Double Podiums For 00 Elite Rider Training At AUSX Wollongong

The 00 Elite Rider training program came into Wollongong for Round 3 of the Australian Supercross Championship (AUSX) focused on execution and consistency across the Triple Crown format. Landing double podiums with Jack Byrne 3rd in SX3 and Nixon Darragh 3rd in the CR22 85cc Cup saw a successful night in the development classes for the program, with progress being made across the Pro Class superstars as both Aaron Tanti (SX1) and Kaleb Barham (SX2) claimed 5th in the Triple Crown.

Aaron Tanti SX1

Coming into Wollongong Tanti was focused on securing track position early, capitalising on his intensity across the three Moto format. Doing just that, Tanti would run up front in Opening Final, claiming a season best 3rd place at the flag. On par to repeat the same result after the next gate drop, Tanti was pushed off the track on lap 1 whilst running inside the top 3 placings, ruling him out of contention in the short race format, claiming 11th place. A rebound and solid 3rd place in the Final race solidified progress and a return to race winning speed for Tanti, with lots of room left for improvement heading into Adelaide.

Round 3 : 5th
SX1 Championship: 5th

Kaleb Barham SX2

Rebounding from a challenging weekend at Redcliffe, Kaleb Barham would capitalise on his World Supercross debut for the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy team just one week ago at Vancouver, Canada. Showing great improvements in speed and track position, Barham would navigate the chaos of the SX2 Triple Crown to net 5,4,6 Main Event moto scores en route to 5th Overall and a step closer to where Kaleb belongs on the SX2 podium.

Round 3 : 5th
SX2 Championship: 7th

Kaiden Minear SX2

Minear came into Wollongong with speed highlighted from Heat Race wins at Redcliffe, looking to execute and translate to podiums across the Triple Crown. An unfortunate start to the night saw Minear over the bars in the Opening Final and stuck on the over under bridge for a prolonged amount of time. With a 16th to start the night’s racing, Minear showed composure to execute and claim 6th and 5th in the remaining Finals to land 7th Overall for the Triple Crown, in a case of what could have been. Minear and Coach Crawford will return to training this week to improve on their game plan heading into Adelaide.

Round 3 : 7th
SX2 Championship: 6th

Head Coach Nathan Crawford commented on the performance of the 00 Elite performance of the Factory backed riders: “It was certainly an improvement across the board for our 00 Elite riders at Wollongong. There was a big focus coming into Round 3 of execution and consistency across a big night of racing. For Aaron, he showed speed and with multiple top 3 performances, he’s closer to where he should be in SX1. Kaleb Barham also showed more of what we know he is capable of in SX2. Despite Minear having that costly mistake to start the night, he showed great resilience to put that behind him in the remaining races.”

“We had riders down in the opening SX2 heat race pile up and that’s part of the ups and downs of Supercross. The stand out riders in the Development classes were obviously Jack Byrne in SX3 and Nixon Darragh in 85cc, both landing on the podium with 3rd. Overall, I’m happy with everyone’s progress, not all the riders excelled or carried their momentum in Wollongong and we will be back on track this coming week to minimise weaknesses and improve on their strengths heading into Adelaide.”

Liam Atkinson finished in 14th, with a hard fought night across the SX2 Triple Crown. Liam would fight through poor starts, crashes and the chaos across the SX2 class to stay close to the top of the AUSX Privateer points chase.

Jack Byrne excelled in SX3 yet again, claiming his first career podium with 3rd place in the Main Event.

Hayden Downie put in a season best ride and a huge improvement from Redcliffe, claiming 8th in the SX3 Main Event.

Peter Wolfe improved on his Redcliffe performance by one position, coming home in 12th position at the SX3 chequered flag.

Lachlan Allen also improved alongside Wolfe as the 00 Elite Juniors in SX3, crossing the line in 13th in the Main Event.

Kobe Drew is yet to find his groove in the short SX3 main events, as Coach Crawford and Drew go back to work this week to bring out his practice track speed in the AUSX racing format.

Joel Frieberg had issues in the SX3 Heat Race that kept him out of the Main Event and was unable to continue his momentum from Redcliffe.

Nixon Darragh proved he belongs up front in the Chad Reed 85cc Cup, showing speed and intensity all day, jumping the stadium Triple in the opening laps of practice and taking 3rd position in the 85cc Main Event.

Zander Kruik finished 12th in the 85cc Main Event, with his speed and jumping ability not reflected in the result on the night.

The 00 Elite Rider Training Program now sets its sights on Round 4 of the AUSX Championship at Adelaide, for a collaboration event with the Adelaide 500 from the 15th-17th November.

Images: ID Media Group