After four rounds of action-packed racing across SA, the 2024 SA Motocross Championships came to a head last weekend at South Coast Motocross Club. With most championship overalls still up for grabs accross the stacked field of senior and junior classes, the stakes were higher than ever, setting the stage for a dramatic winner-takes-all final round. So without further ado, let’s take a quick look at the provisional results from the weekend –
Full results of the weekend:
Article images thanks Eric McConnochie. Reach out if you want to purchase any of these Championship action shots.
Sunday 15 September
Pro MX 1 & Pro MX 2
With PROM MX 1 & 2 combining for an epic showdown, it was Victoria’s Joel Milesevic who stole the spotlight, securing a commanding win across all three races ahead of championship leader Siegah Ward & Liam Mason in third.
Will Carpenter sealed his 2024 ProMX 2 Championship win dominantly, taking a clean points sweep to win the ProMX 2 class. Close behind was Daniel Watkins, who battled hard to secure second place, narrowly edging out Caleb Walker for the overall third spot by just two points. With the Championship second and third-place contenders Noah Ferguson & Mitch Norris missing South Coast, Walker squeezed past to narrowly take over the provisional Championship second place thanks to his weekend’s efforts.
Women All-Powers
Making her SAMX Championship debut in the final round, Victoria’s Emma Milesevic made an immediate impact. She took the lead in Heat 1 and, despite facing challenges from reigning SA Champion Amy Bartsch in Heat 2, Milesevic swept all three heats to secure the Round 5 victory. While Bartsch finished second in the round, she clinched the 2024 Women All Powers SAMX Championship, edging out Emma Haylock, who took third in Round 5. With yet another SA Championship added to her impressive resume and no signs of slowing down, it remains to be seen whether Bartsch will return in 2025 to defend her streak.
Expert All-Powers
Continuing her winning streak from the Women’s All Powers Class, Emma Milesevic brought her competitive edge to the Expert All Powers division. After a close second place in Heat 1, she dominated the final two heats to secure the Round 5 class win. The battle for second and third place was intense, with Championship leader Aaron Van Zetten ultimately taking silver despite a challenging start. After finishing fifth in Heat 1, Van Zetten recovered with third and second-place finishes in Heats 2 and 3. Jayden Hank, who clinched victory in Heat 1 but faced challenges with two sixth-place finishes in the subsequent heats, ultimately secured third place on the podium. Meanwhile, Lucas Brereton, a top contender for Round 5, saw his weekend take a turn after a crash in Heat 3, despite strong performances with third and second places in the earlier heats.
150/250cc 13-U16Yrs
Rounding out the 150/250cc 13-U16Yrs class Championship would see a battle royal unfold between Cambell Cadd, Noah Rochow & Jayke Hansen for those last Championship points. Cambell Cadd started strong with a Heat 1 victory over Noah Rochow and Jayke Hansen. However, Noah Rochow demonstrated consistent performance, securing the Round 5 win with two second-place finishes and a first. Cambell Cadd, despite his Heat 1 win, had an unfortunate mid-race mistake in Heat 2, placing him third, and finished second in the final heat. Jayke Hansen rounded out the round 5 podium thanks to his third, first, and third heat finishes.
Clubman
Entering the Round 5 South Coast finale with a strong lead, Ian Ellis appeared poised to secure the Clubman 2024 Championship. However, as always, the unpredictability of racing meant anything could happen after the gate drop. Jayden Hank made a push for the championship points with a decisive Heat 1 win, finishing ahead of Ellis and Lashford. Despite the shifting positions and intense competition throughout the class, Ellis maintained his consistency to win Round 5 and clinch the 2024 Championship. Thomas Horn finished second in Round 5, while Archer Colwill rounded out the podium in third.
Vets 35-44Yrs & Vets 45+
Charlie Hollis claimed top honours in the Vets 45+ class, securing the 2024 Championship with a flawless performance, winning all three heats over the weekend. Darren Averay finished second in the championship standings, while Anthony Slade, who was seventh in the overall championship, earned third place in Round 5 with a consistent 3-3-3 heat scorecard.
