The Raceline Husqvarna Berry Sweet Racing team endured a tough day in the penultimate round of the ProMX Championship at QMP.
After qualifying in ninth place, Todd Waters onboard his 2023 Husqvarna FC 450 worked his way from eighth into a top-five position by the mid-way mark of race one, but he cross-rutted and crashed, breaking his collarbone in the impact.
The injury means Waters’ season has unfortunately come to a premature end and he’ll be unable to line up for the final round of the championship at Coolum next weekend.
In the MX2 class, Blake Fox struggled with arm-pump and finding a flow around the hard-pack, rough QMP circuit. After qualifying in 19th, Fox started the opening moto in 18th, but found it difficult to come to terms with the track and finished 24th. It was a similar story in in the second outing, where he found himself in 15th place early on, but made a mistake and circulated to finish 23rd.
MX3 saw title challenger Jack Mather fly the Raceline Husqvarna flag strongly with a podium performance aboard his 2023 Husqvarna FC 250. The talented teenager qualified second-fastest, then ran near the front of the pack for the entire opening race to score a rewarding second place.
In the second moto, Mather again launched off the gate and made a good move for the lead early on. It was short-lived as a lap later he was relegated back to P2, then lost another position on the final lap to finish the race in third. He remains second in the MX3 championship with one round remaining.
The final round of the 2023 Australian ProMX Championship will be held at Coolum, Queensland, this weekend between August 19-20.
Todd Waters: “Honestly, my fitness isn’t there and I’ve been struggling with it all year. I managed to make some good passes up to fifth place, but I cross-rutted and ended up on the ground. It wasn’t that big of a crash, but I’ve broken my collarbone, and unfortunately I won’t be able to line up at my favourite track – Coolum – next weekend. I’m devastated that my season has ended this way, but it’s part of racing.”
Blake Fox: “Today was one of the worst races of the year for me. I felt like I was just trying to survive out there. I got arm-pump in both motos and struggled to find lines that flowed, just found it difficult to find that speed and drive. It was also a lot hotter than I was expecting in the afternoon… It definitely wasn’t my best day, but I’m looking forward to racing my first national at Coolum next weekend. I’m lucky enough to have trained there a few times, so I’m looking forward to finishing the season strongly.”
2023 Australian ProMX Championship – Queensland Moto Park, QLD
MX1 championship standings:
1. Dean Ferris (Yamaha) 271
2. Jed Beaton (Honda) 256
3. Kirk Gibbs (KTM) 222
4. Aaron Tanti (Yamaha) 217
5. Kyle Webster (Honda) 198
9. Todd Waters (Raceline Husqvarna Berry Sweet Racing) 146
MX2 championship standings:
1. Wilson Todd (Honda) 284
2. Nathan Crawford (KTM) 257
3. Brodie Connolly (Honda) 230
4. Rhys Budd (Yamaha) 206
5. Noah Ferguson (GASGAS) 189
19. Blake Fox (Raceline Husqvarna Berry Sweet Racing) 44
MX3 round results:
1. Jake Cannon (Yamaha) 50
2. Byron Dennis (GASGAS) 42
3. Jack Mather (Raceline Husqvarna Berry Sweet Racing) 42
4. Kobe Drew (Yamaha) 36
5. Koby Hantis (Yamaha) 29
MX3 championship standings:
1. Byron Dennis (GASGAS) 272
2. Jack Mather (Raceline Husqvarna Berry Sweet Racing) 247
3. Jake Cannon (Yamaha) 226
4. Cambell Williams (Kawasaki) 187
5. Kobe Drew (Yamaha) 185