Tanti finished the last round at Coolum in sixth place with 4 – 7 results. Just five points separated Tanti and the third placed rider, Kirk Gibbs, coming into the weekend so a strong performance at the final round could have seen on the championship podium.

Things were on track after race one when Tanti battled hard for a fourth-place finish, one ahead of Gibbs and narrowed the gap to just three points heading into the final moto. He then positioned himself well in moto two and was ahead of Gibbs when he fell and lost several positions. He fell again a few laps later and with it, any hope of a championship podium went out the window.

“Today was a disappointing finish to the year and not the kind of season myself or the team expected. Last year, I was able to get on a roll and reel of some race and round wins but this year I could never string enough races together to really make an impact. Dean was winning a lot of races while Jed was so consistent while I was having up and down weekends.”

“There were still a lot of positives I can take away from the year and I proved that I can run the pace. Appin was good for me, I was solid at Gilman but the rest of them were a bit hit and miss and that’s not what’s needed to win a championship at this level. I fell at Maitland and Toowoomba, two rounds that I’m good at and I feel I could have notched some round wins,  then the crash last week at QMP took me out of the hunt. But I will keep working hard as we have supercross to come and its my chance to redeem myself and get back up front again. Thank you to everyone that supports me as well as my mechanic, Allister, and the entire CDR Yamaha Team for working tirelessly throughout the season,” Tanti comments.

Despite not racing the final two rounds, Luke Clout rounded out the season in eighth place. Clout attended Coolum to support Tanti and his team with his wrist injury progressing well. He will be back on the bike prior to the start of the Australian Supercross Championship kick off on October 7.    

“It’s been a while since CDR haven’t been in the championship hunt at the final round in Coolum, so it was a different feeling for the team this weekend. Both riders seemed to take two steps forward and then one step back during the year and we just couldn’t get the points on the board when it mattered.”

“Luke was finding form when he injured himself prior to the Toowoomba round, then he had that practice crash that took him out of the championship while Aaron did a lot of the hard work to put himself in good positions only for a small fall or tip over to cost him valuable points and when racing against seasoned competitors like Ferris and Beaton, they prove very costly. We will lick our wounds, dust ourselves off and comeback in 2024 armed and ready for another championship tilt,” explains CDR owner, Craig Dack.

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Tanti, fresh from his championship win in the 2022 ProMX Championship, showed he has the skills indoors as well as out, after finishing second at the opening round of the Supercross Championship, sandwiched between US riders, Justin Brayton and Dean Wilson.

In front of 18,000 spectators, Tanti steered his YZ450F to the front of the pack in the opening laps and set down a furious pace that saw a four rider pack break away in the 20-lap SX1 main event. Tanti, Matt Moss, Brayton and Wilson edged away from the rest of the field but continued to fight for position at every opportunity.

Tanti led at the halfway point, but pressure was coming as the four-time champ Brayton, managed to find away through Moss and Wilson and set his sights on the lead. But Tanti wasn’t about to give it up without a fight. In an intense battled that mirrored their heat race early in the night, Tanti and Brayton locked into combat.

Brayton would pull a move, Tanti would counter. Tanti would clear-out, Brayton would wind him back in. Then Tanti went on a wild ride through the whoops that saw him lose control, have both feet off the footpegs as he torpedoed down the infield. Somehow, he manged to wrestle back control of his bike as it speared off track, maintain his lead and not take out any innocent bystanders in the process.

But the moment wasn’t lost on Brayton and within a few laps, he moved by the determined Australia as he was regathering his composure and checked out for a victory. Tanti steadied the ship and despite a late race charge from Wilson, Tanti crossed the finish line in second place and won the crowd over with his desire and desperation.

“That’s all I had,” Tanti said after the gruelling affair. “I wanted to charge as hard as I could for as long as I could and I did that, but Justin was just that bit better than me tonight, so congratulations to him. I’m pretty happy with how the night went and it gives me some confidence knowing that I can put up a good fight against some of the most experienced and professional supercross riders in the world. I did run out of gas towards the end, but I think if I can just keep a little more composure in the early stages and manage my breathing a little better, I can stay in it for longer. Thanks to the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy team for getting us up to speed and the crowd for having my back all weekend. I could hear them all round the track and its awesome to have so much support here In Melbourne,” Tanti ends.

