Horsham, Victoria hosted the seventh round of the 2012 Monster Energy MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship. The Horsham track provided challenges for the Motul MX2 and MXD riders, with a mixture of deep ruts and tight turns, as well as energy-sapping sticky clay sections taking their toll.

MX2
JDR/KTM Factory Racing’s Josh Cachia handled the conditions to take the round win, his second overall victory of the season. Cachia dominated the round with second in the opening moto before claiming wins in the final pair of motos.

“It was really good to show my speed and get another win here this weekend,” Cachia said. “This is motocross; the track was rough, rutted, sticky and just gnarly out there after the rain. I couldn’t have done it without my whole team, so thank you to JDR/KTM Factory Racing. Hopefully we can keep winning races.”

Behind Cachia on the podium was rejuvenated Victorian Adam Monea for Zero Seven Motorsports Suzuki. Despite two major falls in the final moto, Monea had a good day with a win in moto one, and second in moto two before finishing fifth in the day’s final moto.

Carlton Dry Honda Thor Racing’s Ford Dale closed in on the series lead by the slightest of margins with third overall, but he still sits 36 points behind series leader Luke Styke on the Serco Yamaha Metal Mulisha Racing YZ250F.

Somewhat surprisingly, given his recent dominant form, Styke finished fifth overall at Horsham, behind Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Kade Mosig. Cachia’s JDR/KTM team mate Brenden Harrison returned to racing at Horsham, putting in a positive performance to claim sixth for the round.

MXD
In the Pirelli MXD ranks it was Kiwi Kayne Lamont who scored his fourth consecutive win for KTM. Lamont won the opening two motos of the round, before clinching the overall with a third in the final moto of the weekend.

“I’m really happy to win the round and extend my lead in the series,” Lamont said. “I really need to thank everybody who has helped me, my sponsors and my family for their support. The club did a really good job of the track considering the conditions, so it was a good weekend for me.”

It was a KTM sweep of the podium for the second round in a row, with Dylan Leary second and Choice Motorsports KTM’s Dylan Long third after taking the win in moto three. Lamont’s round win sees him extend his series lead to a healthy 29 points.

The 2012 Monster Energy MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship, will continue at Appin in New South Wales on Sunday, 29 July.

Visit www.mxnationals.com.au for further information on the Monster Energy MX Nationals series.

2012 Monster Energy MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship
Round Seven – Horsham, VIC

MX2 Overall Results:
1. Josh Cachia 72
2. Adam Monea 63
3. Ford Dale 57
4. Kade Mosig 54
5. Luke Styke 47
6. Brenden Harrison 44
7. Justin McDonald 37
8. Luke Arbon 36
9. Scott Columb 34
10. Joel Milesevic 32

MXD Overall Results:
1. Kayne Lamont 70
2. Dylan Leary 60
3. Dylan Long 60
4. Kale Makeham 58
5. Sam Martin 48
6. Jay Wilson 45
7. Nicklas Scott 39
8. Mitch Norris 39
9. Ben George 38
10. Wade Hunter 29

MX2 Championship Standings (after 7 of 10 rounds):
1. Luke Styke 421
2. Ford Dale 385
3. Josh Cachia 368
4. Kade Mosig 337
5. Adam Monea 327
6. Cheyne Boyd 319
7. Kirk Gibbs 301
8. Justin McDonald 261
9. Scott Columb 249
10. Lewis Woods 242

MXD Championship Standings (after 6 of 9 rounds):
1. Kayne Lamont 354
2. Dylan Long 325
3. Dylan Leary 294
4. Kale Makeham 289
5. Sam Martin 289
6. Jay Wilson 270
7. Joel Milesevic 230
8. Mitch Norris 190
9. Wade Hunter 155
10. Mitch Budd 145

Images: twothreepr.com