O'Neal Honda

Shayne King (Honda Australia/New Zealand) was unstoppable with three moto victories in the Pro Open class at the season opener of the Staintune Four-Stroke Nationals (formally the Thumper Nationals) at Traralgon's Loy Yang circuit on May 18.

King returned to the form that allowed him to snatch the runner up spot from his team-mate at the last round of the Motorcross Championship and demoralised his opposition once more. Switching from the KTM team in 2003 King scorched the track to take the maximum 75 points on the day. While he made the task look easy aboard the Honda CRF450R a modest King said, "the track was technical in a different way than say motocross with all the jumps, it takes a lot of skill to keep it wide open for twenty minutes. I'd never kept a CRF450R Honda that fast and wide open in my life."

Early crashes cost the Kiwi dearly in the AMX this year, so he was keen for a good result at the opener. "I just didn't want to start the new season like I did in the motocross so I just had to win this round and then build from that," continued King. "We had a perfect day today. For the first moto there was just a little bit of rain, which made the track just perfect. We got a new bike for the series and Pip (Harrison) and Jimmy have set it up and it's even better than the one I rode in the Motorcross title. I'm really happy with the way the bike went and the track really suited my riding style."

O'Neal Honda rider Cody Cooper made step up to the Premiere Pro Open class in fine fashion after an unsatisfactory motocross campaign, to finish fourth in the points (7-9-4). "I'm stoked," said Cooper. "The last race just topped it off. I still struggled with my starts so there's still some improvement needed there, but I was able to carve through the field from the back. I'm wrapt to be sitting fourth overall. I found that in the last race I could hit the start of the berms and then come off them early and with the Michelins hooking up so early it really helped to get through the field.

Shane Metcalfe (O'Neal Honda) rounded out the day one place behind Cooper after an up and down start to the season. Suffering from the dust all day that played havoc with more than one rider Metcalfe was happy to start the season on the right foot. "I felt that I rode really well but if you make one tiny mistake you tend to get swamped in a forty bike field. The bike was awesome and I was able to make up a lot of ground, but after last years crash I only have partial site in one eye, so I always struggle in dusty conditions. The track was really fast and rough by the end of the day but I couldn't see that much so it was kind of frustrating."

Honda's lone Pro Lite division entrant, Danny Anderson (O'Neal Honda 22-27-22) struggled to keep up with the more powerful Yamaha's aboard his XR250R. "It was hard out there as the bike lacked power out of the turns, but I could pick them up on the straights and under brakes so I had fun today," said the youngster after the event. "It's not often you can be happy to be in the mid twenty places but I was trying my hardest. In the past I was a trying a little too hard which made me lose the flow but now it's all coming back and I'm starting to have some fun."

Serco Motorsports

Like the first round of every series, there is always a fear of the unknown. But this year, more so than others, the Pro Open class was going to be interesting! This class has had a huge re-shuffle with some of the major players now overseas and others from the Pro Lites class now contesting major title.

Not without its own form of excitement, the Pro Lites class has its own mixed bag of talent, with defending champ Troy Carroll coming back to stay consistent, and young guns from all over Australia such as our own Daniel McCoy looking to de-throne the champ.

Pro Lites - Moto 1 - Daniel McCoy got average start and came through turn one in about 6th position but he put his head down and charged through the pack round the outside. By the end of lap one, McCoy was in chase of CDR Yamaha rider Troy Carroll with about a 5 sec difference. By the end of the moto, McCoy could not bridge the gap, finishing second in front of Adam Robinson.

Pro Lites - Moto 2 - And another holeshot from TC with McCoy in 3rd behind Victorian Adam Robertson. Within a couple of laps, McCoy gained 2nd position then started chasing Carroll to finish 2nd by about 8 seconds.

