Empire Kawasaki Navigate Adelaide AUSX Sprint To Stay In Championship Contention
Luke Clout faced his toughest challenge yet in the 2024 Australian Supercross Championship (AUSX) in the form of the Adelaide Supercross Sprint Round 4. As chaos ensued on the track, Clout salvaged consistent finishes to keep his Championship hopes alive. Controversial penalties in SX2 for Reid Taylor also forced a change in approach to the evening’s racing, as a strong Kawasaki presence was felt for Brett Metcalfe’s final AUSX appearance in Adelaide.
After taking out the AUSX Superpole on Friday and setting Pole Position for the x4 Sprint Finals, Luke Clout looked to be in control of what was tipped to be his favoured racing format. After a solid 2nd in the opening Final, Clout would come together with another rider whilst battling for the lead in Final 2, leaving him in last position on track and a lot of work to do. Salvaging 8th place after the collision, Clout would go on to post 2,8,3,6 Final scores en route to 4th Overall for Round 4, in a frustrating night of racing for the SX1 Championship contender.
“Tonight was a frustrating series of gate drops, but I’m thankful we were consistent under pressure and kept the Championship alive heading into Melbourne,”commented Clout.
“After taking 2nd in the Opening Final, I was right on track to do the same again whilst leading in Final 2, but I had to regroup and go into damage control after the incident. That disrupted my flow for the rest of the night, honestly it was wild out there and to rebound with another Top 3 in the next Final and 4th Overall for the Round, it’s not what we wanted but I’ll take it.”
In SX2, Reid Taylor continues to impress with blazing speed and track position, but a controversial decision by the officials that was appealed by the Empire Kawasaki Team, left Taylor with a 6 position penalty in the opening SX2 Final after being bumped off track by another rider.
Relegating Taylor to an 8th place finish and ruling the Overall podium out of reach from the get go, Taylor would rebound with 8,4,6,5 finishes to claw back a 6th Overall on the night at Round 4.
“The penalty in the Opening Final was hard to take and I had to refocus and try to salvage the night, which the team and I made happen. I felt like I rode well and navigated the chaos of the Sprint format. 6th Overall wasn’t what we were capable of, but I’ll move on now and focus on the WSX Round in Perth this coming weekend,”commented Taylor.
Brett Metcalfe returned to AUSX from injury for his final appearance as a Full-Time Supercross Racer in Adelaide. To the roaring approval of the SA fans, “Metty” would not disappoint, posting a Final best finish of 4th, keeping the fans entertained throughout the night to an eventual 7th Overall.
With an enhanced Team Green presence at Round 4, local SA rider Mitch Norris kept the home town fans entertained, as Zane Mackintosh would unfortunately exit the competition with a shoulder injury.
Kawasaki Australia now sets a focus on Round 5 of the AUSX Championship at Melbourne and the AUSX Open at Marvel Stadium on Saturday November 30th, as Reid Taylor will compete as an Australian Wild Card at the Perth WSX GP this coming weekend.
Images: ID Media Group
