Jack Miller – MotoGP
Having made the high-profile switch to Red Bull KTM for 2023 and with excitement high that Jack Miller can achieve big things this year, the fact his latest test didn’t go so well in Sepang has tempered expectations. With Miller only able to record a pair of 16ths and a 19th in the fastest times charts, this doesn’t bode well for the crusade ahead.

“The expectation was quite high. We missed something, to be completely honest and fair. In the next few weeks we have to work to get the best potential from what we tested,” said team manager Francesco Guidotti. “But I’m not trying to find excuses. We are working hard to give our riders the best possible [bike]. The expectation was a little bit too high, maybe. I don’t know.”

Miller then shared his typically honest thoughts on how things went, expressing: “We sort of hit a wall a little bit, so just understanding the geometry and getting myself more comfortable. We made a step right before lunch and were pretty happy with that. We’re making another step just to understand what is the limit and to basically gauge where we’re at in terms of balance.”

“We can see on the data that I’m struggling quite a bit compared to the other boys mid corner and just getting things to rotate and to get it off the corner. It’s all about going through these motions and trying to understand the bike and to adapt with it the best we can. No one likes seeing themselves in the bottom half of the timing screen. But that’s not the main focus for us. The focus is to try and build this thing up and get it somewhere reasonable for Portimao.”

The popular #43 did also importantly mention improvements are still being made all the time and he’s excited about the process of making further strides in their quest to ensure the bike is as competitive as possible come the season opener.

Remy Gardner – World Superbike
Even though Remy Gardner’s World Superbike debut on home soil at Phillip Island will be remembered mostly for him accidentally taking out teammate Dominique Aegerter in the Superpole race, he still enjoyed a decent weekend under the GRT Yamaha awning.

Showcasing his impressive skills and speed, his race finishes of 12th and 10th respectively were admirable to begin his season in light of the circumstances.

“It’s been a complicated weekend, not just for the races, but because of the weather. We didn’t expect to have a wet race in Race One and I struggled a lot in the wet yesterday,” he explained. “I was hoping for dry [weather] and we had a good start to the Superpole Race and I felt quite strong to be honest. But then I made a mistake in turn four and went in too deep and made contact with Domi.”

“First of all, I would like to apologise to Domi and the Team for the Tissot Superpole Race crash. I’m really sorry, we both could have made a good result. Anyway, we have to be happy with our pace; and we were fighting for the podium positions, which was beyond our expectations before this weekend. Starting from so far back on the grid in Race Two with a long lap penalty didn’t help, but that’s a lesson for the future.”

Gardner will now shift his attention to the second round in Indonesia, where he’ll be keen to enjoy a drama-free second stop on the calendar.

Oli Bayliss – World Supersport
Oli Bayliss endured a lively day in World Supersport to start his season on the home confines of Phillip Island. Grabbing sixteenth in race one, this wasn’t what he had in mind as a gamble on using slick tyres didn’t come to fruition courtesy of the rain returning. But there was a marked improvement in the second stanza, with him well and truly in the mix for a top five finish before ultimately dropping to tenth in the red flagged race when another rider suffering a mechanical issue got in his way.

“It’s a pity how the weekend went results-wise, because I felt good on the bike and we had the potential to do much better. We worked well together and showed good speed, but unfortunately the two races were quite eventful and surely not favourable to us,” the Team D34G Racing talent said. “We have to keep working hard in the same direction and try to capitalise in Indonesia in less than a week.”

Jett Lawrence – AMA Supercross
The inordinately gifted Aussie phenom keeps on flexing his muscles Stateside, as he looks set to add another 250 title to his list of honours before moving up to the 450 when AMA Pro Motocross begins in May. Currently sitting atop the 250SX West standings by 20 points over R.J Hampshire having won three of the four main events and bagged second in the other, it’ll take something special to stop the 19-year-old grabbing the title.

Clearly a cut above the competition and riding with a maturity and skill that belies his tender years, the Team Honda HRC star continues to take the sport by storm.

A massive hit on and off the track, it’s easy to see why the likeable youngster is such a drawcard already. Despite all the noise surrounding him, it’s important to note that his dad and trainer, the legendary Johnny O’Mara, keep him on the right path needed to fulfil his immense potential.

