US based rising supercross star, Ryder Malinoski, broke through for his first win on Australian soil after a thrilling and emotion charged win at round three of the AUSX Championship at Shark Park on Saturday night.
Drafted into the Monster Energy WBR Yamaha team to contest the SX3 class, Malinoski had an up and down weekend at the championship opener but the week break between the races allowed him to work on his craft, settle into Australian conditions and understand his rivals.He came out at Shark Park with the right attitude to improve on the opening rounds and that’s exactly what he did with his steps forward taking him all the way to the top of the podium.
He comfortably made it through to the 10 lap SX3 final and it wasn’t long before the fireworks started in the main event. Malinoski and his main rival, Kayd Kingsford, had been trading barbs with each session on the track but now the money was on the line and things got hot and quickly.
Malinoski was in second and zeroed in on Kingsford. He was able to make a pass and take control of the race, but small mistakes kept allowing Kingsford to stay in touch. Then another mistake allowed Kingsford to get back to the front.
Suddenly, Kingsford started riding defensively and protecting all his lines making it difficult to pass. Malinoski was having none of it and made an aggressive move to retake the lead. The battle ensued through the later stages of the race with no more than a few bike length between them with the Yamaha mounted Malinoski taking the win but clearly not happy with what transpired during the race.
He immediately confronted his rival after the race and words were exchanged but there were no changing of the results and Malinoski won his first SX3 main event in Australia.
“I left the first two rounds not happy with the way I rode or how I went about it, so I did a fair bit of riding between the rounds to get more comfortable on the bike and get my speed back up to where it needs to be.
“This weekend was better, but I still think there is more to come. I made too many small mistakes and wasn’t riding clean and that meant I couldn’t pull away and ride my own race. I need to be better.
When asked what he said to Kingsford at race end, “I would rather not say, I was pretty mad,” he ends.
Koby Hantis was on track for a top four finish and even possibly a podium, but a fall on the final lap of the race saw him drop down the field to finish tenth. Hantis was looking good all day, but the untimely fall meant a reward on paper didn’t come although he can take some confidence from the day itself.
“Although my result doesn’t show it, I felt better on the bike this week and rode closer to how I want to race. I have a break now, so the plan is to get another good block of riding in and get on the box at the final two rounds,” he said.
The weekend also didn’t go well for Ky Woods who finished in seventh place. Woods didn’t get firing in the main event despite showing strong signs during the day. But his more motivated than ever to finish the year out well.
“I just need to deliver when it matters. Going fast in a practice session or heat race means nothing if I don’t do it in the main event,” Woods offers.
Malinoski will now head back to the US for a couple of weeks before returning to Melbourne for round three of the championship, while the rest of the team will continue to work hard for the season’s final two rounds.
ASX Results
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ASX Results
Rd 3 – Shark Park
SX3
1st Ryder Malinoski (Monster Energy WBR Yamaha)
2nd Kayd Kingsford
3rd Riley Burgess
4th Jet Alsop
5th Jack Deveson
6th Jason West
7th Ky Woods (Monster Energy WBR Yamaha)
8th Deegan Rose
9th Hayden Downie
10th Koby Hantis (Monster Energy WBR Yamaha)
SX3 Championship Standings
1st Kayd Kingsford – 72
2nd Jet Alsop – 54
3rd Ryder Malinoski – 53 (Yamaha YZ250F)
4th Jack Deveson – 53
5th Deegan Rose – 49
6th Hayden Downie – 41 (Yamaha YZ250F)
7th Koby Hantis – 40 (Yamaha YZ250F)
8th Riley Burgess - 39
9th Lachie Allen – 34 (Yamaha YZ250F)
10th Jason West - 28
11th Ky Woods - 28 (Yamaha YZ250F)