GASGAS Junior Racing Team put forward a convincing showing at the 2022 Australian Junior Motocross Championship (AJMX) in Rockhampton this week, as Byron Dennis and Bodie Court each finished on the podiums in their classes.
From the very first outing of the four-day championships, 15-year-old Dennis was in fine form as he topped his heats in the 250cc (15yrs) class and finished P2 in the 125 heats.
Come finals time, Dennis would finish 1-1-2-2-6 for second overall in the highly-competitive 250 field, then went 4-3-3-3-2 for third overall in the 125s to showcase ultimate consistency throughout the event.
In the 85cc (9-U12yrs) category, Queenslander Bodie Court took his second-ever Australian championship podium with an impressive third overall riding his MC 65.
Despite the wet, challenging conditions early in the week, Court won two of his three heat races, then registered a 3-4-2 scorecard in the finals to finish the event in P3.
In another significant ride for the GASGAS Junior Racing Team, Ky Woods completed his campaign with a creditable fourth overall in the 125cc (13-U15yrs) class, despite two crashes and a P10 result in the second of his three motos.
However, determined teenager Woods finished the event on the best possible note by bouncing back to win the final moto on Saturday, narrowly missing out on a podium overall.
There were further strong GASGAS results across the board, as Billy Wadwell and Patrick Butler went 1-2 in the 85cc 14-U16yrs class, as Jackson Fuller was P3 in the 85cc (12-U14yrs) ranks.
Byron Dennis: "The week started really well and I was happy with the form and results I showed early on in both the heats and finals. I qualified first in the 250s and won the first two finals, plus qualified second on the 125, but I had some nerves in the first 125 final and got a bad start in that race. I was able to work my way back to the front, but then crashed in the last turn. I also had a big crash chasing the leader through the rollers in the final race of the week, but was able to remount and finish sixth. All in all, it was a good week, but I really wish I could’ve finished first and made it a little bit better! I’m grateful to the GASGAS team for all their help this week and making sure my bikes were on point."
Ky Woods: "It was definitely a tough week with the heat, but I felt like my preparation leading into the Aussie juniors had been positive. My starts all week were really good and I was able to score a lot of holeshots on my GASGAS MC 125. I also felt my race speed was right up there, but some crashes let me down in the second final. I finished the week off on a high note by winning the last race, so it felt really good to get that win as the boys had been riding really fast all week."
Bodie Court: "My week had good and bad points, but to finish with my second podium at my third junior titles is a good feeling. I was feeling really good early on when I won two of my three heat races. I’m a little disappointed in the second final when I tucked the front twice – the first time while I was leading – and finished the race in fourth. I was able to bounce back to finish second in the last moto and finish on the podium overall. I learnt a lot and I’m already looking forward to next year!"