The Factory Honda Australia team, proudly backed by Quad Lock with support from American Honda and associate partners, delivered a strong rebound at the penultimate round of the AMA Pro Motocross and Women’s Motocross Championships at Unadilla, New Berlin.
Charli Cannon set the tone early in the Women’s Championship, qualifying fastest and lining up with confidence. In Moto 1, she produced one of the most exciting battles of the season, taking a hard-fought race win, her first in the U.S. series. Moto 2 brought drastically different conditions as the track dried, and a heavy crash set her back. Cannon remounted to finish second. Tied on points for the day, she placed second overall due to the lower Moto 2 result.
“I feel like I let this one get away,” said Cannon. “We had great pace in qualifying and Moto 1, but in Moto 2 the slower pace caught me out. The crash was big, but we salvaged second. There’s still work to do, but this gives me confidence heading into the final round.”
Brodie Connolly showed positive steps forward in the 250 class. He highlighted his speed is there, he just needs to learn and join the track together quicker, he posted the third-fastest sector time in one section and eighth in another. In Moto 1, Connolly charged to sixth, closing up on fifth with aggressive riding and strong intensity, before falling back as he wore out, he showed great pace, clocking top five sector times. Moto 2 saw him inside the top 10 before a crash dropped him outside the top 20, eventually finishing 21st. His 16-21 results didn’t reflect the clear progress made.
“I’m not dwelling on the results,” said Connolly. “The pace is there, and I’m learning where I need to improve. With more testing, seat time, and adapting to the conditions, I know I’ll be better next weekend.”
Kyle Webster bounced back with determination following a tough previous round. He qualified 10th, then finished eighth in Moto 1. In Moto 2, Webster battled for sixth before a crash pushed him outside the top 20.
Showing resilience, he charged back to ninth, ending the day with 7-9 results for equal seventh (ranked ninth on countback).
“This was much better than last weekend,” Webster said. “This is closer to where I expect to be. The pace of the top five is tough, and I haven’t raced in this heat for five months, but I’m improving every moto. We have one more round before I switch to the 250 for MX of Nations, and I’m excited to keep building.”
Team Principal Martin Davalos praised the group’s progress:
“Kyle’s changes to suspension really paid off, and we’re continuing to adapt Brodie’s setup to the faster, more open U.S. tracks. You don’t luck into fast sector times, so the speed is there. And Charli’s first race win shows her potential. It would be incredible to see these riders based in America full-time to show what they can really do, but I will enjoy these three races with them and maybe next year Charli and Brodie can join us full-time.”
The Quad Lock Honda team now heads to Buds Creek for the final round of the AMA Motocross and Women’s Motocross Championships.