Hunter Lawrence – AMA Supercross
Hunter Lawrence has been in similarly excellent form, as he’s following his brother’s lead impressively on his way to winning two of the three 250SX East rounds. Producing the goods and well placed to win his first championship in America, Hunter’s leading the title chase by 11 points from Max Anstie.

Taking his game to another level in 2023 and riding with tremendous confidence, composure and speed, it’s been a joy to watch him strut his stuff, with his last corner win in Tampa especially catching the eye.

Wilson Todd – AMA Supercross
Making his AMA Supercross debut at the start of the year, Wilson Todd deserves enormous credit for putting in all the hard work to reach this milestone. Although things haven’t gone entirely to plan for the talented pilot, there’s vitally been signs of his undeniable speed.

Racing in the 250SX West division, crashes, bad luck and injury have frustratingly scuppered his progress despite his pace in qualifying and practice underlining he has what it takes to mix it inside the top 10. While a torn ligament in his thumb hindered him, Todd’s focus now shifts to the Australian ProMX series, where the reigning MX2 Champion will be back in action on the 250 for the start of the season this weekend in Wonthaggi.

Matt Moss – AMA Supercross
Securing a fill-in ride with the BarX Suzuki squad to race 250SX West, experienced veteran Matt Moss showed his class in his first race for the team in Oakland.

Kicking off his day in fine style by bagging the sixth fastest time in combined qualifying before transferring comfortably to the main by virtue of his third place heat race finish, this was an exceptional way to stamp his mark. Disappointingly, he couldn’t carry his momentum into the main event, for an early crash that injured his thumb ended his night due to him unable to grip the bike well enough.

“I was feeling really good all night, and finished third in my heat. Got an okay start (in the main). I was sitting in fourth when I landed awkwardly on my thumb. I could barely hang on. Disappointing, but overall happy with my speed, a few things to work on. Looking forward to being back behind the gates at the next round. Thanks for the support legends,” he insisted.

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Jack Miller – MotoGP
Hoping to carry the momentum from his sensational victory in Japan into October, Jack Miller’s enjoyed a largely positive month aboard his factory Ducati.

Kicking things off with a wonderful second in Thailand to bag his seventh podium of the season, Miller handled the wet, treacherous conditions masterfully, as he jumped to the lead early on. Although Miguel Oliveira eventually got past the Aussie, to his credit, Miller didn’t go down without a fight, as he only finished 0.730 behind the Portuguese star.

The MotoGP circus then made its way to Australia, where Miller was desperately hoping for a weekend to remember on home soil at Phillip Island. But it wasn’t to be for Miller, who was cruelly taken out by an overzealous Alex Marquez following a good start that saw him mixing it with the frontrunners.

The 27-year-old then turned his attention to the penultimate round of the season in Malaysia, where he claimed an impressive sixth place finish. Having to charge through the pack following a shocking start, it was a joy to watch him carve through the field with incision. “It wasn’t the ideal day but it wasn’t the worst either, I’m happy enough with my performance,” he said.

“Being beaten on the first lap to 21st place probably didn’t help, it was one of my worst starts in my MotoGP career, you could say. The start itself was okay, I was blocked off by the row in front of me. I had to get out early and then I was more or less stuck on the outside and I had to basically hold on but at least I managed to safely get through the first lap and start my run from there. I kept my head down the whole race and was able to work. We had decent pace the whole race and we were able to show it.” said Miller

Currently sitting fifth in the standings ahead of the final round at Valencia, Miller will be keen to close out what’s been an excellent crusade on a high before switching to KTM in next year.

Remy Gardner – MotoGP
Even though he started the month with a crash in Thailand, where he rode really well and looked a decent shout for a top 10 finish, Remy Gardner bounced back admirably to register 15th at Phillip Island and 18th at Sepang. Wanting to put on a show in front of his home fans, especially after the Australian round wasn’t on the calendar during his triumphant Moto2 title winning season, he showcased his skills nicely.

