Our homegrown talent has been battling it out on track and making us proud! Check out our monthly column that follows all things Aussies racing Internationally on and off-road, from MotoGP to AMA Motocross. This month Miller, Gardner, Kelso, Herfoss and more. Words: Ed Stratmann
On-Track
Jack Miller – MotoGP
While 13th wasn’t what Jack Miller wanted at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, positives could still be extracted from his weekend. Showing his speed and skill in the Sprint to secure seventh and blasting off the line in the Sunday race, the Aussie star will take encouragement from this in a round where frustrating rear grip problems cost him dearly, thus ensuring 13th was the best he could muster.
“I felt good in the group for the first six laps and very comfortable. The bike was working better than yesterday, but then from lap seven I ran into some grip issues immediately and it just got worse. I couldn’t carry corner speed,” he reflected. “It was a bit confusing after we’d done ten laps and pushed so hard in the Sprint. I’d been managing the tyre and building it up, so it’s very strange. I just tried to ride as defensively as I could for the rest of the race. We’ll have a look at the data. I felt I could have done a good job here.”
“It was a bit confusing after we’d done ten laps and pushed so hard in the Sprint. I’d been managing the tyre and building it up, so it’s very strange.”
The Red Bull KTM ace, who occupies 10th in the MotoGP standings, will now turn his attention to Jerez, where he’ll be expecting an uptick in fortunes.
Senna Agius – Moto2
On his first visit to the hugely challenging Circuit of the Americas, Senna Agius endured a tough weekend at the office. A unique beast of a track and posing a tremendously demanding obstacle to navigate, it was never going to be easy for the 18-year-old Moto2 rookie, but he still deserves credit for giving it his best shot. Qualifying 22nd before claiming 18th in the race, it was a round all about learning for the reigning European Moto2 Champion, which will surely hold him in good stead for the future.
“In this race I learned the most in the final laps and I think we’re knocking on the door to make a big step soon.”
“I had a not too bad start and the first few laps, when I felt confident, were also good. I was able to catch up well until I was in contention for the points,” insisted the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP pilot. “However, I lost time in some sectors, while I was really strong in other parts of the track. That was going through the entire distance. In this race I learned the most in the final laps and I think we’re knocking on the door to make a big step soon. As soon as we return to Europe, we will try out a lot of what we have experienced so far”.
Jacob Roulstone – Moto3
Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 excitement machine Jacob Roulstone continues to impress in his debut campaign in Moto3, with an eighth another strong result in Texas. Bagging a brilliant sixth in qualifying to prime himself for a quality race, he displayed what a force to be reckoned with he already is in this ultra-competitive class. Although crashes all around him scuppered his start, meaning he dropped back to 15th by lap one while he avoided the chaos, he didn’t let this define his race.
Needing to execute a long-lap penalty didn’t help his cause either, but the talented racer kept charging in his quest to power through the pack. Surging into the top 10 with nine laps to go, Roulstone ultimately went on to bank a season-best finish of eighth to cap off a crazy Sunday on a high.
“Finishing eighth after the first lap chaos and the long lap penalty is pretty good.”
“It was probably one of the most chaotic first laps that I have experienced, but we managed to stay focused, even after losing a bit of ground following the long lap, which I did quite well. Finishing eighth after the first lap chaos and the long lap penalty is pretty good, and we have to be happy with that. We have worked really hard this weekend with the team, and I cannot thank them enough for it.” Roulstone recalled.
Joel Kelso – Moto3
Joel Kelso keeps on flexing his muscles in Moto3, for the Aussie speedster was fast throughout at COTA. Starting the race fourth on the grid, this gave him a nice platform to fly off the line. Kelso annoyingly was hindered by the early drama, though, seeing him drop way back by the completion of the opening lap. Ready to fight on and overcome this adversity, there was much to admire about his charge up the field to propel himself into podium contention.
“I buckled down, and within two laps, I was back in the podium battle”…
A small crash then ruined his chances of standing on the rostrum, but he was crucially able to remount rapidly to cross the line in seventh. “What a race in Texas! I got off to an amazing start, slotting myself into P3. Unfortunately, I ran into the back of another rider on the first lap and slipped out of the top 15,” Kelso asserted. “But I buckled down, and within two laps, I was back in the podium battle. I felt comfortable sitting in the group, but made a small mistake into turn one, causing me to tuck the front. Luckily, I was able to pull the clutch in and keep the BOE Motorsports bike running. After remounting, I recovered back to P7. Despite receiving a 3-second penalty after the race, I was far enough in front to keep my position. I’m happy to be sitting P3 in the championship! It’s a long season, and I know the podiums will come.”
Remy Gardner – World Superbike
The wait is over for Remy Gardner, as the talented Australian finally secured his maiden WorldSBK podium. Breathing life into his Saturday with a sixth in the Superpole qualifier at Assen, he then backed that up with a fourth in the red flag interrupted race one. This result was slightly disappointing, however, for Gardner was in line for a podium in the wet only for the stoppage to deny him the chance.
“It was about time! We’ve had an amazing weekend, we were fast in every session”.
Falling short of third in the Superpole race as well when he got overtaken at the end by Alex Lowes, he must have been thinking luck was against him. But the stars aligned for him in race two, with him producing a fantastic ride to eventually finish third in a race where he was in contention for victory.
“It was about time! We’ve had an amazing weekend, we were fast in every session. Unfortunately, I lost a place on the rostrum in the Superpole race. I’m honestly kicking myself for leaving the door open at the last corner, but Alex had a good race so congratulations to him,” he told the Yamaha website.
