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It was first time in seven years that Supercross had been to Wayville, and at that last event CDR Yamaha’s Dan Reardon came away with the win. Sporting the red plate, it was an unfamiliar look as last year Suzuki’s Matt Moss went undefeated and was in a class of his own. With a stacked field this year, the 450 class has stepped up a notch, and the day’s racing would show that. In the first heat Reardon showed class while battling with Moss for the eight laps. DPH Yamahas Lawson Bopping and SD3 Husqvarna’s Brett Metcalfe, in his long-awaited return to his hometown in a one-off ride for the team, closely followed the two. Reardon held off Moss to take the win, but a turn of events would see a different story in heat two. Reardon pulled a comprehensive holeshot coming out of the second turn with several bike length lead, while Moss struggled, getting tangled up and having to do it the hard way. This opened up the race for KTM’s Luke Styke who closely followed Reardon. As the race went on, Reardon would pull away from Styke, making it two-for-two race wins for the red plate holder, while Metcalfe went one better to round out the podium. A series of mistakes would see Moss finish in ninth, finding himself on the floor three times throughout the event. Another notable rider, last year’s Lites champion, Gavin Faith, also battled some issues in what has been a tough season for the American. Expected to be contending for the championship, he hasn’t hit his peak with a string of bad luck causing him to be a fair way behind in the points. As the main event came around, all eyes were on Moss and Reardon, to see if Moss could bounce back from his heat race troubles. As the gate dropped it was Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Adam Monea who found the white line first, with Reardon, Moss and Metcalfe all on the chase. It wasn’t long before Reardon made his way to the front and started to pull away from the field. Monea didn’t drop off, though, holding onto second place while Metcalfe followed closely. At mid-race, Reardon stalled his bike in the corner opening up the opportunity for Monea, Metcalfe, and Moss to close in. The crowd lit up as the racing hit high intensity, but points leader Reardon was calm and collected, finding his way back to the front of the field. CDR Yamaha rider Kade Mosig followed the lead group, eventually picking off Monea for fourth. Coming into the last corner Metcalfe and Reardon were tight, but Reardon held his lead to light the flames for his second win in a row. A great ride for Metcalfe who’s not seen as a predominant Supercross rider, but definitely got his hometown buzzing with his great ride. Moss managed to round out the podium with a better ride than earlier in the night, but seemed less than impressed with the third-place finish.
Credit
Marc Jones
Photo Blast: Australian Supercross Championship from Adelaide
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