The fifth and final round of the Australian Supercross Championship took place with the AUSX Open inside a packed house at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia, on November 30.
Photos: Clare Mac
While being the series finale, the event serves as a bit of a “one-off” race, with names like Hunter and Jett Lawrence, Cooper Webb and Phil Nicoletti, and others making the trip Down Under to what became the country’s largest Supercross event to date. In the end, Hunter Lawrence completed the ultimate homecoming and won the night in his home country. Joey Savatgy and Shane McElrath also wrapped up their respective titles in the championship.
SX1
Racing kicked off with the first of three mains for the SX1 (450cc) contenders. Hunter Lawrence found himself stuck in the gate while the rest of the racers barreled into the first turn. Up front, Cooper Webb began to extend his lead while both Jett and Hunter were forced to come through the pack. The Yamaha wild-card entry held on to take the win over Jett Lawrence, who clawed his way to second, and Savatgy took third.
Race two set the tone for the rest of the night as both Webb and Jett Lawrence crashed out in the early laps of the moto. Webb tagged the rear of another rider at the end of the rhythm section and hit the deck hard. The crash ended his night early with whiplash, but no other serious injuries have been reported. Lawrence also crashed in a similar fashion but mangled his bike instead of his body. Damage to his Honda ruled him out for the remaining races.
This chaos allowed Hunter Lawrence to rebound from his poor start in race one and get to the front of the field. It was smooth sailing for the Aussie, who won over Savatgy and Jed Beaton.
The final gate drop in race three was for all the marbles. This time Dean Wilson, the reigning series champion, put himself up front with points leader Savatgy. Wilson notably raced with a torn labrum in his shoulder from a crash last weekend but toughed it out in hopes of taking the title. The two AMA regulars duked it out while Lawrence worked his way toward the leaders. A flat tire for Savatgy ended his shot at the night’s win, but with enough points racked up, he still managed to clinch the overall series championship, just six points clear of Wilson.
After Savatgy’s troubles, Wilson and Lawrence found themselves fighting it out in the waning laps. Lawrence sealed the deal with only a few turns to go and passed for the lead on the final lap. The win gave him the overall victory for the night, taking the 2024 AUSX Open crown. Wilson crossed second with Beaton again in third. Beaton’s consistency gave him second on the night, with Wilson third.
SX2
The SX2 division saw less controversy and more consistency as Shane McElrath swept the night. The points leader has been the clear standout in this year’s series and made it look easy ahead of the rest of the 250cc competition. After a medical-flag mishap and penalties for Kayden Minear, McElrath won all three main events. He earned the night’s overall win plus the series championship, 17 points up on second place Cole Thompson. Thompson managed to string together a solid night for second place overall. The Honda rider used a pair of seconds to edge out Australian standout Minear by just four points at the end of the night. Minear rode strong, but a penalty in race two hindered his results.CN
2024 AUSX Round 5 Results
SX1 (Top 5)
- Hunter Lawrence (Hon)
- Jed Beaton (Yam)
- Dean Wilson (Hon)
- Joey Savatgy (Hon)
- Luke Clout (Kaw)
SX2 (Top 5)
- Shance McElrath (Hon)
- Cole Thompson (Hon)
- Kayden Minear (KTM)
- Alex Larwood (Hon)
- Brodie Connolly (Hon)
Click here to read the 2024 AUSX Story in the Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine.
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