The final round of the championship, contested in the plush surroundings of Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, saw Clout return to his scintillating best and dominate the 20 lap main event to score his first race win of the year.
To view the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team bLU cRU round review: https://youtu.be/REd4l_XRfMI
Clout turned in his most polished supercross performance to date and snare the race win, climbing to second in the championship. From the moment Clout hit the tacky clay inside Marvel Stadium, he looked impressive, and that confidence grew all weekend.
He easily qualified for the SX1 final and as soon as the gates hit the dirt, it was Clout’s race to lose. He charged into the first turn, quickly gained control of the race and went to work. With each lap, he would increase his lead and at its largest, the gap was around eight seconds over the rider in second place.
With the race well in hand, Clout used caution to navigate his way around the lapped riders. In the end, the margin was four seconds but there was little doubt this was Clout’s night, leaving the previously undefeated Dean Wilson and the five-time champ, Justin Brayton in his wake.
The victory bought the parochial Australian crowd to their feet when Clout fist pumped the air.
“It’s been a tough season in a lot of ways for me, but I felt things were building in the last couple of weeks and I was determined to finish the season strongly,” Clout begins.
“I gelled with the track quickly and each session I was able to go faster and knew that if I could just get a start, I would be in with a chance to win. My start was good, I hit the front and just rode my own race. I didn’t look behind, I just raced the track and it felt like a really long race. I remember seeing the halfway board and thinking it was a mistake and it should have been the final lap.
“But I kept on charging until my pit board told me I had a good gap and just a few laps left to go, so I backed it down a little.
“It was the best way to finish the season and awesome to win in a venue like this. The CDR Yamaha team haven’t stopped working and to finally give them a win was what they deserved. Thank you everyone on the team and sponsors for the support,” Clout ends.
Teammate Josh Hill also turned in an impressive performance to finish fourth on the night and secure third in the championship, just one point behind Clout in second. Hill quickly moved into the top three in the final and kept the pressure on all the way to the end. Dean Wilson was able to sneak by at the halfway point, but Hill stayed in the fight for the podium and shadowed Wilson and Brayton across the finish line with less than three separating covering the riders.
“I love my time in Australia and working with the CDR Yamaha team,” Hill beams after the race. “Everyone here looks after me so well and the team are super supportive so it’s my pleasure to race this championship and with the CDR Yamaha team.
“The final was probably the best I have raced this series, although it wasn’t my best result. I latched onto Brayton and followed him the whole race. I never got close enough to make a pass, but I didn’t want to just let them go, so I’m happy with that ride.
“Congratulations to Luke, he rode awesome tonight and deserved the race win. He just pinched me in the championship points, but I can’t be too disappointed, I raced well, gave it everything I had and go home with a third place in the Australian Supercross Championship.
“I’m here for another week, filming some things, before I go back to the US, but I can’t thank everyone enough for the past month. My partner Molly and I, had an awesome time and anytime that someone will have us, we would love to come back,” Hill ends.