Pro Lites - Moto 3 - A great start from McCoy. Carroll and McCoy came together in turn 1 with McCoy coming out with the upper hand and the lead. Carroll made a huge pass on Daniel in the large sweeping corner 5. McCoy braked early and turned back under Carroll. Both riders collided hard and McCoy come out again with the lead. Mind games aside, Carroll made another great pass in turn 10 getting past McCoy cleanly and Carroll wasn't challenged again for the rest of the day.

Carroll took out the day with another clean sweep, with McCoy taking second with finishes of 2-2-2. Check out the results at the link below.

McCoy: "I was happy with my overall result showing consistency all day and I believe with more Suspension testing so we can come up with a package that I'm 110% happy and confident with. "enthused McCoy. "We'll then be able to challenge Troy Carroll."

Pro Open - Moto 1 - Serco Motorsport rider Mick Cook took the holeshot in the first moto, leading Shane King and Cheyne Boyd. Cook was unchallenged for the first 3 laps doing it easy until his forearms pumped up. A Knee injury meant Mick had only ridden once in the past 2 weeks and struggled to run the pace for the full 15 mins drifting back to 6th overall.

Pro Open - Moto 2 - Another great start from Mick again running in 3rd position for the first couple of laps then his knee started giving trouble and he nursed himself home to a 5th overall.

Pro Open - Moto 3 - Good start again but in turn 1, Cook collided with Suzuki rider Danny Ham. Mick's knee came off 2nd best and he was unable to remount the bike and will probably be on the side line for 3-6 weeks waiting for the knee to heal probably.

Taking the overall, and coming off a very successful weekend at round one of the AMA MX championships, Shayne King took the overall with surprise packet Danny Ham in second on his Suzuki, and Shayne's brother Darryll King taking his Yamaha to third overall.

Staintune MXM

Staintune MXM rider Chris Urquhart’s abominable run of injury-induced poor finishes came to an end as the Staintune Four-Stroke Nationals kicked off at Traralgon, Vic at the weekend. The likeable 23-year-old, who finished fourth at the opening round of the motocross championship at Conondale, injured his shoulder at the Appin round, then severely damaged ligaments in his ankle at the Parramatta supercross.

With national rounds in close succession, Urquhart soldiered on until the end of the motocross championship, taking what points he could, but yesterday Urquhart proved that a short rest can make a world of difference. Finishing as high as fourth in the second moto on Sunday, the Gold Coaster carded sixth on the day, his highest finish in motocross since mid-March.

The effort was even more impressive considering the Yamaha pilot had obeyed doctor’s orders to stay off the bike completely in the two weeks between the nationals final at Coastal, and Traralgon, leaving him well short of bike fitness.

“It’s so good to see Chris back to some sort of form,” said Team Co-ordinator Byron Draper, “he’s a long way from full bike fitness, but it’s in the pipeline now, and he rode really well. And what’s more he’s got four weeks to complete his recovery and get into some the sort of shape he needs to attack the frontrunners.

“Unfortunately, we must need a bigger truck, because we don’t seem enough room for good luck for both riders, because Paul had the kind of day he’d like to forget as soon as possible.

“He wasn’t complaining about the bike, the track, his fitness or anything, yet he was 16th in the first moto. My take is that the track was fiercely fast early on, and if you were off your game even a little bit, it showed up a lot.

“His pair of sevenths in the second and third motos were better, but still down on what we’d normally expect, even though he got a bit tangled up at the first turn each time.”

“He’s only human, and everyone has an off weekend once in a while. We’ll just come back 100% for the next one.”

Motocross Lites: Troy Carroll (Yamaha) continued his domination of small-bore racing in 2003, again taking a perfect three from three at Traralgon.  Behind, Daniel McCoy was next with three, second places, leading home Victorian Adam Robinson in third. Staintune MXM rider Chris Urquhart finished with scores of 7, 4, 8 for sixth on the day and in the championship.

Chris Urquhart: “I went to acupuncture every second day this week, and I haven’t ridden since Coastal, and it did wonders for my injuries. Unfortunately it also meant that I had no riding between the last race and this one, just some upper body in the gym last week and a bit on the stationary cycle.

