Seth Burchell raced his WBR Yamaha Bulk Nutrients YZ250F to the top of the podium in the 2024 Australian SX3 Supercross Championship after finishing fourth at the fifth and final round of the series.
The championship proved a successful one for the WBR Yamaha Bulk Nutrients Team with Burchell and Kayd Kingsford taking two round wins a piece and Koby Hantis claiming third in the championship. Burchell entered the final round with a seven-point lead over his teammate, Hantis, over after a slender one-point gap over Jake Cannon in third. So, the pressure was on and if there is one thing that’s predictable in the SX3 class, is that its unpredictable.
The days started rough with a crash in the first qualifying session, but he was able to regain his composure in his heat race to finish second and take pick three into the final later in the evening.
The maths was simple, stay within two positions of both Hantis and Cannon and the championship was his but that is always easier said than done. He got off to a good start and managed to avoid the opening lap mayhem. As the race settled, he slotted into third and with teammate, Kingsford in the lead, the championship was within grasp.
Burchell stayed away from any potential conflict and kept his nose clean for the entire race to finish a safe fourth place and with it take the 2024 SX3 Championship.
“I’m pretty speechless right now,” he opens. “I was nervous this afternoon as I have never won anything like this but when the racing started, I was fine and just tried to ride as smart as I could and not end up on the ground.
“I could see what was happening ahead of me, so I knew what I needed to do and where the points were.
“I’m so pumped to win this and have so many people to thank who have supported me. The WBR Yamaha team have been awesome this year, my family have always been behind me, and I still can’t believe that I won it,” he ends.
While Burchell win the war, it was Kingsford that won the battle. In front of nearly 43,000 people, Kayd Kingsford rode a sensational race to take the round win and make it back-to-back round victories.
Kingsford got to the front quickly and then was able to hold a pace that kept him clear of the pursuing pack. The strong finish to the championship lifted him to fourth in the championship despite scoring no points at round three after falling in the main event.
“It was a good way to finish the championship and so cool to get a couple of wins in a row. I got a lot of confidence after winning at the last round in Adelaide and I was able to take it into Melbourne this weekend.
“Congrats to Seth for getting the championship, he rode well all series and thanks to the WBR Yamaha team for their support this year.”
Koby Hantis came into the night with a chance of getting the SX3 championship win, but moments into the final, it appeared out of reach as Hantis wasn’t off to a great start while all his championship rivals were up the front. As usual, Hantis dug deep to move his way through the field to finish seventh on the night and nail down third in the championship.
“I wasn’t riding great all day. I was just a bit off, and it showed in the lap times and my results. But I gave it everything I had, and this was my first full year of doing supercross after being injured the last couple of years.”
It's been a huge year for the WBR Yamaha team, with riders in the thick of the battle for both the ProMX and Australian Supercross Championships. The team finished with 2-3 results in the ProMX and now 1-3 in the ASX and it can only be viewed as a successful year for the Echuca based team.
ASX Results
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ASX Results
Rd 5 – Melbourne
SX3
1st Kayd Kingsford (WBR Yamaha)
2nd Jake Cannon
3rd Cooper Rowe
4th Seth Burchell (WBR Yamaha)
5th Hayden Downie
6th Jyle Campbell
7th Koby Hantis (WBR Yamaha)
8th Peter Wolfe
9th Lachlan Allen
10th Joel Frieberg
SX3 Championship Standings
1st Seth Burchell – 102 (Yamaha YZ250F)
2nd Jake Cannon – 98
3rd Koby Hantis – 91 (Yamaha YZ250F)
4th Kayd Kingsford – 80 (Yamaha YZ250F)
5th Ky Woods – 73
6th Jyle Campbell – 73
7th Jack Byrne – 68
8th Cooper Rowe – 68
9th Travis Lindsay - 57
10th Hayden Downie - 43