Australian SX Nationals 2004 - Round Six - Wollongong

On a track seemingly more suited to a jet-ski race than a supercross championship, Team Shift Motul Suzuki riders Danny Ham and Bobby Kiniry (taking injured Mitch Hoad's place) did about as much as anyone could expect - they got some points.

A week after the sixth round of the Australian SX nationals championship at Gosford was cancelled because of rain, organisers were determined that round seven would not suffer the same fate, and vowed to push on, rain, hail or shine.

With the track deteriorating first to a quagmire then to something more resembling a river with double jumps, the only thing more amazing than the conditions was the fact that the Wollongong fans refused to be dissuaded - the show playing before a near full house.

“Everyone has paid for flights and motels and all the rest,” said Team Shift Motul Suzuki Team Manager, Jay Foreman, “so we do a lot of money when we cancel. We were always going to try and run this one, rain hail or shine”.

The regular qualification format changed under the conditions, the top six heat race finishers transferring directly to the final, and the rest going to a Last Chance Qualifier.

Despite falling in his qualifier, Danny Ham still managed a top-five finish and qualified his Suzuki RM250 directly for the Pro Open final, while Bobby Kiniry's path was somewhat tougher.

Being un-seeded, the American got last pick of the gates, and was still last out of the first turn, but turned up the wick to gain an impressive third place, to qualify directly for the Pro Lites final.

A team-mate to former Team Suzuki Australia rider Daryl Hurley in the tough AMA West Coast 125cc series, 18-year-old Kiniry will ride for team Shift Motul Suzuki in Australia for the remaining three rounds of the Australian SX Nationals, in Newcastle, Brisbane and Melbourne.

Starting from gate six, Kiniry was forced to throw his goggles even before rounding the first turn, and after charging from the rear of the field, was up as high as fourth before getting pushed off the track in a tangle with another rider.

Riders with the misfortune to find their way off the track discovered that the slippery boards beside the track posed even more of a challenge than the track proper, and Kiniry lost a lap to the front runners as he fought to regain the track on the ice-slippery surface.

Once moving again, he started passing through the field again, climbing back to a very creditable ninth place by the finish.

Just a couple of days after arriving in the country, Kiniry admitted the experience was not quite what he had been expecting.

“For my first race in Australia, I really thought it would be a lot drier! But it was a lot of fun.

“Every time we went out it was muddier, and I couldn't really tell how I was going compared to the other guys. It was so muddy that if someone passed you, you couldn't even see who it was anyway!

“I love to race, and back in the States I race the 125s and we're on a break while they race on the East Coast, so I've got nothing else to do.

“It's good here, not too much different to the US culturally, and the people are a lot nicer I think.

“I think I can podium pretty good here and carry some momentum over to the US, and that would be great. Everyone's been really cool, so I can't wait to see what Australia has in store for me.”

The Pro Lites final went to New Zealander Cody Cooper from Jay Johnston and Jye Harvey.

In the Pro Open class, Danny Ham started with a holeshot, but slipped off the track completely at the next turn to find himself charging back from last place, eventually finishing twelfth.

“As for muddy events, that was the worst supercross I've ever raced in. You've got to be so picky with your line selection and if you're in the wrong spot you're crashing.

“In the final it wasn't just mud anymore it was like a river, and I knew that without a decent start you wouldn't see a thing. I got a good one, but I was pushing hard to keep it when I went wide into turn two.

“Off the track you've just got the boards that they put down to protect the surface and they were just like ice, so I spun out and went down.

“I passed a few guys and got up to about sixth, when I had the slowest stupidest crash, the bike just two-wheel drifted and fell, and I got hit in the back and stuck under the bike and got so much mud everywhere over my grips and hands that I couldn't hold on.

“I really didn't enjoy that weekend. I've been training so hard lately and my practice times are the fastest they've ever been so I was looking forward to showing what I can do.

“Hopefully Newcastle next weekend will be a good chance.”

Championship leader Jay Marmont won the final from Troy Dorron and Cheyne Boyd.