"I’ve got my new number fours on the bike in place of my 13s and they seem to be working much better. I really focussed on my starts in this one, and I got top-fives and almost holeshot the second… it makes for a much better day.  My ankle is sore again today and it’s puffed up a little, but it’s so much better.

"Considering I was on my stock bike with nothing but a Staintune exhaust, on a track with four top gear straights, I’m pretty happy, even though I could only get eighth in the final because of all the fine dust.

"I’m feeling stronger again, I’m getting my new bike next week with a faster engine, and I’m only two points from fourth place. I’m looking forward to it now."

Motocross Open: Shayne King (Honda) took a perfect three from three to win the Open class from Danny Ham (Suzuki) and recently-crowned Australian motocross champion Darryll King (Yamaha).

Two weeks after wrapping up a well-deserved fourth place in the Australian motocross championship, Broomfield’s 16th, 7th and 7th for the day places him an uncharacteristic ninth going into the second round of the Staintune Four-Stroke Nationals championship.

Paul Broomfield: “I just didn’t turn up for this one, it must have been someone else riding my bike. I was going backwards today and I honestly don’t know why.
My second and third motos were okay, although my starts weren’t the best, and it’s hard with the dust and the short races, but I just didn’t deal with it as well as I could have.

"The layout here is pretty average, it doesn’t use much imagination, has a lot of powder, and I don’t normally have as much confidence in those conditions. The speed is kind of fun in practice when it’s like road racing, and you can sit on the seat, but some of the straights ended up covered in foot-high bumps, and you’re hanging on for grim death, flat out in top gear. It’s pretty hairy.

"We’ve got more suspension testing to do now and a new bike for Cessnock, so there’s a few things up the sleeve, so we’ll see what happens at Cessnock.
I’m going to forget this one - I can’t dwell on it. I’ll write it off, and I’ll go back and train and do the things I’ve been doing all year and come back for another go next time, and get on with it!"

Axo Motul Suzuki

Arguably the most improved rider of season 2003, AXO Motul Suzuki team rider Danny Ham, has converted his growing speed to results, finishing second in the opening round of the Staintune Four-Stroke Nationals at Traralgon, Vic, at the weekend.

On a high-speed Traralgon circuit that became dusty and extremely rough as the day wore on, Ham finished second to former world motocross champion Shayne King (Honda), with newly-crowned Australian motocross champion Darryll King (Yamaha) third.

After recently admonishing himself for not having the consistency to convert his now blistering pace into race results, Ham carded a consistent haul of second, fourth and third places at Traralgon to break through for his first podium of the year.

“That turned out not too bad,” said Ham. “I’ve finally got the result - got the starts I needed and rode really consistent and without falling off everywhere.”

Ham’s achievement is all the more impressive considering that Sunday’s raceday was the first time he had ridden his new DR-Z 440 race bike, which was delayed in its completion.

“We got the bike back really late,” said Ham. “And all we had time to do was set up the suspension a little bit and fiddle around with it a little during practice, and luckily, the power’s not so bad straight off.”

Despite lying second in the points, Ham is not even thinking about the championship. “All I’m interested in right now is riding consistently and not crashing, like today. If I rode every round like this one and I never got on the podium again I’d still be happy, because I’ve finally stopped making mistakes and I’m riding a bit smarter.”

Ham’s team mate Mitch Hoad also proved to be something of a surprise packet in what was his first outing in the premier Open Pro class, the AXO Motul Suzuki team’s 125 rider taking to the DR-Z like a fish to water.

Hoad came from mid pack to eighth in the first race, stalled after passing Paul Broomfield (Yamaha) for seventh in the second moto, then crashed out after running second in the third race.

On paper, his result was 8, 12, 26 for 15th on the day, but Hoad was still pleased with his first taste of the big time. “I really didn’t have an expectation for this weekend. But I’m pretty happy with the speed. I blew the start for the first two races until I worked out that I had to be sitting in the tank when I banged third to keep the front down. When I did, it drove so good that I came out of the first turn in second. Next time I’ll just try not to make any stupid little mistakes and stay smooth for the whole race.

