Image: Foremost Media.

A difficult start to his SX2 title defence in Brisbane has Jay Wilson embracing the return of a traditional format and full-size circuit at Port Adelaide’s second round of the Australian Supercross Championship this weekend.

The Yamalube Yamaha Racing ace got caught up in the close and aggressive nature of indoor racing at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, going down in turn one during the first main, recovering for seventh. He was fourth in race two, granting him fifth for the night.

“Fifth isn’t ideal, but I’m in the mix and left round one healthy and I’m determined to do better,” said Wilson. “I didn’t get the middle rhythm section as good as I would have liked all night and it proved a little costly. It was the one section of the track where I let myself down but I will be better next weekend.

“My bike is good and the team were great again so we will take the positives from the weekend, work on a few things and come out swinging in Adelaide where we are back to a more traditional format of racing with a 15-lap main event.”

Port Adelaide, the same venue that delivered one of the strongest track layouts in 2018, will offer up a traditional 15-lap main event for the SX2 category this Saturday night.

Image: Supplied.

Current Monster Energy AMA Supercross champion Cooper Webb has pulled out of this weekend’s Monster Energy Cup in Las Vegas.

The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider released a statement confirming his withdrawal, explaining a lack of seat time since returning from a knee injury sustained in the Lucas Oil Pro AMA Motocross Championship is the reason he’ll sit on the sidelines this Saturday night.

“I will not be racing MEC this weekend,” Webb commented. “With only three days of riding on the 450 so far, KTM and I decided it would be best to skip this race and focus on preparation and testing for 2020 SX.”

Webb, who raced Red Bull Straight Rhythm on a two-stroke earlier this month, is the second high-profile rider to withdraw from the Monster Energy Cup after 2018 supercross champion Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Racing) elected to miss the event.

Webb’s teammate Marvin Musquin also confirmed he won’t on the start line, however he wasn’t initially slated to contest the one-off race.

Image: Supplied.

Husqvarna has outlined the new management that will take over from JM Racing in the MX2 World Championship, confirming the Nestaan-MX will run the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team from 2020.

Owned by Kay Hennekens, Nestaan-MX has been involved in motocross world championship competition for many years and will operate from a new workshop in Lommel, Belgium.

Overseeing the operational, sporting and developmental aspects of the team, while actively assisting with the professional development of all team riders.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing will field three riders in 2020, continuing with Thomas Kjer Olsen and Australian Jed Beaton in the MX2 category. Representing the team in the EMX250 series will be Kay de Wolf, who placed sixth in the 2019 EMX 125 championship.

“We are extremely proud of our Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing teams, which ensure Husqvarna Motorcycles enjoy a strong and successful position within the FIM Motocross World Championship,” said Husqvarna’s motorsport manager Diego Clement.

“Partnering with Nestaan-MX, as we do with IceOne Racing in MXGP, gives our MX2 program an exciting new operational and managerial platform as we move into 2020 and beyond. With experienced people within the team, and a very clear drive to achieve success, we look forward to developing this new relationship with Nestaan-MX.

“Our goal is clear – to see the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 team continue to enjoy racing success at the highest level.”

Team owner Hennekens added: “It is a huge honour for Nestaan-MX to manage and run Husqvarna Motorcycles’ official MX2 World Championship team. Our absolute goal is to provide the support and structure our riders need to perform at their best, while showcasing Husqvarna Motorcycles and our team partners in a professional, engaging and positive way.

“We have fantastic staff, all experienced, committed and 100 percent focused on racing. As team manager Rasmus is young and highly motivated and understands what’s needed to succeed in modern day grand prix motocross. 2020 will be an exciting season for Nestaan-MX and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing.”

Image: Foremost Media.

Kyle Webster admits representing Team Australia at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations (MXoN) last month hindered his preparations for the 2019 Australian Supercross Championship, the SX2 challenger earning 10th at Brisbane’s season-opener.

The Western Australian received the call-up for MXoN in just his initial days of being on a supercross track this season, prompting him to put testing on hold in favour of preparing for the Assen event.

Despite arriving home days out of Brisbane’s first round, the Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing rider still lined up for the opening stop of the series, transferring directly to the main events, where he posted a DNF-10 scorecard.

“The whole MXoN experience was amazing, but it did mean my build up for the supercross championship was limited and I only had a few days of supercross training before we lined up in Brisbane,” Webster explained.

“I really struggled with how small and tight track the track was at Brisbane, so now we’ll just move on and I’m excited to put in a solid week of riding, and I cannot wait for the next round at Adelaide.”

The Australian Supercross Championship visit Port Adelaide this Saturday for round two of the series.