Riders fight through mud

The clouds cleared and the sun returned just in time for round 3 of the Healthway WA Motocross Senior State Championship at Coastal Park in Henderson on Sunday.

With heavy rainfall at the weekend, competitors did battle in wet, muddy conditions.

The event marked the halfway point of the season and racing across all classes was tight, with massive crashes, bent bikes and a few riders stuck in the bog.

In the MX 1 class,'''''' Robert Lovett qualified fastest but was unable to fend off local rider Dean Porter, who was in his element on his home track.

Porter finished with a perfect race card (1-1-1) which put him on the top of the box for the first time this season, with Lovett securing second (2-2-2) and Mitch Taylor third for the day.

Lovett remains series leader by only two points from Porter with the two set to do battle in Bunbury later this month.

The Quad class put on a show, with pile ups, roll overs and crashes as the day went on.

Tyron Robertson revelled in the tough conditions in qualifying to secure the fastest lap time, while half the field was left bogged in the sand.

Luke Ovens secured the round win by one point over series leader and Rockingham champion Luke Gaisford, who finished second with James Ognenis in third.

Gaisford retains the red plate with a comfortable 55-point lead and looks set to take home another WA Championship.

With only a handful of riders in the Veterans class, it was Trevor Unstead (2-1-1) who worked hard to secure the overall round win, while Dean Castlehow (1-2-4) and Greg Christie (3-3-2) battled for the podium.

Castlehow was set to take out the final win until he became stuck in the quicksand and the field passed him.

In the women’s class, series leader Jess Moore wasted no time stamping her authority and picked up the fastest lap time for qualifying and the round win by virtue of her clean sweep (1-1-1).

Defending champ Chelsea Blakers picked up second overall, finishing on equal points with Lily Kent, who finished third.