With many Aussies showcasing their skills abroad in a range of disciplines on-track, our latest column focuses on how they’re faring battling it out, this month we have Miller, Agius, Kelso, Roulstone, Gardner, Bayliss, Power, Lawrence, Cannon and Owens.
On-Track
Jack Miller – MotoGP
Jack Miller’s July began on a positive note at the iconic Sachsenring, for he put in his finest Sprint race performance of the season, charging to an impressive fifth after a gritty comeback. Having got off the line well, he struck a tear-off while shifting into second gear that caused the rear tyre to slip, which frustratingly dropped him back to 11th. Undeterred, Miller clawed his way back through the pack to ultimately bank a solid top-five finish.
Read previous Aussie’s Abroad here...
Then, in Sunday’s main race, despite struggling with tyre degradation over the final eight laps, Miller again displayed resilience to battle hard to clinch eighth.
Heading to Brno for the next stop on the calendar, the popular Aussie powered to 10th in qualifying even though he suffered a crash that threatened to hamper his GP. His Sprint was compromised right from the outset, though, for he got caught behind a slow-starting Alex Marquez, meaning he was forced to roll off the throttle, thus seeing him drop to 14th. Regrouping admirably, there was much to admire about how he recovered to 12th.
Making a solid beginning to Sunday’s race, the Australian propelled himself to eighth on the opening lap and settled in behind Jorge Martin. However, a late-race engine brake issue disrupted his rhythm, allowing Brad Binder, Fermin Aldeguer and Pol Espargaro to slip past, leaving Miller to finish 10th.
“It was a long and tough race. I had a decent start – better than in the Sprint race – and was feeling pretty good. We were very conservative, not being completely sure about the tyres. I found a good rhythm behind Jorge, and everything was fine until about seven laps from the end. I changed the engine brake setting, and pretty much at the same time, I started to struggle in Turn 3. The clutch was kind of binding up, basically not giving me any engine braking. It was even difficult to tell which gear I was in, as I couldn’t really feel the downshifts. So, I had to reinvent my riding in those final laps, which was tough. I had been able to brake pretty late to defend against overtaking moves, but once the issue started, I had to leave some margin and became vulnerable to Brad and Pol catching me. I’m not happy with the last three laps, but it is what it is,” explained Jack Miller.
Senna Agius – Moto2
Senna Agius showed blistering pace to open the weekend in Germany, clocking a 1:39.588 to briefly hold provisional pole. However, a dramatic late-session crash, which he thankfully walked away unscathed from, saw him bumped off the front row, meaning he began the main dance fourth on the grid.
Race day brought further challenges, with Agius forced to serve two long-lap penalties. Starting a distant 23rd, the determined Aussie carved his way through the field in a tremendous comeback. When the race was red-flagged on lap 20, he had surged to 11th – an exceptional ride that highlighted his composure, racecraft and unshakeable resolve.
Onto Brno, and after qualifying sixth to secure a second-row position, Senna Agius slipped back to 12th early and struggled to find his groove. Despite a robust effort, he could only salvage 15th and a single championship point.
“Sunday here in Brno didn’t go as expected, because I had inexplicable problems from the first lap. It was strange because it was something I hadn’t felt before this season. It destroyed my race, even though I tried to adapt to the problems as best I could, but nothing worked. I couldn’t overtake, I couldn’t open the throttle and I couldn’t ride my pace like I showed on Saturday. It’s very frustrating, and I’m quite disappointed with today because we had great potential,” he lamented.
The 20-year-old now enters the summer break sitting seventh in the standings, poised to bounce back with gusto when the campaign resumes.
Joel Kelso – Moto3
Joel Kelso displayed remarkable determination in the Moto3 race in Germany, bravely pushing through the pain after a heavy Saturday crash that required thorough medical attention. While he managed the discomfort early on, the injury took its toll in the closing laps. To his credit, Kelso valiantly fought on to secure a courageous sixth, which was an eye-catching showing given the circumstances.
The Czech Republic round also proved a tough one for the talented Kelso, who was sidelined following a nasty qualifying crash left him with a fractured right foot.
Fortunately, the upcoming three-week summer break offers valuable recovery time as Kelso aims to return fit and ready for Austria.
Jacob Roulstone – Moto3
Although he launched from 19th on the grid in Germany, Sunday’s race proved to be a breakthrough day for Jacob Roulstone, who charged through the field to finish eighth, just 0.8 seconds off the win to bank his best result of the crusade so far.
Though he battled rear tyre issues in the closing laps, Roulstone handled the challenge with aplomb, drawing on his flat track experience to manage the situation. Buoyed by the performance, all eyes were on carrying this surge of confidence into the next round at Brno.
Sadly, it wasn’t to be for the youngster, as he endured a rough weekend in the Czech Republic. Getting off on the wrong foot, with an engine issue in FP2 cutting short his track time, before his best lap in Q2 was controversially cancelled due to a questionable yellow flag.
Hitting the grid 15th, the Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider’s toils spilt into the race, with persistent front-end issues preventing him from finding the pace needed to fight at the front.
