Serco Yamaha’s Jacob Hayes led the way in the professional ranks with a second place finish in the SX2 class while it was the Yamaha Junior Racing riders that shone under the lights at Adelaide.
In the pro classes, it was Hayes you took the Yamaha honours in the SX2 class with a second place finish, Jay Wilson took fourth and Wilson Todd in fifth, while Dylan Long and Dan Reardon claimed fourth and fifth respectively in the premier SX1 division.
Craig Dack – CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team – SX1
“It was a better weekend for Dylan and he just missed the podium after riding the best he has so far this supercross season. He rode with some determination and passion and it was good to see that in him. He finished second in the final race and was very competitive and that is the level of riding we believe he is capable of and expected of him each time he hits the track.
“With one round to go at the high profile AUS-X Open, Dylan is fifth in points and just eight away from third, so a series podium is on offer if he can race well and have some things go his way. We will continue to work with him all the way up to the final round as achieving a podium result with Dylan was the goal at the start of the championship and it’s now in sight.”
Gavin Eales – Serco Yamaha – SX2
“Things are heating up in the SX2 class and four riders are still in with a chance of winning the championship at the final round, two of which are Wilson and Jacob. While both rode pretty well at Adelaide, it was the round where they needed to really apply the pressure and make some gains in the points.
“Jacob finished second for the night and seems to be finding his stride in Australian Supercross as he has become familiar with the riders and the tracks over here. He made a bike change a couple of weeks ago and now his starts have been much better and he will need them to again be good at the final round as the track is tight inside Qudos Bank Arena and passing is hard.
“Wilson just had a mixed night, a couple of good races and one not so good, which hurt him in the overall points. He managed to finish fifth on the night, highlighted with a second place in the second final was good, he just needed to do that again in the final moto but it wasn’t to be.
“Both riders are pretty determined to finish the year strongly and are excited to be racing in front of the huge crowd the AUS-X Open always has.”
Scott Bishop- Yamalube Yamaha Racing – SX2
“The triple final format again proved chaotic for our team as both riders were involved in incidents in the opening two finals causing plenty of work for the mechanics between the races.
“Jay came into the round with an 11-point lead and left with an 11-point lead but plenty of things happened in between. He finished 8-8 in the first two races after hitting the ground in each moto, the second one causing plenty of discomfort and pain for him. But, one thing he has shown this year is plenty of mental toughness and he did it again in the final moto to take the win and salvage fouth for the night.
“Richie again showed he is very competitive in the SX2 class even though he is just learning the ropes of supercross. He qualified well but then couldn’t find his flow in the first moto despite running inside the top five. He fell late in the moto and was outside the top 10. Race two for him never got passed the second corner as his bike was badly damaged in a fall, but he saved the best for last and he, like Jay, was in considerable pain but charged to an eighth-place finish.
“The was never a dull moment for us at Adelaide.”
Travis Whitten – WBR Yamaha – SX2
“Both Hugh and Bailey continue to improve at supercross and the competition this year is extremely tough with plenty of international riders contesting our championship but both riders are holding their own and showing they belong in this high-quality field.
“Huge achieved his best results of the year to finish 12th on the night with 15-10-11 results. He was right in the heat of the battle all night and was able to learn plenty as he mixed it up with the more experienced riders. The more he puts himself in that situation, the more he will learn and the more comfortable he will be. It was good to see him up there.
“Bailey had some tough luck in the finals with a couple of falls during the night. There is plenty of bar banging in the pack and none of the riders in the SX2 class are scared to run it in hard so it’s a steep learning curve for the younger riders in the class. He continues to show plenty of skill at supercross and we think he isn’t far away from a break out ride.”
