Release from 11.11.2023
On a slippery, hard-pack track, Boom Racing-backed Dylan Wills completed an impressive return to national-level racing with a solid fourth overall in the premier SX1 Class, while Reid Taylor finished fifth overall in the SX2 category, and Jyle Campbell claimed third in the SX3 final.
After his return to supercross racing was delayed by a pre-season collarbone injury, Wills – who finished P4 in last year's SX1 championship – entered the Newcastle round with nothing to lose and everything to gain.
A sixth-fastest qualifying time set him up with a good gate-pick to start the evening’s racing, and he continued that form into the first of the points-paying races, where he claimed P5. After an eighth in the second final, Wills was front-and-centre in the third encounter aboard his FC 450. Despite having to battle an increasingly difficult, slick circuit, Wills stayed consistent and was rewarded with a standout P3 result.
In taking fourth overall for the weekend, Wills’ well-earned results have seen him leap straight to seventh position in the SX1 championship standings, despite missing Adelaide’s opening round last month.
In the SX2 ranks, Raceline Performance-supported rider Taylor finished fifth overall and banked valuable points as the series heads to the final round in two weeks time.
After setting the 12th-fastest qualifying time, Taylor continued to improve as the night went on, equipped with the FC 250. A P8 result in the first SX2 final was followed up by a sixth-place in the second, before he finished his evening on a high note, with a valuable P5 score in the final race. Taylor’s results also see him placed seventh in the SX2 standings.
Meanwhile, in the SX3 class, privateer standout Campbell and his TC 250 put on an impressive display as he rode consistently through the chaos to finish on the podium in the SX3 final. Combined with a fourth-place result in Adelaide, he is now second in the standings with one round remaining.
The third and final round of the 2023 Australian Supercross Championship will be held at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium on Friday, 24 November.
Dylan Wills: “I injured my collarbone prior to the season, and even though it’s still not 100 percent, it was good enough to go racing at Newcastle. I got a fifth in the first final and that was a decent start, so my goal was to keep getting good results for the rest of the night. A third place in the third final is better than I expected after a lot of time off the bike. A top five or six is about where I thought I could be, but to finish on the box in that last race, and to be the first Australian in that one, was massive for me. I’m thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to come back racing and it’s a dream scenario.”
2023 Australian Supercross Championship – Newcastle NSW
SX1 round results:
1. Dean Wilson (Honda) 75
2. Josh Hill (Yamaha) 58
3. Luke Clout (Yamaha) 54
4. Dylan Wills (Husqvarna) 49
5. Justin Brayton (Honda) 49
SX1 championship standings:
1. Dean Wilson (Honda) 100
2. Josh Hill (Yamaha) 76
3. Justin Brayton (Honda) 71
4. Luke Clout (Yamaha) 54
5. Joel Wightman (Yamaha) 53
7. Dylan Wills (Husqvarna) 49
SX2 round results:
1. Max Anstie (Honda) 75
2. Nathan Crawford (KTM) 64
3. Kaleb Barham (Yamaha) 50
4. Cole Thompson (Yamaha) 47
5. Reid Taylor (Husqvarna) 44
SX2 championship standings:
1. Max Anstie (Honda) 100
2. Nathan Crawford (KTM) 76
3. Robert Wageman (Yamaha) 65
4. Cole Thompson (Yamaha) 65
5. Wilson Todd (Honda) 60
7. Reid Taylor (Husqvarna) 55
SX3 round results:
1. Parker Ross (Honda) 25
2. Kayd Kingsford (Yamaha) 22
3. Jyle Campbell (Husqvarna) 20
4. Lachlan Morris (KTM) 18
5. Seth Burchell (Yamaha) 16
SX3 championship standings:
1. Parker Ross (Honda) 50
2. Jyle Campbell (Husqvarna) 38
3. Kayd Kingsford (Yamaha) 36
4. Kobe Drew (Yamaha) 35
5. Jack Byrne (KTM) 29