With only a single round remaining until the Australian Motocross season officially concludes, Toowoomba provided the second last opportunity for Rykers and Wilson to race for points, and more top ten results is what both riders achieved.
For Wilson, the Toowoomba outing delivered him with his best result of the season. After qualifying with the fifth fastest lap time, Wilson was positioned in third for the majority of the opening moto, eventually finishing in fifth place – his best race result of the season. In moto two, Wilson once again finished in fifth, rewarding the team with sixth overall at Round 9.
“The weekend was a real step in the right direction for myself and the team,” Wilson shared.
“We qualified well, and in race one I felt like I was back to my old self. I was in third for most of the moto and just slipped back at around the 25-minute mark – after being away from the championship for the first half of the season, I just need to get used to running that pace again.
“In race two I didn’t get the greatest start but I went forward which was the goal. I’m feeling more and more comfortable on the bike, and now I’m just excited to go racing again this weekend at Coolum.”
For Rykers, Round 9 at Toowoomba proved somewhat challenging. The MX2 rider battled illness in the lead up to the weekends’ event, however, dug deep to finish inside the top ten. After qualifying in a solid ninth position, Rykers raced to tenth in moto one, and a consistent ninth in moto two, concluding the round in tenth overall.
“The weekend was a bit of a struggle, but I was happy to get through with 10,9 race results and I’m hoping I’ll be feeling better by the end of the week,” Rykers shared.
“In moto one, I got a relatively good start but the body really limited me with how far I could go forward. I tried to push, but it only seemed to do more damage.
“In moto two, I got a top three start, but everything happened really quickly and I ended up back in ninth. I battled there for a while but I’m just pleased to walk away with no big crashes, and looking forward to heading to Coolum to finish the season on a high.”
The 2017 MX Nationals will continue with the final round set to be held at Coolum on the Sunshine Coast on Saturday and Sunday, 19 and 20.