Whiteside takes the fight to Kelso in Moto3/125 GP

Round 6 of the Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli (ASBK) showcased a masterclass from all Moto 3 / 125GP riders at Sydney Motorsport Park in New South Wales on the two-stroke machines.

Moto 3 / 125GP Race One

Whiteside took pole position in Qualifying One for Race 1 in the Moto 3 / 125GP class. Managing to turn the tables on his rival Kelso, who looked unstoppable in yesterday’s practice sessions. A lap time of 1:40.017 was enough to seal the deal for the Victorian. Dallas Skeer (Ron Angel Classic Racing, Honda NSFR) qualified in third.

Dylan Whiteside

It would be Whiteside to get the hole shot into Turn One and lead from the front. Hot on his heels was the Northern Territorian, Kelso. Whiteside maintained his lead but was never able to shake off Kelso from behind. The margin between the two rarely went over half a second.

Whiteside was too canny in defense however, and managed to hang on to his first position, to claim a cool and collected victory in front of Kelso. Behind the leading duo came Dallas Skeer who finished 34 seconds behind. The top three podium placers all riding Honda NSF 250 R machines.

Fourth and fifth place getters were Scott Topping (B-spoke Design, Honda RS) and David Doughty (Fastline GPRacing, Aprilia RS).

Another highlight of the race was the battle between Doughty, Travis Hall (Motorcycles “R” US, Honda NSF250R), Taran Ocean (Keith Ogilvie, Honda RS) and Ross Taylor (GDR, Honda NSF250R) for fifth place, less than a second separating the group when they crossed the finish line.

Ian Hughes stopped Turn 11 with a mechanical issue on lap two. Peter McFarlane (Honda RS) also failed to finish.

Race One Podium

Moto 3 / 125GP Provisional Race One Results

Dylan WHITESIDE (Aussie Crane Trucks, Honda NSF250R)
Joel KELSO (JDS Moto, Honda NSF250R)
Dallas SKEER (Ron Angel Classic Racing, Honda NSFR)
Scott TOPPING (B-spoke Design, Honda RS)
David DOUGHTY (Fastline GPRacing, Aprilia RS)
Travis HALL (Motorcycles “R” US, Honda NSF250R)
Taran OCEAN (Keith Ogilvie, Honda RS)
Ross TAYLOR (GDR, Honda NSF250R)
Jeremy HUDDLETONE (B spoke Design, Honda RS125)
Dave MANSON (Fastline GP Racing, Aprilia/Honda RSW/RS)

Moto3/125 GP Race Two

Joel Kelso (Deborah Motorsports, Honda NSFR250) was the dominant rider in class for Race Two. His fantastic race started from the very beginning of circulation, getting the hole-shot into turn one. Kelso managed to lead in clean air, until mid-race when Geelong man Dylan Whiteside (Aussie Crane Trucks, Honda NSFR250) executed a magnificent undertake to position in front.

Joel Kelso

Whiteside managed to not only reel in Kelso, but continue to charge past him on his 250, after consistently setting fast lap times. He was a man possessed on the journey to the flag, even managing to best Tommy Edwards’ previous class record at the track, set in 2016.

Dallas Skeer (Penrite Oils, Honda NSFR250) rounded out the final podium positions in third. Travis Hall (Motorcycles ‘R’ US, Honda NSF 250 R) and David Doughty (Fastline GPRacing, 125 Honda RS 125) would finish a distant fourth and fifth from the leaders.

Provisional Moto 3 / 125GP Race Two Top Ten Results

Dylan WHITESIDE (Aussie Crane Trucks Honda NSF 250 R)
Joel KELSO (JDS Moto, Honda NSF 250 R)
Dallas SKEER (Ron Angel Classic Racing, Honda NSF 250 R)
Travis HALL (Motorcycles ‘R’ US, Honda NSF 250 R)
David DOUGHTY (Fastline GPRacing, 125 Honda RS 125)
Dave MANSON (Fastline GP Racing, 125 Honda RS 125)
Jeremy HUDDLETONE (B-spoke Design, Honda RS 125)
Taran OCEAN (Keith Ogilvie Honda RS 125)
Ross TAYLOR (GDR Honda NSF 250 R)
Mark LAING-HUGHES (125 Yamaha TZ 125)

Moto3/125 GP Race Three

Whiteside was once again the class leader, making Race Three a clean sweep for the weekend after leading from start to finish. Kelso appeared to be able to run with Whiteside, but like many times before, Whiteside was simply too strong to contend with.

Whiteside took the lead into turn one, and engaged in a battle with Kelso for the remainder of the race. Circulation focused heavily on the front runners as there was an expanding time gap through out the field.

Dylan Whiteside

Whiteside crossed the finish line in first, followed by Kelso in second. Skeer finished in third once again to round complete the podium places.

Dylan Whiteside, “Really stoked with the win in such a great race up at Sydney today with all the guys today. The battles were amazing and I just took advantage of the clean air to get away. I’d just like to thank everone that has made it all possible for me to compete.”

Whiteside was the overall round winner, with 76 points. The Northern Territorian Joel Kelso with 60 and Skeer with 54.

Joel Kelso, “Really happy with the race and unfortunately made a few mistakes in the last few laps and lost Dylan, but he rode really well. I actually enjoyed the battle and the challenge. Thanks to all the guys and my sponsors, you’ve all been great.”