The night wasn’t as good for teammate, Luke Clout. Clout had just returned from injury but was battered and bruised from a crash just a couple of weeks ago. Still, he was able to generate plenty of speed over the weekend and was well placed in the 20-lap final until he lost the front end early in the race. While a low-speed crash, he fell awkwardly and took some time before remounting. He rejoined the race before going down again, this time injuring his thumb. He was able to pick himself up and complete the main event at a slow pace, but early diagnosis shows some internal issues with his thumb that will require further investigation. It is unlikely Clout will line up for this weekend’s round in Adelaide.

“I felt pretty good on the track all night and I got myself into a good position in the main and tried to settle in behind Aaron. But in the right hand turn after the triple, I lost the from and fell, then I got going again only to fall once more after hitting another rider. The RACESAFE Team feel there is a break in there and a quick X-Ray shows damage so I will see my surgeon on Monday for a full assessment and what treatment needs to be done. It’s not the way I wanted to start the championship and I was so keen to get back racing. I apologise to the team and our sponsors for letting them down, but I will be back more determined than ever once this is sorted,” Clout offers.

The CDR Yamaha International team also returned to Marvel Stadium on Saturday Night for the second and final round of the World Supercross Championship and it was again and mixed night for the team. With Tanti and US based Kyle Chisholm doing the SX2 (250cc) duties, it was left to Josh Hill to be the lone ranger in SX1 on the YZ450F.

Tanti continued his good form and in the three-moto final format, Tanti finished with 9-1-3 results to claim third on the night and fourth in the overall SX2 championship. It proved to be a far more challenging night for Chisholm who was tangled in the opening lap carnage in all three motos and finished outside the top 15.   

In SX1, Hill battled hard in each and every race to come home seventh for the night even with a low points score in race two due to a crash. His night was highlighted by a stirring ride in the final race where he come from just inside the 10 ten to snare third.

Round two of the Australian Supercross Championship now moves across to the Wayville Showgrounds in Adelaide this weekend where the action is expected to really pick up now that the championship is underway and every rider has a race under their belts after a two year layoff due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Clout, on board his YZ450F in the premier MX1 division overcome some major hurdles at the opening round of the championship before barnstorming his way through the next two rounds, winning four motos in succession and finishing second in the other, to snatch the points lead at the end of the third round.

Unfortunately in the days after round three at Maitland, Covid gripped the eastern seaboard of Australia and riders based in New South Wales and Victoria were thrown into lock down, unable to move from their house for the next three months. The on-going Covid situation is the reason for the declaration of the Pro MX Championship after three rounds.

“It’s strange to think that I have won a championship while sitting on the couch, but I guess everything about 2020 and 2021 has been strange,” Clout begins. “It’s not the way I want or would like to win it as I am a racer and I just want to be out on the track challenging myself against the other riders, but I truly believe that I had put in the work, the CDR Yamaha team provided me with the best bike, and this championship was going to be mine.”

“This is my first MX1 championship of my career and regardless of the shortened championship, I’m proud of it. As a team we had to overcome challenges from round one. We had to rebound quickly to get back in the championship at Canberra, so everyone combined to get the job done by the end of round three we were back in front. Thank you to everyone on the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team and all of our great sponsors and partners. It’s easy to see why the team has such continued success and I can’t thank them enough for the work they put in.” 

The dominance shown by Clout in the shortened series showed he rightly deserves the Pro MX crown. He also took out the prestigious Manjimup 15000 event in WA to go with his Pro MX victory. The improvement in his riding since returning to CDR Yamaha has impressed team owner, Craig Dack, who enjoys another national championship with his team.

“Luke raced with us in 2019 before heading to the US for the 2020 season, but I can see he has returned a more dedicated and determined athlete. He now has more focus and takes his role in racing seriously and as a result, this championship victory wasn’t a surprise to me. Coming off a moto DNF at round one to get back the championship lead two rounds later was an amazing achievement and a real test of his mental strength to fight when his back was against the wall.”

“He put the work in, surrounded himself with the right people and executed his role brilliantly. He deserved the 2021 Pro MX Championship because he earned it with hard work and dedication,” Dack said.   

Teammate Hayden Mellross was in fifth place at the end of the third round after a consistent opening to the championship and well within striking distance of the lead group when the championship ended. Only 19 points separated the top five riders in the MX1 class. With Mellross looming large in the rear-view mirror of the four riders in front of him.

“Coming off a couple of major injuries the last 18 months, I was just beginning to find my feet with speed and fitness before the season was shut down. It’s a disappointing way to finish the year as I felt that I was on the upswing and had plenty more in the tank for the remaining rounds, but it was beyond anyone’s control and we just have to move on,” Mellross ends.

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