Having gotten off to a blistering start to propel him inside the top 10, it was great to see him piecing everything together, as he cut a fast and confident figure. While tyre issues ultimately shuffled him back, he gave the fans plenty to cheer about in the final stages of the race by blasting past Maverick Vinales to secure a deserved point.

Switching his focus to Malaysia, and Gardner, who was dealing with rear grip problems, valiantly rode to an 18th place finish in the gruelling hot and humid conditions. “Today’s race was tough physically. We started okay but I knew it would be difficult with the heat and humidity. I tried to save the tyres as much as I could but the rear was dropping quickly. I gave all I could today,” insisted the 24-year-old.

Joel Kelso – Moto3
Joel Kelso continues to showcase his undeniable talent, in what’s been an upside littered last few races by the Darwinian. His 12th in Thailand was a huge step in the right direction, which served as a huge confidence booster in what’s been an injury hit season.

Wanting to build on this result for his home GP, Kelso did precisely that by grabbing a terrific, career-best eighth. Working his way through the field expertly and riding in a calculated manner, his brilliant efforts in front of the delighted Phillip Island crowd was a fitting way to celebrate his home round.

“It was an awesome race, I felt strong through the whole race and at the beginning there I thought a podium was on the cards. I was sitting in that group, saving the tyre and I said ‘let’s sit in the group, enjoy, play a little bit and try to save the tyre for the end’ and when I did there was a little gap that opened up,” Kelso gleamed.

“I went to the front of the group as soon as possible and started pushing to catch the leaders and matched their lap times for two laps in a row but I just didn’t have enough to close them in so I thought I would save it for the end. Happy to come out P8, feeling really strong on the bike, strongest I’ve felt all season and looking forward to bringing this into Malaysia as well.”

Although 18th was all he could muster in Malaysia, the Aussie will now turn his thoughts to Valencia, where he’ll be hoping to close out the season in style.

Jason O’Halloran – British Superbike
Jason O’Halloran’s frustrating end to the season continued in BSB, with things outside of his control ensuring he failed to score points at the finale at Brands Hatch.

Despite scoring a credible sixth on Saturday, his Sunday sadly didn’t go to plan, for his race two was ruined when he was once again knocked down with a podium in his grasp. Then, in race three, the “O Show” was disappointingly forced to retire due to a technical problem. 

Ultimately ending the season fifth in the championship, which was not what he had in mind after being in title contention for the majority of the campaign, he tried to remain as positive as possible when summing up his year.

“There aren’t many words really, this hasn’t been the end to 2022 any of us wanted but that’s BSB and as we have found out, anything really can, and will happen! It’s hard to be positive right now, but we’ve had a good year – I’ve won seven races, had a load of podiums and the team had many 1-2 finishes so there’s a lot to be proud of. Thanks to the whole team and everyone involved.”

Oli Bayliss – World Supersport
Although the results haven’t always been there this term for Oli Bayliss, he’s importantly gaining valuable experience with every passing round that will undoubtedly hold him in good stead for the future. Back on track for the Portuguese stop on the schedule, the youngster performed admirably as he struggled with bike setup on his way to going 20-16 in the two races.

Wanting to regroup and recalibrate, next up was Argentina, where he started the weekend feeling good and happy on the bike. Unfortunately, this didn’t completely translate into his results even if a 15th in the opening race was solid before he was cruelly ousted early on in the second stanza.

“The Barni Racing Team and I made a big change in warm up that gave me a good feeling with the Ducati Panigale V2, which is very promising as we head into the final two rounds of the 2022 WorldSBK Championship,” he concluded. I am happy that as a team we have a good starting point for next round. Disappointed about the outcome today, but happy we made a step with myself and the bike. Bring on Mandalika in two weeks’ time.”

Jacob Roulstone and Harrison Voight – Red Bull Rookies & Moto3 Juniors
Jacob Roulstone and Harrison Voight were back on track for the Moto3 Junior World Championship at Aragon, with the gifted pair both able to take positives from their efforts. 

To start with Voight, and his weekend got off to a flyer, as he flexed his muscles by claiming second in practice and ninth in qualifying. Things didn’t go to plan on race day, however, for he annoyingly bowed out of the race after a fast start that initially saw him battling within the top five. “Solid start to the weekend, doing quick and consistent lap times alone. In qualifying I couldn’t put it all together to crack the 58s without needing a tow,” he said.