Read our previous Aussies Racing Abroad columns here…
“In race two, drops of rain made it scary and I didn’t do anything crazy, everyone closed the gas, but as soon as it started to dry again I felt I had the pace and I opened the gap. Finally, we’re back on the podium and I hope it’ll be the first of many. A huge thanks to the team.”
Oli Bayliss – World Supersport
Assen proved an extremely challenging event for youngster Oli Bayliss, as the unpredictable weather conditions meant he struggled to find his groove throughout. Knowing he’s capable of far better and with the team behind him, it’ll be a case of putting this encounter in the rear vision mirror, which saw him post a 20th in race one and retire from the second, and focusing on the next one in Italy.
“In the second race I made the wrong decision to stay out on the slick tyre as I thought it would have dried earlier”…
“It was a difficult weekend overall and the weather conditions didn’t help. In race one I really struggled with the front tyre from the first lap and with the wet rear tyre in the wet parts of the track I didn’t have a good feeling with the first touch of the gas. In the second race I made the wrong decision to stay out on the slick tyre as I thought it would have dried earlier than it did. I’m sorry for the team as we worked really hard as usual, but we’ll bounce back in Misano,” lamented the Team D34G Racing hotshot.
Tom Edwards – World Supersport
Stamping his mark in exceptional fashion, it was a joy to watch Tom Edwards illustrating his class in Assen. Fast all weekend and underlining what a quality operator he is, the fact he triumphed in the WorldSSP Challenge category and held his own vs. the heavy hitters in the WorldSSP class served as a testament to his expertise on the bike.
Mixing it at the pointy end of the field in the wet before the track began drying out in race one, Edwards registered an impressive fifth under immensely testing circumstances. Even though he was unable to replicate this outing in the second stanza, with 25th the best he could do, all in all, this was a hugely positive effort by Edwards. “I’m really happy with how race one went and to get a career best result. It felt so surreal to be leading the race and battling in P2/P3 right down to the end. It was a gamble for the whole grid on which tyres to run with. The team and I chose to go with wets. Unfortunately we didn’t get enough rain to keep the track wet and a few of the top runners came through late on slicks and caught me,” he commented.
“It was good to get so much experience in the wet with the Ducati and still come away with points and leading the European challenge”…
“In today’s race the decision on whether to box and change to wets or stay out on slicks was up to me and unfortunately my decision didn’t pay off. It was good to get so much experience in the wet with the Ducati and still come away with points and leading the European challenge. Now time to get busy in the seven-week break with training and testing and come back strong for the rest of the season. Thanks to the team for their hard work over the weekend. Also to all the marshals, fans, staff and supports for their efforts in the rainy cold weather over the weekend.”
Troy Herfoss – King of the Baggers
The extremely skilled Troy Herfoss keeps making waves in the King of the Baggers series, as his two wins in April have been nothing short of exceptional. Grabbing a debut win in the championship at COTA as part of the MotoGP weekend, the factory Indian rider’s masterclass earned him 1-2 finishes to flex his muscles on his competitors.
“It’s a perfect weekend for me, I never would have dreamed that”…
The three-rime ASBK champion then carried his momentum into Atlanta Speedway, where his smooth adaptation to the class and racecraft was evidenced yet again. Going 1-1 to propel himself into the lead in the title chase, his decision to opt for slicks on a wet track paid off handsomely, providing him with a firm foundation for a flawless third round.
“It’s a perfect weekend for me, I never would have dreamed that. A perfect weekend in this championship at all, let alone third weekend in the championship. So, it’s a real credit to the team that they can give me a bike that I can just concentrate on racing on and learning tracks. That’s the reason I’m able to be so competitive. So, I want to say thank you to them.“
Off-Road
Jett Lawrence – AMA Supercross
Sitting pretty atop the AMA Supercross standings in the premier class, just five points clear of Cooper Webb, the stage is set for a fascinating battle to the death between phenom Jett Lawrence and Webb.
“I had a great start, which was exactly what I wanted against these guys”…
Having scored a fifth in Foxborough that allowed Webb to draw level in the title chase following a poor start, the #18 rose to the occasion in Nashville to reign supreme in scintillating style. Managing the race masterfully, negotiating the tricky track smartly and letting his riding do all the talking, there was no stopping the 20-year-old inside Nissan Stadium.
“The bike’s been handling great, and I’ve been feeling good the last few weeks; I just couldn’t put myself in good positions. From the first session today, I felt like I had a good flow with the track. I had a great start, which was exactly what I wanted against these guys. I was able to capitalise on some of the mistakes of the guys in front and get into my flow. It was good to get those solid laps in the main,” stated the gifted Honda wizard.
With just three rounds remaining in the fight for 450 class supremacy, watching to see if Jett can outlast the relentless Webb will be absolutely captivating.
Hunter Lawrence – AMA Supercross
The month of April has been a good one so far for Hunter Lawrence, for not only has he achieved a pair of sevenths, but he’s also won a heat race and came second in the other, to further showcase what a terrific rookie term he’s enjoying in the 450 division.
“We really focused on starts this past week to give ourselves a better shot in the main, and it paid off”…
To shine the spotlight on Nashville especially, and it was awesome to see the Lawrence Brothers both win their heat races for the second time this season, as they continue to take AMA Supercross by storm. “It was a good day of riding. My heat race was really good and our bike was really good, so there were a lot of positives,” announced the #96. “We really focused on starts this past week to give ourselves a better shot in the main, and it paid off with a pretty sweet start in the top five in the main Unfortunately, I got together with another rider early on and had to claw my way back from what felt like dead-last and then some. We’ll take a seventh on the night from that.”
Eager for more in the final three stops of the series in his quest to carry on making strides and gaining experience against the sport’s elite, don’t rule out Hunter Lawrence bettering his 10th place in the standings come season’s end.