Despite closing the gap in the Vets 35Yrs-44Yrs Championship to just 15 points, Bradliegh Thompson was unable to surpass Warren Carrol for the Round 5 win or the overall Championship. Carrol delivered an exceptional weekend of racing, securing both the Round 5 victory and the overall top spot. Thompson finished second for both the round and the championship, while Craig Hepburn rounded out the podium in third place.
Saturday 14 September
100-125cc 13-U16Yrs
Demonstrating his mastery of the track at South Coast, Kye Little had an exceptional weekend, fending off strong competition from Joshua Whitehorn to secure the Round 5 win. The battle for the top was intense, with Dylan Groball finishing second in Round 5. His performance puts him in a strong position to potentially take over the 2024 Championship lead if the standings among the top four remain unchanged.
Great Southern Security 150/250cc 12-U16Yrs Girls
With Emily Lambert missing the final round due to injury, the championship race became more competitive. Danielle Churchett seized this opportunity, putting herself in a strong position by finishing third in Heat 1 and winning Round 5 with two first-place finishes. Her impressive performance set her up to take over the championship overall once the results are finalized. Ava Sparrow narrowly missed out on the win, finishing second in the round by just one point with her 1-2-2 heat scores. Tahlia Felton secured third place for Round 5, holding off a strong challenge from Amelia Gwiazda.
85/150cc S/W 12-U16Yrs
In a thrilling conclusion to the 85/150cc S/W 12-U16Yrs SAMX Championship, Dylan Gromball and Declan Smart went all out for the final round. Smart secured an early lead with a win in Heat 1, but Gromball responded with strong performances in the next two heats, ultimately winning Round 5 and the Championship overall. Xavier Freeborn showcased consistency across the weekend, finishing third in Round 5.
Great Southern Security 85cc 11-U16Yrs Girls
Continuing their strong performances from the Round 4 Ceduna event, Maddi Bahnisch and Lacey Thompson dominated the weekend’s heats. Bahnisch took an early lead with a win in Heat 1, but Thompson responded with a victory in Heat 2. Unfortunately, Bahnisch did not compete in the final Heat 3, allowing Thompson to secure both the final Heat win, Round 5 overall & 2024 Championship victory. Matilda Ryan’s steady third-place finishes in all heats earned her second place for Round 5, just ahead of Paige Kitchen.
85/150cc S/W 9-U12Yrs
Mason Ezergailis and championship leader Riley Mullen went head-to-head in a thrilling showdown, with Mason narrowly edging out Riley by just 0.912 seconds in a dramatic Heat 2 finish. Mason’s efforts secured him the round win, while Koby Binnion put in a strong performance to claim third place for the weekend. With Mullen’s second-place weekend finish, he now has locked down the 2024 class championship.
65cc 10-12Yrs
Mason Ezergailis and Riley Mullen continued their bar-to-bar battle in the 65cc 10-U12Yrs class, with Mullen entering the weekend aiming for his second championship of 2024. Despite a similar outcome to their 85cc to 150cc class showdown, where Ezergailis dominated all heats to take the round win, Mullen had done enough throughout the season to secure the overall 65cc 10-U12Yrs Championship. Lachlan Murdoch rounded out the Round 5 podium in third place, holding strong despite Brax Chittleborough edging ahead in Heat 3.
65cc 7-9Yrs
With only 10 points separating Kobe Smart and Bailey Thompson heading into the final round, Kobe knew the pressure was on to secure the Championship, and he delivered in dominant fashion. Smart claimed victory in all three heats, locking down the overall and leaving the remaining podium spots up for grabs. Rory Walter stepped up to take second place with consistent finishes of 4-2-2, narrowly edging out Bailey Thompson, whose steady third-place efforts throughout the weekend secured him the final spot on the podium.
50cc 7-U9Yrs
Entering the final round with an unassailable lead and the 2024 50cc Championship already secured, Oliver Thredgold set his sights on finishing the season with one more victory. However, it wouldn’t come easy, as Carter Williamson put up a strong fight. While Thredgold claimed the win in the first heat, Williamson took control of the remaining heats to secure the overall Round 5 win and elevate himself to second place in the Championship standings, ahead of Leo Williamson. Kade Chittleborough’s consistent third-place performances throughout the weekend earned him the final spot on the Round 5 podium, capping off a stacked 2024 SAMX Championship.