“For the race, it’s a disappointing way to end the weekend yet I’m satisfied with how I went from ninth to being in the top five within the second lap. Making gaps to pass was something I improved so I’m taking the positives and moving on. The last dance is at Valencia so let’s make the most of it!”

Voight also revealed his exciting plans for 2023, with the talented Aussie announcing he’s stepping up to the FIM CEV Moto2 Championship with the Yamaha Stylobike Racing Team for 2023.

Meanwhile, in the case of Roulstone, he put in one of his best weekends yet, for not only did he bag seventh fastest in practice and 11th in qualifying, but he also secured 14th in the race. Duking it out at the front for a large chunk of the race, there was much to admire about his first points scoring effort in this series.

“From the first lap on Thursday, I felt very strong, comfortable and confident on the bike – a lot more than the rest of the year. Q1 on Saturday got a good lap, which put me in P7. Then for Q2, I wasn’t able to improve my time but four others were able to, so it pushed me back to start the race in 11th,” he recalled. Then for the race, got a good start but just with the lack of experience at the front of this class and with the high pace early I fell back. With the bike setup for a group battle once I lost the group it was difficult to do the lap speed the frontrunners were. I managed to push through till the end to finish in 14th and score my first Junior World Championship points. “Overall it was a very productive race and with a big change from my side in my approach to the whole weekend. I have seen the benefits and know more rewards are coming.”

Wil Ruprecht – FIM EnduroGP World Championship
Wil Ruprecht ended his season on a high by claiming his first world title in the E2 class to cap off what’s been an overwhelmingly outstanding 2022.

With all eyes on Ruprecht and Josep Garcia to see who would win their battle for E2 supremacy, the former rode a smart round to ensure he got the job done, as he limited the mistakes to maintain his points advantage.

Cutting an overjoyed figure afterwards, Ruprecht was clearly stoked with his achievement, declaring: “To win my first world title has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid. But they don’t come easy. It’s been a good year, great results mixed with some tough days, so to finally lock it down is incredible.”

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Jack Miller – MotoGP
Showing great consistency and riding with a nice blend of intensity, composure and intelligence, Jack Miller’s two consecutive podiums in August have been a joy to watch. To start with Silverstone, and the Factory Ducati star managed the race expertly, striking the right balance of when to preserve his tyres and when to go for it. Having been in the top three the entire race, Miller eventually claimed third, with Maverick Vinales passing him late to bump him out of second. 

The popular Australian then backed up this ride with another outstanding effort in Austria at the Red Bull Ring by securing third once more. Giving himself terrific grid position by virtue of qualifying third fastest, he jumped out of the blocks smartly to be up with the frontrunners from the outset. From here, Miller further flexed his muscles and underlined what an elite operator he is by pushing the likes of Francesco Bagnaia, Fabio Quartararo and Jorge Martin, in a race where he even briefly held the lead.

Coming across the line third in the end after enduring tyre issues as the race drew to a close, there was no hiding his happiness at the result, which bagged him his third podium in the last four races. “I’m thrilled with today’s result. I pushed as hard as possible to stay with Pecco until the end, but after I tried to pass him, he brought up the pace, and it was difficult for me to respond,” he gleamed.

“Then, I started to suffer a bit with the tyres towards the end. We fought hard with Fabio and Jorge for second place, and I was hoping to get the better of them, but in any case, it’s our second, third place in a row, and the aim is to continue fighting for the podium in all the upcoming races. It is a great moment for the team, so I hope we can continue with this momentum at our home race in Misano”.

Remy Gardner – MotoGP
Remy Gardner’s challenging first campaign in MotoGP continued, with him notching 18th at Silverstone and 20th in Austria. Battling niggling injuries and struggling with the bike, like many of his fellow KTM riders, Gardner did, however make some positive gains at the British GP, where he felt happy with things on track and enjoyed dueling near the main group. Even though he severely lost edge grip in the closing stages of the race, he left feeling content with the weekend. 

