in position to take command of the series—if he could hold his nerve.

The night wasn’t without pressure. Early stumbles, mixed with the emotional hit of watching his younger brother helped from the track in the SX3 race, meant Kingsford had to steady himself before the two back-to-back mains that would shape the title chase between himself and close mate Alex Larwood.

The opening final tightened the screws. Kingsford started well inside a packed Marvel Stadium, settling into third before a mid-race off-track moment forced him to crawl along the sideline to rejoin. He slipped one spot—to Larwood—before both riders regrouped and pushed forward, Larwood edging Kingsford for second and third and cutting the points gap to eight.

Race two was Kingsford at his best. He rebounded from the early shuffle, worked forward to second behind Shane McElrath, and crucially put three riders between himself and Larwood—stretching the margin back out to 12 heading into Adelaide. His 3-2 results netted him third on the night and, more importantly, the confidence that the championship is now his to lose.

“There was a lot going on tonight, so to finish on the podium and gain a few points is a good outcome,” Kingsford said. “Shane and Cole (Thompson) aren’t doing the full series and not in championship contention, so the focus wasn’t on winning races, just riding well and beating the riders in contention for the championship. To get that done was good.

“My start was terrible in the heat race, but Lux actually gave me a few tips, and I was able to gate well in the two finals and put myself in a good position. It was terrible to see Lux go down in practice and hope he makes a quick recovery as he has been riding well and helped us all lift the bar this season.

“Also, thanks to the Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Team. The guys have kept working hard on the bike all series and tonight it was sweet. We didn’t change a thing, and it felt good all day.”

Malinoski Turns SX3 Battle on Its Head

While Kingsford took control in SX2, the SX3 class saw another Yamaha rider flip the standings altogether. Monster Energy WBR Yamaha’s Ryder Malinoski backed up his Sydney win with a commanding Marvel Stadium performance that now has him leading the SX3 championship by three points heading into the Adelaide finale.

Malinoski arrived in Melbourne 19 points down but riding a wave of confidence after returning to the US between rounds to sharpen his speed. His day started slowly as he wrestled with Marvel’s hard-pack, red-base clay, but the main event told a completely different story.

Bursting from the gate, Malinoski grabbed the lead and never let it go. A composed, calculated 10-lap run delivered the race win—and, combined with misfortune for rival Kayd Kingsford, vaulted him to the top of the standings.

“I struggled today in practice and qualifying,” Malinoski admitted. “The dirt was hard to read, and I didn’t think I could really push on it, so while my results were ok, I was a little off in speed.

“But come the main event, I felt more comfortable and after getting a good start, I was able to settle into a good pace and while the guys behind me were there, they weren’t challenging me, so I could ride my own race.

“I had no idea on what happened to Kayd until after the finish and hope he is ok.

“Thanks to the Monster Energy WBR Yamaha team for all their effort. The guys worked hard at every round and to get some race wins for them feels good.”

AUSX ROUND 4 RESULTS

SX2
1^st Cole Thompson – 45
2^nd Shane McElrath – 43
3^rd Ryder Kingsford – 42
4^th Alex Larwood – 38
5^th Kaleb Barham – 35
6^th Rhys Budd – 31
7^th Wilson Todd – 25
8^th Jai Constantinou – 25
9^th Mac O’Bree – 21
10^th Travis Olander – 21

SX2 Championship Standings
1^st Ryder Kingsford – 153
2^nd Alex Larwood – 141
3^rd Lux Turner – 137
4^th Rhys Budd – 109
5^th Wilson Todd – 108
6^th Shane McElrath – 106
7^th Kaleb Barham – 96
8^th Jake Cannon – 92
9^th Tiger Wood – 89
10^th Seth Burchell – 89

SX3
1^st Ryder Malinoski (Monster Energy WBR Yamaha)
2^nd Jack Deveson
3^rd Koby Hantis (Monster Energy WBR Yamaha)
4^th Jet Alsop
5^th Riley Burgess
6^th Jackson Fuller
7^th Heath Davy
8^th Max Compton
9^th Deegan Rose
10^th Travis Laindsay

SX3 Championship Standings
1^st Ryder Malinoski- 78 (Yamaha YZ 250F)
2^nd Jack Deveson – 75
3^rd Kayd Kingsford – 72
4^th Jet Alsop – 72
5^th Deegan Rose – 61
6^th Koby Hantis – 60 (Yamaha YZ250F)
7^th Riley Burgess – 55
8^th Hayden Downie – 41 (Yamaha YZ250F)
9^th Jason West – 39
10^th Max Compton – 39