“I love four-stroke racing. The other day when I rode the four-stroke for the first time I felt right at home on it and started having a ball straight away. In practice all the lines started linking up early on and I started flowing. I love it.”

With the first round gone, Team Manager Jay Foreman considered the team to be in good shape. “The bikes are really fast, but we got them a little later than we’d expected. I need to thank my two mechanics, Andy and Ian for working so hard to get the bikes ready in the week they had between returning from Perth and loading for Traralgon. “We’ve put in a lot of hours this week.

“In motocross Hammy went so well but he kept crashing when he was in good positions, but today he didn’t, and he’s just riding so strong and fast at the moment. He’s fast enough to win the championship. Mitch is just going to get faster and better, and he can run in the top couple after what showed today."

Motorex KTM

Motorex KTM riders Jay Marmont and Cheyne Boyd are left with some work to do in the standings of the Staintune Four-Stroke Nationals after an up and down start to the series at Traralgon, Vic, at the weekend.

Having finished the recent Australian motocross championship on a high with a sensational one-two in the final moto at Coastal, the Motorex KTM duo are in good form, but a non-score moto apiece meant that this was not reflected in the results.

Boyd and Marmont came away from the opener in sixth and seventh places respectively, while the day’s honours went to Shayne King (Honda) from Danny Ham (Suzuki) and Darryll King (Yamaha).

Boyd and Marmont flew the Motorex KTM flag alone at Traralgon, with new Australian Lites number three Johnny DiStefano returning to the other side of the pitboard, and Robbie Marshall focussing his energies on supercross for the remainder of the year.

The high-speed Traralgon circuit presented smooth and grassy with overnight rain to wet things up, but as the day went on the track grew steadily rougher with fine, bulldust berms pushed up.

Boyd was placed well in the opening moto, following leader Shayne King for much of the race before he was eventually rounded up by team mate Marmont, who would finish second. With just three corners to go, however, Boyd hit a slick patch and spun the bike out, coming in 22nd after he was unable to start his machine.

“Cheyne was absolutely devastated,” said Team Co-ordinator Danny Apro, “we were actually a little bit surprised at how well he was adapting to the four-stroke and it’s a shame he didn’t get the result.”

Boyd made up for it with interest in the second moto, finishing second to (S.)King in the second moto, while Marmont was fifth after being held up in a battle for the position with Mick Cook (Yamaha).

The third and final twelve-minute-plus-a-lap moto saw Boyd hit by Ham in a first-corner mishap, which dropped the KTM rider to fourth place. Boyd was relegated to fifth in the closing laps when Cody Cooper (Honda) came by, while team mate Marmont’s 540 lost power suddenly, dropping him out of the points.

“Obviously we haven’t had a chance to pull the bike apart and see what happened for sure,” said Apro, “but it’s a disappointing reality of competition that sometimes things fail.”

With the first race of the new championship run and won, Apro was pleased with the overall standard of the team’s riders, bikes and crew.

“We’ve dropped a few points with our two non-scoring races, but I believe we’re very competitive and we have the capability to win races. Everybody’s putting in 100%, and Boydy’s speed compared to Shayne King’s was a little surprise, because he hasn’t ridden a 4-stroke at all this year.

“Jay didn’t really get the starts, and in the first few laps of each race the pace is extremely fast, so you’ve got to be up there early.”

The next event for Marmont and Boyd will be the annual Manjimup motocross at the famous Cosy Creek circuit, South of Perth in a fortnight’s time, with the second round of the Nats taking place at Cessnock on June 15.