Turning his attention to the Red Bull Ring, and this was a round to forget for the reigning Moto2 champion, for his day was ruined when he crashed before valiantly remounting to finish 20th. Another big takeaway from last weekend came in the form of Gardner admitting that he’ll most likely be out of MotoGP at the end of the season due to there being no open spots for him.

With news emerging that KTM are reportedly not looking to keep him on, a dejected Gardner was frank in his assessment of the situation, stating: “No, it’s not [looking great for next year]. In MotoGP, it doesn’t look like there’s anything… KTM’s done it again!”

Senna Agius – Moto2
Coming in to replace the injured Sam Lowes for the Marc VDS Racing Team in Moto2, Senna Agius, who usually competes in European Moto2 Championship, admirably handled the step up in class.

Chipping away and improving in every session, it was fantastic to see the Australian make the most of his opportunity. Having qualified in a credible 21st, how the 17-year-old then handled the race was wonderful, as he was battling for points before a long lap penalty ultimately dropped him back to 17th. Not bad at all for a Moto2 debut.

“It was a really good race. At the beginning, I made some mistakes that I could have maybe avoided. But it was my first race so it was bound to happen,” a content Agius insisted. “For sure the level in the World Championship is higher and the way these guys go fast is a bit different to what I’m used to. But it’s the way they ride and they’re really fast. I’m learning to do what they’re doing. I felt I learnt a lot this weekend and my riding style has changed a lot from the beginning of the weekend to the end.”

Joel Kelso – Moto3
Having been forced to sit out for roughly six weeks due to injury, Kelso finally made his Moto3 comeback in Austria. Bagging an impressive 13th in qualifying, this was a great effort by the Darwinian to get his weekend rolling.

Come the race on Sunday, there was much to be admired about his determined day at the office, which saw him finish the race in 22nd, roughly 27 seconds back from the winner, Ayumu Sasaki.

Back racing again, expect Kelso to keep getting better and better as his physical condition improves and he regains his comfort on the bike, with him knowing he has the speed to be fighting for top 10s.

Jason O’Halloran – British Superbike
Jason O’Halloran continued his excellent form at round six of the BSB Championship at Thruxton by going 1-1-3.

Kicking off his weekend in style by winning the sprint race, this served as the catalyst for him to shine in race two and three, where he recorded impressive first and third place finishes respectively. Engaging in some captivating battles with Tarran Mackenzie and Bradley Ray, the fans were treated to a real spectacle as the last two races saw the ultra fast trio separated by less than 0.300s.

“We won two races this weekend and took a third, the fastest lap of the weekend and felt really comfortable in all of the races,” the elated Aussie explained.

“I managed the first two races quite well and in the last race I got a worse start so it changed the strategy, I sat behind Taz and Brad for as long as I could and then I probably went to the front one lap too early thinking I had more tyre than I did. Maybe I pushed too much too soon and cooked the tyre a bit, but they were very enjoyable races. I love racing here, it’s more like a cycling race than a tyre race as you’re conserving the tyres and thinking about strategy. It would have been easier if there was two of us, as when there’s three it makes the strategy a bit more tricky. I’m really enjoying it at the minute and looking forward to Cadwell Park.”

Heading into Caldwell Park, the “O Show” holds a crucial 24 point lead over Ray, as his immaculate recent form has propelled him into a commanding position.

Jacob Roulstone and Harrison Voight – Red Bull Rookies & Moto3 Junior World Championship
Aussie talents Jacob Roulstone and Harrison Voight returned to action in the The Red Bull Rookies Cup, with both coming into Spielberg full of optimism. Unfortunately it wasn’t the weekend they’d hoped for despite them gaining some vital experience racing at the incredible Red Bull Ring.

Roulstone recorded finishes of 15th and 17th while Voight went 16-12 in the two races, as the young duo continue to build in this highly regarded competition that’s littered with gifted riders.

Josh Hook – FIM EWC Endurance
In what was a hugely eventful Suzuka 8 Hours race, Josh Hook did everything in his power to help his F.C.C TSR Honda France team claim a hard-fought 10th.

