Strong crowds turned out to watch the fastest riders in the business do battle at Port Macquarie but it was Ferris who left with plenty of reason to celebrate after recording a perfect round of racing as the series reaches the pointy end of the championship.
The Thor MX1 category had a total of 30 minutes on the clock for their practice and qualifying session ahead of racing and despite being a brand new track for the premier class, it took no time at all for the heavy hitters to settle in.
CDR Yamaha’s Ferris showcased his speed from the get go, but it was on lap five that he set the fastest qualifying time, a 1:45.604, a time that couldn’t be matched during the remainder of the session.
Moto 1
After collecting yet another GoPro Superpole victory prior to moto one, Ferris took to the line at Port Macquarie with one goal, to leave undefeated.
When gates dropped and riders stormed into the first turn it was DPH Motorsport’s Kade Mosig who snatched up the Raceline holeshot. However, in what has become a tradition throughout 2017, it was Ferris who was nipping at his heels.
It only took half a lap for the MX1 Championship points leader Ferris to gain control of the moto, moving into the lead position and relegating Mosig to second. Behind Mosig was MEGA Bulk Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Nathan Crawford, followed by fellow rookie Honda mounted Clout in fourth.
After only two laps, Ferris had pulled a comfortable three second lead on his competitors, allowing the battle for all further positions to happen behind him. And battle they did, with names such as Todd Waters, Kyle Peters, and Kirk Gibbs just outside the top five, the remaining laps proved to be some of the best of the season.
After eight minutes on the fresh new circuit, Ferris began to separate himself from the field, and simply school the competition. Behind him Mosig, Crawford, Clout and Waters were locked into the fight for remaining top positions, keeping the thousands of spectators on the edge of their seats.
Surprisingly one man who was notably absent from the top five was Brett Metcalfe. After eight laps on the forever changing circuit, the newly drafted Kawasaki rider was back in ninth position after going down at the beginning of the moto.
When the MX1 class reached the halfway mark, rookie Kawasaki rider Crawford put the foot down, registering the fastest lap time which allowed him to close in DPH Motorsport’s Mosig. Another rider who found his form later in the moto was Waters. The Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team rider made a pass on his team mate Clout to move up to fourth position – just shy of the MX1 podium with a handful of laps remaining.
As moto one reached its closing stages there had been little change to positions, however, Waters had closed the gap on Crawford and was beginning to pose a threat to the Kawasaki rider with only two laps remaining.
But it was Ferris who collected the chequered flag victorious for the 12th time this season in race one – a task he’s grown accustomed to throughout 2017. Second place in race one went to DPH Motorsport’s Mosig, followed by Crawford who managed to hold off Waters to finish in third.
Waters wrapped up the opening moto in fourth followed by teammate Clout in fifth. Gibbs, Styke, Metcalfe, Peters and Davey Motorsport’s Hamish Harwood completed the top ten.
Moto 2
In the second moto for the Thor MX1 class, Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team’s Clout secured the holeshot, however, the attention quickly shifted to the pile up in the first turn with the likes of Mosig and Gibbs just two of the riders caught up in the carnage.
Much like in moto one, Ferris started in second behind the race leader but after less than one lap the CDR Yamaha rider once again gained control of the moto, moving into the lead and relegating Clout to second.
After two laps, heavy hitters Gibbs, Peters and Mosig were all well outside the top ten, meaning riders needed to capitalise on the time remaining in order to maximise points.
With Ferris out in front and continuing to stretch out his lead, Clout soon began to feel the pressure from his teammate Waters. However, Waters also had his hand’s full thanks to Kawasaki’s Metcalfe who was out for redemption after a difficult first moto.
But it was Waters who managed to find the perfect spot to execute a pass on his teammate, the Queenslander moving into second position, and leaving Clout to fight off Metcalfe behind him.
As Moto two progressed, Metcalfe began putting significant pressure on his rookie competitor, the pair providing plenty of entertainment for the crowd who continued to dot the fence line.
By the halfway mark Ferris was again untouchable out in front, Waters continued to maintain second from Metcalfe who had found his way past Clout. Clout was then pushed down to fourth ahead of Styke, CDR Yamaha’s Dylan Long, Gibbs and Crawford.
As the Thor MX1 class reached the closing stages of their final moto, there had been little change to positions, Ferris maintaining control of the race from Waters and Metcalfe.
And when the chequered flag flew for the final time, it was Ferris who collected an incredible 13th race victory. Second place went to Honda mounted Waters, followed by Metcalfe who held on for the 30 minutes to eventually cross the finish line in third. Clout and Gibbs finished in fourth and fifth places respectively, followed by Styke, Long, Crawford, Peters, and Mosig who completed the top ten.
With another flawless scorecard to his name, Ferris secured his seventh Thor MX1 round win at Port Macquarie, second overall went to Waters, while teammate Clout secured his first MX1 podium with a third at Port Macquarie.
Ferris now holds a commanding 75 point lead in the Thor MX1 Championship with twi rounds remaining.
Dean Ferris – CDR Yamaha – Round 8 Winner
“The feeling of winning doesn’t wear off, it feels just as good every time, I love it, this is what I work for,” Ferris shared.
“It’s not just the winning on the weekend, it’s during the week, I’m ticking off my motos and every day I do my best to achieve my goals.
“I was thankful that I could get some good starts, and be quick in those first couple of laps here. The track today was awesome, and it was nice to have a new venue on the calendar, so hopefully we can come back to Port Macquarie in the future.
“At the moment I’m just doing my thing and taking it one race at a time. I definitely couldn’t slack off today, and it was awesome to share the podium with Luke (Clout) who got his first MX1 podium, and also Todd who belongs up here.”
Thor MX1 Round 8 Results
1) Dean Ferris – 70 points – Yamaha
2) Todd Waters – 60 points – Honda
3) Luke Clout – 54 points – Honda
4) Brett Metcalfe – 53 points – Kawasaki
5) Nathan Crawford – 53 points – Kawasaki
6) Kade Mosig – 53 points – Yamaha
7) Kirk Gibbs – 51 points – KTM
8) Luke Styke – 49 points – KTM
9) Kyle Peters – 44 points – Suzuki
10) Dylan Long – 43 points – Yamaha
Thor MX1 Championship Standings
1) Dean Ferris – 562 points – Yamaha
2) Kirk Gibbs – 487 points – KTM
3) Kade Mosig – 436 points – Yamaha
4) Todd Waters – 421 points – Honda
5) Luke Styke – 408 points – KTM
6) Luke Clout – 378 points – Honda
7) Kyle Peters – 371 points – Suzuki
8) Brett Metcalfe – 350 points – Kawasaki
9) Nathan Crawford – 304 points – Kawasaki
10) Joel Green – 267 points – KTM
The 2017 Motul MX Nationals will continue, with Round 9 set to be held at Toowomba in Queensland on Sunday August 13, 2017.