Jay Marmont (6, 7, 18) – “Basically the first race I was running fourth, and up ahead Hammy and Shayne King got a gap that I couldn’t cover, even though toward the end I was pulling them in. I finished third right on the back of Hammy and I thought the next two were going to be interesting… but they weren’t.
In the second I got a shitty start and ended up bashing bars with Mick Cook for ages over fifth place, and by the time I got through and after Shayne, Boydy, Hammy and Darryll King, they’d gapped me and fifth was the best I could do. Then in the last I had that mechanical.

"I wish I had a podium or whatever to start the series with because I was in the running for one right up until the last race, but never mind you, sometimes you’ll have a bike problem, and I don’t have many.

"I’m behind in the points now, so I’ll go out and try to win as many races as I can. I feel like I can do that easy; all I need is to put some starts and races together.

"This is not one of my favourite rounds because it’s real loose and powdery, and everyone goes the same lines. I’m looking forward to the next couple of rounds and hopefully they’ll suit me a bit better.”

Cheyne Boyd (22, 2, 5) – “I had a pretty good day, but it was unfortunate that I got no points in the first. Other than that I pretty much would have guaranteed myself third on the day.

"I was fourth chasing Jay and on the last lap I drifted wide, I guess I heard Metty coming and gassed it a little hard. I hit the slick stuff and the thing spun around so fast that I was going backwards up the track.

"I couldn’t find neutral straight away and then when I did I couldn’t get it started, and I dropped from fourth right out of the points. I really thought my day was going to be crap from then on, but in the next race I pulled a gnarly holeshot.

"I got a gap and led for three, but Shayne King came with me and got by. I pulled him a little at the end, but I think he just slowed. It felt awesome to get a second.

"In the third race I was fourth into the turn when Hammy came outa’ nowhere and hit me. He didn’t crash, but only because I caught his handlebar on my wrist. After that my wrist was pretty sore but I rode through it until Cody Cooper came by late in the race with some good lines.

"I raced the two-stroke in the nationals, and I hadn’t ridden a four-stroke this year at all until two weeks ago, and I’d only ridden the 540 race bike twice before the weekend. But I felt really comfortable on it straight away. It was funny, you hear all these stories about power that rips your shoulders out and rah, rah, rah. But I got on and it was a nice bike to ride with a lot of useable power. Apro and I have got the suspension really good for me. It’s Awesome.”

KTM Fly HSE Racing

Their first full season of championship motocross behind them, the rookies of the Fly HSE KTM Racing team, Cody Mackie and Bradleigh Thompson head to the ultra-fast Traralgon circuit for the first round of the Staintune Four-Stroke Nationals.

Competing in the Expert Open class, and swapping their nimble KTM125SX machines for KTM450SX models, Mackie and Thompson’s adaptation to four-stroke racing occurs while negotiating Traralgon’s white-knuckle straights and soft, moon-dust berms.

The result: Cody Mackie – moto finishes: 3rd, 7th, 8th
Bradleigh Thompson – moto finishes: 9th, 6th, 11th

Cody Mackie - "The track was a fast one and this was only the second time I’d raced the 450, so I had no idea how I would go with the riders in my class, but as it turned out, today did a lot for my confidence.

"The first race I got the holeshot which helped a lot, and the one and two riders in last year’s series both passed me and I finished third, although, towards the end I was catching them.

"In the second I got into the first corner third, but there were guys going everywhere and I ended up back in sixth. After that I couldn’t get my rhythm and I stayed there for most of the race, I was riding like a swapper! My team mate Brad passed me on the final lap so I ended up seventh.

"In the final I messed the gate completely, and I was back in like 30th around the first turn, but I charged and I got up to eighth.

"I’m fairly happy, but I could have gone better in the second and third. A start helps a lot. But now I know it’s possible for me to win races because my times were right up there, and I think it’s possible for a good finish in the series."

Bradleigh Thompson - "My first race started badly. I was in 23rd place working forwards, so I went as hard as I could and finished up ninth with the quickest lap time of the race! It was a full second quicker than the next fastest rider, so I was stoked.

