With the round kicking off in close to perfect conditions at the Nowra Motoplex, the venue provided the perfect stage for thrills, spills and excitement in the MX1 Class.

After the morning’s 15 minute qualifying session, and Go Pro Super Pole, KTM Motocross Racing’s Kirk Gibbs took the number one qualifying position with a 1:42.306 lap time, while teammate and Nowra local Luke Styke had his first ever SuperPole experience, finishing his first hit out with third pick of the grid.

In the biggest upset from the qualifying session, Penrite Honda Racing Team's Ben Townley was ruled out of racing for the remainder of the day, after going down during the session and injuring his shoulder, in a disappointing beginning to the former World Champ's MX Nationals campaign.

In moto one, CDR Yamaha returned to the dominating form the team is renowned for.

Former retiree Reardon took the first hole shot of the day, with NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Monea following closely behind him.

Despite Monea holding second position for the majority of the 30-minute moto, a late charge from Reardon’s teammate Mosig (CDR Yamaha) saw Monea relegated to third, and Reardon under pressure for the lead.

When the chequered flag flew, it was Reardon who had the strength to hold off the force of his team mate, taking the race one win ahead of Mosig, followed by NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Monea who collected third. 

In moto two, it was nothing short of a fairy tale ending for NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Long.

After holding second position in the earlier stages of the race, Long launched himself into the race lead ahead of Penrite Honda’s Cody Cooper.

Despite the pair sticking together for a period of time, Long was able to extend his lead and allow Cooper to battle with Reardon for second place.

When the chequered flag flew, it was the Kawasaki machine of Long who took his first ever MX1 race win, ahead of CDR Yamaha’s Reardon in second, while KTM’s Styke collected third.

At the conclusion of the round, breakthrough results were handed to not only Long but Reardon alike.

With one - two results, Reardon took his first round overall since returning from retirement, while Long also found himself on the podium for the first time in second position.

CDR Yamaha’s success at round eight flowed on to third overall for the round, with Mosig completing the final position on the MX1 podium.

 “It's been a long time since I've been up here on the overall podium so it feels awesome," Reardon said.

"To tell you the truth, I probably didn't expect myself to be in this position this year, it's been a bit of a hard year.

“The team has been great and I'm very thankful to have the opportunity to come back racing again.

"I love this sport and that's the reason why I'm back.

“I am over the moon to get this overall win, and to go home with a number one plate feels really good.

"Everyone works so hard on the CDR Yamaha team, and my whole family and personal sponsors have been very supportive, so this one is definitely a nice way to give back to them."

Monster Energy MX1 round eight overall points:

1) Daniel Reardon 67

2) Dylan Long 59

3) Kade Mosig 58

4) Luke Styke 55

5) Adam Monea 55

6) Kirk Gibbs 54

7) Lawson Bopping 51

8) Cody Cooper 45?

9) Kale Makeham 44

10) Jesse Dobson 44

Monster Energy MX1 championship points:

1) Kirk Gibbs 530

2) Luke Styke 465?

3) Kade Mosig 456?

4) Adam Monea 449?

5) Lawson Bopping 429

6) Daniel Reardon 411

7) Dylan Long 390

8) Jesse Dobson 382

9) Cody Cooper 358

10) Kale Makeham 306