Australian SX Nationals 2004 - Round Five - Adelaide Entertainment Centre

Team Shift Motul Suzuki rider Mitch Hoad has had his 2004 Australian SX Nats Pro Lites title aspirations extinguished by a broken collarbone, at the fifth round of the championship in Adelaide.

Hoad suffered the injury in second practice for the event, after he clipped the top of a double jump in a difficult rhythm section, and was propelled over the handlebars and into the ground.

The exciting youngster, who won the second round of the Pro Lites championship in Townsville, occupied a share of third place in the points, and with an RM-Z250 that many consider to be one of the fastest bikes in the class, was poised for a strong finish.

"Any chance of winning the title is gone now though, that's for sure," said Hoad.

"It's disheartening because I've felt that I could win this title and I've been fast at every round, and I really thought Adelaide could be my round…"

"I tried a different approach on a tight little combination section, and when I went over I drilled into the start straight on my shoulder.

"I didn't realise there was a problem at first. I was really winded and it was sore, but I just thought I needed a bit of a rest and it would be okay. Then Hammy walked up and said 'It looks like your shoulder's dropped'. He started feeling around, and that's when we found the big lump."

"I'll speak to the doctors today and find out what the options are as far as plating goes, I don't want to wait three weeks and then find out it's not healing straight."

"The good thing is that my second goal for the year is still intact, because I'll be over this well before the motocross championship comes around, and I'll be champing at the bit to get into it by then, which should work in my favour."

The Pro Lites win went to Daniel Reardon, from Ryan Marmont and Daniel McCoy.

In the Pro Open class, Team Shift Motul Suzuki's Danny Ham overcame a near disastrous qualifying route and subsequent outside starting position to add a fifth place finish to his season tally.

Ham had to work hard just to get to the main event, after a crash in his semi race forced him to attempt to qualify via the last chance qualifier.

"It was a much harder route to the final than I've been used to this year," said Ham, who for the first time missed out on making the top-four Superpole competition.

"In my semi, Cam virtually just laid down in front of me and I hit him, and then when we both got going I tried to pass him and crashed, so that was the end of that.

"Once you go through the Last Chance Qualifier, you're fighting for gate nine and ten, so you know you're going to be coming from the back of the pack."

As the final got underway however, Ham turned on the pace, and began to move forward through the pack with impressive speed, making time on even the race leaders, Jay Marmont and Cheyne Boyd, and moving into third place.

"My mechanic was showing my lap times for the whole race, and I started off slow but I picked the pace up pretty quickly and took off - with the training I've been doing I know I can do the twenty laps as fast as I want to.

"I never got tired, but with five to go I started making a few stupid mistakes, and over the triple with two laps to go I over-jumped it a little and landed with my foot on the rear brake and stalled the bike.

"I tried to bump start it straight away but it was too far round for that and I let two guys that I had already passed, back by me - which is frustrating after doing all that work!"

Team Manager Jay Foreman was disappointed for the injured Mitchell Hoad, "It's a part of the sport, and he should know the ramifications of the injury this afternoon, but it's tough for him because he was in there and having a go.

"Danny's training harder and practicing harder, and it's got to come together for him soon.

"We spoke about really starting to attack earlier, which he can do now without the arm pump that has plagued him in the past, and this time after a bad gate pick he was quickly by them."