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Penrite Honda Racing’s Brett Metcalfe has described his race two crash at Brisbane’s supercross opener as ‘indoor racing at its finest’ after the South Australian was pushed wide over a berm, ultimately denying him of a podium following a commanding P2 result in main event one.

The former international immediately picked up the form that took him to runner-up honours in the 2018 championship, and was on target to reach the podium before going down in the early stages of the final encounter. His 2-5 results saw him equal for third, although credited fourth on countback.

The tight nature of Brisbane Entertainment Centre delivered a number of on-track clashes throughout the night as expected, however Metcalfe’s incident has only fuelled his motivation ahead of a home round in Port Adelaide this weekend.

“I qualified well, heat race went good and I had a good start, which was important to get through to the main events,” Metcalfe explained to MotoOnline.com.au. “We missed a little on our set-up going in, so we’ll work on that and improve for the rest of the rounds.

“In the last main event, it was indoor racing at its finest – I got put over a berm and went down. I had to charge from last – it happens. I’m definitely motivated, and I’m pretty angry [laughs].”

The Australian Supercross Championship heads to South Australia this weekend, the same venue Metcalfe heroically won at last year.

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Serco Yamaha’s Aaron Tanti saw his podium drought come to an end at the first round of the Australian Supercross Championship in Brisbane, the New South Welshman appearing on the rostrum for the first time since Murray Bridge’s fifth round of the Pirelli MX Nationals in May.

Tanti consistently fell shy of the podium throughout the second half of the MX Nationals, leaving the title contender extremely frustrated with a string of fourth place results.

Earning second on Saturday night with a 2-3 scorecard, Tanti expressed relief to land on the box in the very first round of supercross.

“It feels good to get back up on the podium again,” said Tanti. “In the MX Nationals I finished fourth more times than I can remember. so it was good to reset for supercross and then come out strong at the opening round and get on the box.

“My day was pretty smooth all round as I was able to qualify in third, was in the top three for my heat race and then finished 2-3 in the main events, so it was a really consistent night for me and my starts allowed me to be up the front every time.

“Anything can happen on a tight track like this but I’m happy to finish second tonight and look forward to getting on the bigger circuits in the coming rounds.”

Port Adelaide will host round two of the Australian Supercross Championship this weekend on a traditional sized circuit.

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Dual MX2 champion Wilson Todd has revealed he re-cracked a rib ahead of the night show at Brisbane’s opening round of the 2019 Australian Supercross Championship.

It’s understood Todd initially injured his rib and shoulder in the weeks leading up to Brisbane, however a crash during practice on Saturday saw the DPH Motorsport Husqvarna rider re-injure himself before having to transfer to the main event via the B main.

Todd, who confirmed to MotoOnline.com.au in August that he’s already signed a deal in the MX2 World Championship for 2020, pieced together a 6-8 scorecard for seventh in the SX2 category.

“Even though I was still sore, I was confident I could race against these guys and do well, and I still feel that way,” Todd explained. “The results on paper don’t look that strong, but I dropped the bike in practice and re-cracked my rib and I raced through the pain.

“With only a few days until we head to Adelaide for round two, it’s not ideal. But if anything, I’m even more confident that I have what it takes, and I’ll be doing everything I can to be ready for next Saturday.”

The Australian Supercross Championship heads to Port Adelaide this weekend for round two, where a traditional format will take place on a full-size circuit.

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Penrite Honda Racing’s Chris Blose drew upon his arenacross experience on Saturday night at Brisbane Entertainment Centre for round one of the 2019 Australian Supercross Championship, when he was forced to recover from a costly first turn pile-up in the opening SX2 main event.

The tight confines of the venue delivered a number of on-track clashes, with the start proving even more important than ever.

Blose had to come back from near last in main event one after tangling with Jay Wilson (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) in the first turn, remounting before slicing his way through the field for P4.

He returned strongly in the second and final main, pressing on to finish second behind compatriot Jacob Hayes (Serco Yamaha), granting him the final step on the podium.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Blose stated. “A rider ran in way too hot and caused a pile-up – I was along for the ride. I got up as quickly as I could and charged back to fourth.

“This is not what I came here to do. It’s a short championship so every point is valuable – I want to win! I will take away the positives – the bike was strong and we are fast so I’ll use that more to my advantage in Adelaide this coming weekend.”

Blose is a title favourite in the SX2 category, and his third place finish has established a strong base for his campaign to the crown in 2019. The Australian Supercross Championship heads to Port Adelaide this Saturday for round two.

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Luke Clout says the ‘real racing can begin’ now that Brisbane’s indoor has been completed, the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy rider opening up his 2019 Australian Supercross Championship campaign with a podium result.

The tight confines of Brisbane Entertainment Centre, which saw just 10 start gates available for the double-header main event format, offered up aggressive and close racing, placing a stronger emphasis on starts to escape the carnage and earn a respectable result.

Clout, a heat race winner, was able to piece together a 4-3 scorecard for third on the night, however as the series heads into four consecutive full-size supercross circuits, the title contender is confident of unleashing his full capabilities.

“You go into the opening round of the championship looking for a positive and safe start, and that’s exactly what we did,” Clout explained. “We are in the hunt and things are looking good, but I also believe I can be better and now we are out of the tight nature of indoors, the real racing can begin.

“Racing indoors can throw up lots of things but we were able to handle them and now we have full-sized tracks at the remaining four rounds where we have time and space to make the racing better, and I can’t wait to get to Adelaide this weekend.”

A one-week turnaround will see the Australian Supercross Championship back in action this Saturday night at Port Adelaide in South Australia.