Aussie Focus

Wodonga battle lines drawn ahead of ProMX round three

After a hotly contested second round in Appin just a month ago, the ProMX Championship resumes the dirt track warfare this weekend at the Diamond Creek Motocross Track at the border town of Wodonga in Victoria.

Yamaha privateer Dean Ferris led the MX1 field away during the opening Moto of ProMX Round 2. Credit: Marc Jones/Marc Jones

Having battled difficult conditions on track as well as with 40 plus degree temperatures last time out, the riders across the MX1, MX2 and MX3 classes will be hoping for more pleasant conditions this weekend.

That said, the Bureau of Meteorology has forecast 95% chance of rain for Sunday’s racing, which would make it only the second time since ProMX was established in 2021 that a round of the championship will be held in wet conditions. The only other time this happened was the opening round of the 2021 championship in Wonthaggi.

Although two rounds have been contested, Appin has been the only round to be completed in full and the racing was thoroughly entertaining across all classes. In the top line MX1 class, defending champion Aaron Tanti quickly staked his claim as the rider to beat for 2023, finishing third in Moto 1 before winning Moto 2 to take the championship lead, sitting equal on 45 points with his main rival, Dean Ferris.

Now aboard a privateer Yamaha, last year’s runner up for Honda Racing dominated qualifying and took out the opening Moto, before he crashed partway through the first part of Moto 2, but recovered in part two to finish third overall.

Aaron Tanti heads into round three of ProMX MX1 as the rider to beat. Credit: Marc Jones/Marc Jones

Lurking in the wings is Jed Beaton, who’s return to Australian racing is proving fruitful already. Having taken pole at the abandoned opening round in Wonthaggi, Beaton showed plenty of consistency with a fourth and a second in the two Motos in Appin to finish third for the round and overall.

In MX2, KTM’s Nathan Crawford came out with all guns blazing, having been scrubbed off the results from the only completed Moto back in Wonthaggi. Having qualified third four the round, the KTM rider rode two outstanding races to win both Motos and the overall round.

Nathan Crawford claimed redemption at Appin, following his disqualification from round one. Credit: Marc Jones/Marc Jones

It also saw him claw back into championship contention, sitting third overall and only 19 points behind defending champion, Honda Racing’s Wilson Todd. The latter claimed second for the weekend last time out, having taken pole position and a pair of second places and retains the championship lead heading a Honda 1-2 with teammate Brodie Connolly currently second in the standings.

In the MX3 class, factory GasGas rider Ky Woods quickly staked his claim for a championship crown, with a dominant performance last time out. With a pole position and a win in the opening Moto, followed up with a third in Moto 2, Woods heads into Wodonga this weekend not only with the championship lead, but also with a target on his back.

Ky Woods got the perfect start to his MX3 campaign last time out. Credit: Marc Jones/Marc Jones

With the top five separated by only 12 points, the likes of Liam Owens, Byron Dennis, Jack Mather and Connor Towill, who won second Moto at Appin, will be seeking out to hunt down Woods and reel in his early dominance this weekend, especially with wet weather forecast for Sunday.

Round three of ProMX is sure to deliver another thrilling day of motocross action, tune in to the live coverage of all three classes this Sunday from 1pm (AEST) on SBS and SBS On Demand. You can also re-watch all previous seasons of ProMX on SBS On Demand.

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