KTM Racing’s Kayden Minear enjoys consistent AUSX at Adelaide

KTM Racing Team’s Kayden Minear has moved into the top five of the SX2 point-standings after achieving a solid fifth overall at the Adelaide round of the 2024 Australian Supercross Championship (AUSX), while in the SX1 class Nathan Crawford raced to ninth overall. Words: KTM

After a third-place result in his heat race on Friday, Minear came firing out of the gate on his KTM 250 SX-F in the opening Supercross Sprint final on Saturday night at the Adelaide 500, claiming the holeshot and leading the opening laps.

The Western Australian teenager took the chequered flag in sixth position and then continued to improve with each race, finishing with 6-6-5-4 scores over the course of the SX2 main events. That resulted in fifth overall, which elevated Minear to fifth in the title race.

Kayden Minear: “It was an eventful night. I got the holeshot in the first race and panicked a little, but the rest of the races were good – I rode smart and brought it home. I love the Sprint format and I got better and better with each race… It’d be nice if the races were a bit longer, but having more gate drops is my type of racing. It was a really cool event alongside the Supercars and I can’t wait for the Perth World Supercross round this coming weekend.”

In the SX1 category, KTM Racing Team teammate Crawford finished the night ninth overall, with the highlight being the second final where he raced his KTM 450 SX-F to fifth position. He’d finished eighth in the first race, followed by 5-9-11 scores following an action-packed evening.

Nathan Crawford: “It was a tough weekend. I didn’t qualify well and as a result my gate pick for the Sprint races was further to the outside than I would’ve liked, but we’ll regroup and get ready for the final round in Melbourne in two weeks.”

Sunday saw the CR22 85 Cup hit the track for its finals at the Supercross Sprint, where KTM Junior Racing Team’s Cooper Ford went 4-4 for fourth overall on his KTM 85 SX, while Tate Reed returned from injury ahead of schedule to record 10-8 finishes for P10 overall in South Australia.

The final round of the AUSX series will be held at Marvel Stadium, Melbourne, on Saturday, November 30.

Image: ID Media Group