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Empire Kawasaki riders finish 2022 ProMX Championship sixth and seventh
Following eight rounds across the country, Empire Kawasaki MX2 racers Haruki Yokoyama and Jai Constantinou have finished the 2022 ProMX Championship with creditable sixth and seventh placings in the series points standings.
The final round of the championship was held at Coolum, QLD, over the weekend and Victorian talent, Constantinou #44, proved consistency reaps results as he finished the season strongly with a fifth overall round result.
After qualifying 12th, Constantinou started the opening MX2 race in the top 10, but an early crash forced him to methodically work through the pack from 18th to an impressive sixth place finish.
A slow start to the second moto saw him outside the top 20 riders through the first turn, but again Constantinou and his Kawasaki KX250 were able to master the rough, sandy conditions and work his way to P6 by the time he crossed the finish line.
“I’m really happy to finish off the year with a top five and, even though I made it tough for myself with a crash and a bad start, it was a great weekend with the team. Seventh in the championship isn’t exactly where we wanted to be, but considering a few of the throw-away motos we had throughout the season, it wasn’t a bad result. I can’t thank everyone in the team enough for their support this year – there were good times all-round.”
Despite not scoring any points in the opening race after a big crash, there were plenty of positives for Yokoyama #386 in completing his first full Australian Motocross Championship.
Aboard his KX250, Yokoyama started the opening MX2 moto in P2, before losing position. A big crash while pressuring for fourth place forced him to pull into the pits to get his bike straightened out and he returned to the fray to finish just out of the points in 21st.
Eager to make amends, Yokoyama surged to the holeshot in the second race, but lost positions early on before settling into seventh. Capitalising on the mistakes of others around the rugged, rutted Coolum circuit, the Japanese rider improved to finish P5 and was 13th overall for the day.
“The crash in the first moto cost me fifth overall in the championship. While that’s disappointing, there were lots of positives from my first full season in Australia, with a couple of race podiums and a round podium. There are lots of positives for the future and I’d love to come back again next year for another full season. For now, I’m looking forward to the upcoming Australian Supercross Championship!”
2022 ProMX Rd8 Coolum, QLD - Round Results
Rd 8 MX2 results: 1. Nathan Crawford 2. Bailey Malkiewicz 3. Rhys Budd 5. Jai Constantinou (Empire Kawasaki) 13. Haruki Yokoyama (Empire Kawasaki)
2022 ProMX Championship Results
Championship MX1 results: 1. Aaron Tanti 2. Dean Ferris 3. Todd Waters 10. Jayden Rykers (Empire Kawasaki)
Championship MX2 results: 1. Wilson Todd 2. Rhys Budd 3. Bailey Malkiewicz 6. Haruki Yokoyama (Empire Kawasaki) 7. Jai Constantinou (Empire Kawasaki)