"My bike was feeling pretty good, even though all I’d done was set the suspension up for my weight and put on an Akrapovic pipe. I found the track slippery to start with, then after the grass was gone it got slick.

"Race two was a better start and we got up to sixth; we’d like to be in the top five but sixth was a step forward, and the tyres were hooking up pretty good.

"The last race was dusty, and after an average start I had to do some work, until half way around the first lap when I hit a fallen rider and stalled my bike. I restarted 30th, and worked my way back to 11th. The races are 12 minutes plus a lap, so it seems like kind of a sprint when you’re coming from behind.

"A thumpers day feels shorter than a national, but then going from a 125 to a 450 you’ve got to hang on hard, so it evens out. The main difference is that the roost really hurts coming off those big 540s, so you’ve got to make sure you’ve got all the gear on, and try to dodge it a bit.  I enjoyed racing the 450. You’ve got to be a lot smoother on the power but that’s okay; that suits my riding style. I had a lot of fun today."

Barry Thompson (Team Co-manager) - "We had a good day; Bradleigh struggled a little in starts but overall I was happy with how he went. I said before that I love the Thumper Nats and today was another pretty good one.

"Bradleigh needs some consistent top ten starts, and we’ll do a little work on his suspension between now and the next race to get the bike to better suit his weight – he’s only 65 kilos.

"He needs to practice his starts, although some bikes in his class are bigger so they’ll probably always beat him down the straight. I think he rides the 4-stroke well. Brad proved that with his fastest lap. I think that with a better start he’d be right up there. Without a good start it’s just a lot of hard work and you just don’t get back to the front. Having seen them go now, I think both boys are capable of a top-three or top-four finish. I enjoyed it here. This is a very fast track, it was very dry, and the berms pushed up were very dry too, so it made it hard to see if you were coming from back in the pack.

"The next round of the championship will be at Cessnock in NSW, but it’s not for a month, so there’s not quite the same pressure to get bikes prepared, which is a nice change. It’s also good because we’ve got a few things to finish on the truck."

Grant Mackie (Team Co-manager) - "We’re very pleased with Cody’s result today.  It’s totally different in these events; there isn’t the pressure that were is in motocross. The day was a good one, with a little rain in the morning, and the track changed from flat track in the morning to big whoops and high berms in the afternoon.

"I think Expert is a good place for Cody in his first season. He’s not up there with the likes of Marmont and Metcalfe, but he’s still able to compare his speeds against them on the same track and on the same sized bike, and judge how he’s going from that.

"Thumper racing is a bit of a leveler because it’s not as technical. If you’ve got the drive you can hold it on and that’s it, so it’s more even. Cody’s 450 is like chalk and cheese compared to his 125, and he’ll be able to ride it a bit harder as he gets a bit stronger.

"Cody rode within his capabilities today, which is what we want him to do, he never swapped around all day, and he didn’t fall. It’s better for him to keep a little in hand than have a bad one and have to catch up points."

Full Throttle Sports Honda

Round 1 of the 4-stroke Nationals was held in Traralgon and the riders expected the worse as dark clouds and mist covered the morning skies. Fog and drizzle soon followed with rain coats, roll offs and sand /mud tires a necessity for race one. For race two however, there were hard packed tires being fitted and tinted lens as the sun came out.

With the skies clear for the afternoon, the stage was set for a battle of the titans. The best riders from Australasia had gathered again for a new series and everyone was keen to see who had been working the hardest.

Full Throttle Sports Honda weren’t originally contracted to race the 4-stroke nationals, however after discussions with the team’s sponsors, it was decided that Full Throttle Sports Honda would compete.

The riders and team were looking forward to the chance to race against the open class. Unfortunately, with the team concentrating on the motocross and supercross series all year, there was minimal testing done on the open class bikes. The riders and crew were looking at this event as chance to test and learn for the following rounds.

Pro Open - Moto 1 - A full grind of 37 thundering open class 4-strokes hit the first corner and it was Mick Cook with the holeshot. Jye Harvey and Lee Ellis both suffered from mid pack starts while Troy Dorron was brought down in a second corner clash with another rider and rejoined the race in last position.

