30th May 2023
FACTORY HONDA LEAD MX1 AND MX2 POINTS AFTER SUCCESSFUL GILMAN OUTING
The Factory Honda team had a successful weekend in Gilman, South Australia, at the fifth round of the Australian ProMX Championship, taking overall wins in the MX1 and MX2 classes.
Boost Mobile Honda MX1 riders Kyle Webster and Jed Beaton qualified first and second respectively. Kyle went on to win both motos and claimed his first overall for the season. Beaton went 4-4 to finish third on the day and also reclaimed the overall championship lead.
Webster executed his plan perfectly.
“I said it before I turned up: I need to race for the win in each and every race I line up in and today was one of those days that turned out better than I could have imaged. It has been a tough season and today was amazing. The bike, team and everyone involved at Honda Racing are working amazingly well and this result is a credit to their efforts,” said Webster.
Beaton is pleased to reclaim the overall lead but admits there is still work to be done.
“We were definitely better today – I could do 30 min without fatiguing. The bike is much better and everyone is working hard. We need to keep working on everything so we can refine the little things. I am much happier with everything today and we are focused on being better in round six,” said Beaton.
Terrafirma Equipment Sales Honda rider Wilson Todd returned to his winning ways. Wilson qualified first and went 1-1 to take the overall, which extended his points lead in the MX2 championship.
“Unreal weekend! We are getting on top of my stomach issues, and I am feeling better. It showed. Thanks to the team for being patient and super supportive during these challenging times,” said Todd.
Brodie Connolly was much better following his tonsillitis; he went 6-3 for 4thoverall. Brodie sits third overall on his Polyflor Honda CRF250R. Connolly admits he is not 100% but is happy with his progress following his finish in the previous round.
“We were terrible in Maitland – I was sick and had no energy. This weekend was much better. I know we have more in the tank, and I will be working hard to be on top of everything at the next round,” said Connolly.
The Factory Honda Women’s team rode with determination and heart. Harvey Norman Honda rider Emma Milesevic went 2-2 for second overall and moved to second in the championship. Repco Honda’s Tahlia O’Hare went 3-3 for third overall. The tenacious Honda duo gave it their all.
Milesevic was pleased with the progress she has made since round one and will continue to push hard in preparation for round three.
“It was much better than the first round, but I need to improve on my sprint speed. I am happy with the progress that we have made but we need to bridge the gap to first,” said Milesevic.
O’Hare made valuable steps forward, following a disastrous first round, and she feels she has a lot left in the tank as she turns her attention to round three in a couple of months.
“This was a huge step forward for me, but I still have a lot to improve on. We have work ahead of us. It is nice to claim my first podium for the season though,” said O’Hare.
Factory Honda Racing Australia director Yarrive Konsky is proud of his team’s efforts and acknowledges that there is still a lot of work ahead of them.
“The entire team, riders and sponsors have worked around the clock to turn our results around. I am very proud of them, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us to maintain our positions. We have a plan – we will work on all areas of our program in preparation for the next round,” said Konsky.