Honda rider Craig Anderson has taken an unassailable lead in the Australian Motocross Championship having opened up a 53-point gap at the top of the standings with only one round of competition to go.

Anderson finished fourth overall in round nine of the series at Barleigh Ranch Raceway, finishing third and sixth in the two motos to streak clear of Kawasaki’s Daniel Reardon.

Reardon has a seven-point advantage over Honda’s Cody Cooper in third, as the pair get set battle it out for second place when the series comes to a close at Coolum next weekend.

Brisbane-born Reardon continued on from his fine form at Broadford last round by taking out both of the Barleigh motos, to make it three moto wins in a row and claim the round nine honours.

Yamaha’s Matt Moss finished second overall for the meet after notching fifth and second in the day’s two motos, moving him up into 10th spot on the overall standings.

Cooper’s back-to-back fourth placing’s earned him third overall for the meet, but the day belonged to Anderson who claimed the championship after a four-year hiatus from the Australian Motocross mantle.

While Kiwi Daryl Hurley was forced out of series contention through an untimely injury, Anderson has had to battle through a hand injury of his own that he incurred during a training mishap a few weeks ago.

Despite the injury, Anderson has pushed through the pain barrier in the past two rounds and thoroughly earned the reward of Australia’s highest Motocross honour.

In other action during the meet at Barleigh Ranch, KTM’s Ryan Marmont headed a step closer to claiming his first title in the Pro Lites Championship.

Marmont finished first and third in the two motos held for the round, to open up a 35-point championship lead from defending champion and Yamaha rider, Cameron Taylor.

Kawasaki’s Cody Mackie and Yamaha’s Robbie Marshall finished in second and third overall for the round, while Taylor could only manage sixth and fourth in the two motos held, enabling Marmont to gain an eight-point round advantage.

Honda’s Troy Dorron is 19-points behind Taylor in third spot on the overall standings.

In an Australian first, a championship series created solely for women got underway with the opening round of the Australian Women’s Motocross Championship.

Kristy Gillespie won the two motos that were contested with Kiwi Emma Davis and Adelia Barton finishing in second and third respectively in both races.

What they said:

Daniel Reardon:
“The track turned out better than expected and the weather played on our side today. The first moto win was great and I came out confident after winning a moto last round. In the second moto my start was not the best and I did it the hard way as I engaged in a pretty tough battle with (Cody) Cooper. I’m looking forward to the last round of the championship at Coolum next weekend, where hopefully we can do the same again.”

Matt Moss:
“I feel like a new person and I’m trying to take everything I can in terms of results. Second place is a great achievement for me personally and I can’t thank the team enough for helping me to get up to speed and stay there, the Yamaha really is working very well.

Cody Cooper:
“I got a bad start in the first moto and had a fall in which a few people ran into me. I got a bad start in the last race and the track was quite difficult to race on. With that in mind I’m pretty happy with the result, considering I’ve now got a bit of a sore back.”

Craig Anderson:
“It is great to win the championship. It has been a long a long four years in between championship wins. It is good to take the title at home as I will be able to lap it up a bit better. It was tough out there during that last moto. I just kept thinking it is worth going through 35 minutes of hell to achieve the best feeling in the world”

Cheyne Boyd:
“The bike was spot on today and it handled the conditions with ease, with an especially strong suspension setup. I suffered a case of arm pump in the opening moto which really comes down to my level of training, its something I need to work on to be consistently competitive.”