With teammate Gino Rea suffering a horrific head injury following a frightening crash, Hook and Mike de Meglio were forced to compete as a two man team while their colleague was in intensive care. Pushing on bravely in the absence of Rea, who is now thankfully recovering, Hook started the race in fine fashion to sit comfortably in the top five in the early running. Unfortunately, some mechanical issues saw the team lose plenty of time, as they dropped all the way back to 19th before valiantly recovering to finish an admirable 10th.

“The last few days have been very difficult for us and the whole team. First of all, we would like to say that our thoughts and prayers are with Gino. We are thinking of him during this difficult time,” a clearly distressed Hook said afterwards. 

“The race was very, very difficult with only two riders, it was physically demanding, and we weren’t able to perform as well as we had hoped today. But today’s result was definitely the best we could have done. Both Mike and I gave 100% and that’s all we could’ve done at this point. Thanks to everyone in the team for their hard work as always.”

Mitch Evans – MXGP
Although the results haven’t always matched his speed in an action packed month of MXGP, Mitch Evans has illustrated why he’s one of the fastest men in the class. 

Kicking off his August with an exceptional qualifying race win in Sweden, he then had a mixed raceday, where an early mistake meant 10th was the best he could muster in the first moto. But in race two, Evans well and truly put that behind him by snatching his finest result of the season to come home in fourth place.

The subsequent two rounds in Finland and France haven’t gone his way despite him showing plenty of speed in practice and qualifying, as falls and bad luck have cost him dearly in his quest for a podium. After recording moto finishes of 14-20 at Finland, where he suffered two first lap crashes, he crucially picked things up in France to go 7-11 to restore some confidence. “Another weekend where I’m disappointed with how the motos went,” he stated after Sunday’s GP. 

“I was in a strong position in race one, staying in fourth place for the majority of the race and just a mistake near the end dropped me to seventh. I feel like I’m putting a bit too much pressure on myself to get on the podium, so I just need to focus a bit more on just taking each lap as it comes. Race two wasn’t as easy and another small mistake meant I dropped from seventh to 10th, and in the end, I finished 11th. Of course, I want more, and that’ll be the aim when we head to the final round in Turkey in two weeks’ time.”

Jed Beaton – MXGP
Still struggling to find his groove in MXGP in what’s been an injury interrupted debut campaign in the premier class, Jed Beaton deserves credit for battling through the pain to show he belongs at this elite level. Clocking some promising times in practice this month, the problem has been transferring his speed into raceday. 

Recording finishes of 19-18-19-14-15-13 in his six previous motos importantly shows he’s making steps in the right direction in this fiercely competitive, stacked class even if he knows he’s capable of better. With just one round remaining, the F&H Kawasaki pilot will be looking to close the season on a high in Turkey in the first weekend of September.

Jett Lawrence – AMA Pro Motocross
Leading the championship by 37 points with two rounds left, Jett Lawrence is in a commanding position to seal his second consecutive 250 AMA Pro Motocross title.

Although the 18-year-old sensation hasn’t been at his best this month, with some unfortunate crashes when pushing too hard hindering him, he’s still managed to go 7-2-2-3 in the last four combined motos at Unadilla and Budds Creek.

Even though he’s been disappointed with his recent results, it’s important to note how well he’s salvaged his bad days, with his capacity to limit the damage being crucial towards him maintaining his gap atop the standings.

With just Ironman and Pala Two left on the calendar, if all goes to plan, winning another title would be the perfect way to head into the Motocross of Nations, where he’ll be joined by his brother and Mitch Evans to form an incredibly strong, all HRC Honda team for Aus.

Hunter Lawrence – AMA Pro Motocross
After a challenging couple of rounds Hunter Lawrence has slipped back to third in the standings behind sibling Jett and Japanese star Jo Shimoda.

Having endured some mechanical issues, mistakes and untimely tip overs, Hunter has only managed to go 2-5-8-9 in his last quartet of races. There is certainly time to overtake Shimoda in the standings, however, for on his day when everything clicks he’s proven he has what it takes to beat anyone. Knowing there’s much scope for improvement, expect him to come out firing in the final two rounds and put his recent adversity behind him in his pursuit to wrestle back second in the standings.

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