Monster Energy Yamaha’s Luke Clout and
Penrite Honda’s Brett Metcalfe completed
the Mt Smart podium, filling the steps below
Anderson, New South Welshman Clout posting
a 4-1-4 score-card and finishing runner-up
for the night, while South Australian Metcalfe
recorded a 2-5-3 score-card, good enough for
him to secure the No.3 step on the podium.
From top of the standings and three points
in front of Clout at the start of the Auckland
event, Brayton’s uncharacteristic mistake
in race three meant he had now slipped to
second, albeit just one point behind Clout.
“It was all my own fault. I crashed while leading.
I’m disappointed of course,” he shrugged.
“The crash tonight was just one of those
things, with me pushing up front,” said the
35-year-old from Fort Dodge, Iowa.
For the vocal Kiwi crowd at Mt Smart, there
was plenty of reason to cheer as national
MX1 motocross champion and former New
106 KIWI RIDER
Zealand SX1 supercross champion Cooper beat
Anderson in his one-on-one “Anzacs versus
the United States” tag-team feature race.
Cooper (Motul Honda CRF450R) got the jump
on Anderson at the start and never looked back,
his race win a popular one with the vocal crowd.
As regards the other Anzac-USA combatants,
Clout beat American Joey Savatgy (Suzuki)
and Ricky “The GOAT” Carmichael (Suzuki)
beat Bay of Plenty’s Ben Townley (Yamaha) in
the crucial third and final match-up, resulting
in the American trio taking the glory.
In terms of the New Zealand SX2 class
competition, Mount Maunganui’s Josiah Natzke
(Kawasaki) celebrated the win in their solitary
race, taking the chequered flag ahead of
Balclutha’s Madison Latta (Husqvarna) and
Ohaupo’s Carlin Hedley (Yamaha). This was
enough to position Natzke alone at the top
of the Kiwi rankings, with just Tokoroa’s final
round of the New Zealand series to follow.