Josh Hayes and USA team leader Dave Crussell, gallant in defeat

Josh Hayes summed up an ultimately frustrating weekend.

“It was never going to be easy,” he said. “We built a strong team this year and came close but we aren’t done yet.” Dave Crussell revealed the battle plan formulated before the final race: “We had worked all weekend as a team to get so close. I just said to them to get in front of any Aussie they could and just go for it. Ultimately we lost this year but we ended up with five riders in the top 10 overall. We will be back in 2021.”