“Disappointed with this weekend, to be completely honest. It started off looking promising, but after just five decent laps yesterday, I was left with little track time for the race. We have some pretty big things to change before the next race in just under a month,” Roulstone commented.
Remy Gardner – World Superbike
Remy Gardner qualified 16th at Donington with a 1:25.953 after a small misstep on what could have been his quickest lap. But when the lights went out in race one, he made amends in style – slicing through the field to claim a terrific ninth.
Sunday brought more consistency, with Gardner securing 12th in the Superpole race before notching another solid ninth in race two. All in all, it was a confidence-boosting weekend for the Aussie, who exhibited speed and fight throughout.
“The long race was definitely better than the sprint. I had a good start in the Superpole race and felt strong early on, but we struggled a bit in the second half and couldn’t challenge for the top nine. In the main race, though, I felt much better and managed to recover from 15th on the grid to ninth. The pace was solid throughout. It’s a decent result, and we’ll aim for more at Balaton in a few days,” Gardner stated.
Oli Bayliss – World Supersport
Oli Bayliss delivered his strongest performance of the season aboard his Triumph in race one, charging up to seventh and hunting for a top-six spot before a crash at Turn 12 on lap nine brought his run to an early conclusion.
Determined to bounce back in race two, the Aussie made a lightning start and briefly ran with the lead group. However, grip issues began to surface, forcing him to drop back and eventually settle for 12th – a result that didn’t reflect the potential and speed he’d demonstrated.
“Bit of a difficult race. Good start and first lap, but I just got dropped and couldn’t catch up to the group. I struggled a little bit with grip and was just in salvage mode for the race. We’ll try again in two weeks,” recalled Bayliss.
Off-Track
Jett Lawrence – AMA Pro Motocross
Jett Lawrence’s July has been littered with upside and success as the phenom’s won two of the three AMA Pro Motocross overalls on offer and placed second in the other. Reigning supreme at RedBud and Spring Creek before getting second at Washougal, the gifted Jett has been a cut above his competition more often than not.
With his jumps out of the gate dialled and him comfortable on the bike, the technically sublime Honda superstar holds a 61-point lead over older brother Hunter Lawrence.
“This has always been one of my tougher tracks, so I knew coming in it would be a challenge – especially with guys like Chase and Eli riding well here. In the first moto, I made a mistake and lost some time trying to get back into a flow, and by then Eli had already built a gap. I’m still happy with second overall, though, you can’t win everything, and eventually a streak ends. I was proud to rebound in the second moto and grab the win there,” he insisted after the recent round at Washougal.
Watch for more when the series resumes next month at Ironman in his quest to claim his second 450 Pro Motocross crown.
Hunter Lawrence – AMA Pro Motocross
Going 2-2-4 in his last trio of races, Hunter Lawrence’s consistency and speed continue to make him a force to be reckoned with in Pro Motocross. While he hasn’t been able to take home that elusive overall triumph, the fact he won a moto at Spring Creek served as a testament to how brilliantly he’s been riding.
“Another top-five overall – fourth on the day. I kept the top-five streak alive; that makes 19 in a row, so that’s pretty cool. And I’m happy to leave here in one piece. The visibility was really tough today, with the shadows; I might need to see an eye doctor to make sure I’m not partially blind! But it was the same for everyone, and I’m glad to make it through.”
Desperate to bring home a win, expect him to come out swinging at Ironman, as he hopes to best his masterful sibling and the likes of Chase Sexton and Eli Tomac.
Jake Cannon – EMX250
Jake Cannon kicked off his EMX250 outing in Finland with a fantastic body of work in the opening moto. While he was running steady in eighth in the first laps, he really found his form in the second half of the bout, blasting through the stacked field to log an excellent fourth.
Disappointingly, his Sunday didn’t go to plan, with a crash over the bars on the sandy circuit scuppering his second race. A tenacious Cannon notably remounted and put on a charge to cross the line in 20th to earn the final point on offer.
“I got off to a good start in the first moto, but my first few laps were terrible, and I quickly dropped back to eighth before settling down. The track was very rough, there were no breaks. It was surprisingly hot too, but I never gave up and finished strong for a solid fourth place. Sunday was a different story with that crash costing me so much time, it was a different experience,” he told the Bud Racing website.
Liam Owens – EMX250
Liam Owens yet again underlined his class in the latest EMX250 round in Finland by registering seventh overall on a weekend where a podium was on the cards if only he had avoided a penalty and some mistakes.
Qualifying P5 and looking fast, the Husqvarna ace appeared destined to be in the mix from the off, showing promising speed heading into the races. Initially finishing seventh in race one, this result wasn’t to be upheld, though, for a post-race penalty for a sound control infringement saw him demoted five positions to 12th.
Race two saw an even better performance for Owens, as he logged fifth and was hauling in the sandy conditions even if a few errors cost him a shot at the podium.
“A bit of a weird weekend for me, to be honest, not much to say. Starts are heading in the right direction and started around the top 10 in both races this weekend,” Owens posted.