In the early laps it was Ellis was back in 20th, Harvey in 21st with Dorron charging after his early crash in 25th position. By the finish it was a great result to see Harvey work his way up to 11th, with Lee Ellis in 17th and Troy Dorron finishing in a great 18th after his early race fall.

Pro Open - Moto 2 - In a hectic start that saw several riders run off track in the first corner, all Full Throttle Sports Honda riders made it through the first corner unscathed with Ellis in 6th, Dorron in 10th and Harvey in 12th. However, on the second corner, Harvey was brought down in a carbon copy of Dorron's first moto crash and had to start the race in near last position.

Halfway around the first lap, Ellis made a small mistake that saw him on the ground and at the rear of the field while Troy Dorron was putting heavy pressure on Mitch Hoad for 8th position. By the end of the second lap, Harvey was already up into 24th with Ellis in 28th position. After several laps of Dorron trying every which way to pass Hoad, an awkward fall saw him out of the race and back at the team truck to compose himself for the final race.

For the remaining Full Throttle Sports Honda riders, Ellis finished in 15th position while Harvey placed 17th, a great result considering both riders were at the rear of the field in the early laps.

Pro Open - Moto 3 - The winner of the first 2 motos, Shayne King, took the holeshot with Harvey in 11th, Dorron 12th and Ellis in 19th positions. Harvey and Dorron pushed each other in the opening laps with several passes between them. Harvey gained the upper hand and moved up to 7th place with Dorron close by in 8th.

Ellis was looking great on the bike, passing riders all over the track as he charged forward through the pack from his poor start. With the track now dry and dusty in places, many riders appeared to be finding the going hard work, but not Ellis.

Harvey was feeling the effects of his minimal open bike experience and began to fatigue. Dorron was also looking tired on the bike and was feeling the effects of his moto 2 crash, but it was Ellis that had the team cheering as he continued his forward push with blistering lap times. By the finish it was Ellis in 11th and Harvey in 16th. In a heat breaking last corner incident, Dorron was brought down yet again to finish towards the rear of the field.

Lee Ellis- "I felt pretty good in practise and with a few minor adjustments to the bike I was feeling confident for the first race. But after a poor start I just couldn't get my rhythm together and rode to a disappointing 17th.

"The second moto I had a great start to be inside the top 6 but I crashed on the first lap which put me back at the rear of the field. I was pretty angry with myself for throwing away a decent start, so I just rode as hard as I could and managed to work my way back up into 15th which is reasonably good, all things considered.

"The final race I made things hard for myself again with a rotten start but I felt really relaxed on the bike and work my way up into 11th at the finish."

Jye Harvey- "It was my first outing in the open class on a national level, so I was curious to see how I would stack up against the competition. My lap times were up with the leaders but with poor starts I spent all my time working through the pack instead of running up the front.

"I knew I was going to be a little bit light in the strength department coming into this event and it is something I want to work on for next year. In the last race I was giving it all I had but I just lacked the strength and weight to keep the bike where I wanted it to go. Over the off-season my aim will be to improve strength training for the open class bike. This is a hard thing to do mid-season with races week in week out.

"The bike was awesome in every respect and I couldn't have asked for more. My Bridgestone tires were hooking up really well on a track that changed from grassy loam to a hard base throughout the day. Thankfully we had great tires that suited every condition."

Expert - Mark Portbury rode well in each of his 3 races to finish with 11th, 13th and 13th placing's. Racing against many, bigger stronger more experienced riders, Mark showed plenty of promise for the future.

Mark Portbury- "I'm adapting to the 450 better and better with every ride on it and I'm really happy with how it runs. Being so light on the bike it pulls so fast down the straights that even though it is standard, it runs like a works bike.

"In the last race I had the best battle I have ever had. Thompson and I were at it all race and I really enjoyed it."