Metcalfe started the day strongly by qualifying fastest in the Super Pole session, as Crawford slotted his factory-supported KX450F into sixth overall heading into the pair of 30-minute motos at the Echo Valley circuit.
Come moto one it was Crawford who brought it home for another impressive fourth-place finish, before a consistent fifth from the rear of the field in the second Moto resulted in him finishing fourth overall for the round.
“Today was actually really good and my riding was really good as well,” Crawford reflected. “I had two problems out the gates, which set me back, and coming from last to fifth in the second moto was especially hard. I’m content with fourth overall, but not 100 percent satisfied and we have one more round to try and get on the podium. I can’t wait for Coolum and hopefully we can get it done there!”
As for Metcalfe, he had worked his way into third during moto one when a costly crash forced him out of contention and causing a DNF, before he returned for moto two to finish ninth despite damaging his rear brake line mid-moto.
“It was good to get the Super Pole and I felt good, so to win that was nice to know that I was on the pace,” Metcalfe said. “In moto one I had a pretty good start and was up there, got into third and I lost traction coming out of turn one, went off the side of the track and landed on the embankment. I paid the price and crashed pretty hard.
“That was disappointing to end that race that way, so in the second moto I wasn’t feeling too hot out there, but it was going okay until a rock or a rut or something damaged the rear brake line – it’s a difficult track to ride without the back brake around there. Anyway, we have one to go and we’ll be ready for next week. It’s one more shot to get the Kawasaki on top!”
With a single round remaining in this year’s championship at Coolum on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast next weekend, Metcalfe sits eighth in the standings and Crawford is currently ninth in what is his rookie season in the premier class.
