Pro Open Qualifying - Shane took to the track and immediately looked comfortable in the demanding conditions. The South Australian quickly settled down and posted consistent lap times in the 1 minute 50 second bracket. Shane’s fastest lap in the session was a respectable 1:49.47, being good enough for seventh fastest.

Pro Open Moto One - In Moto One Shane got a very average jump off the line, so was forced to battle his way from the rear of the field. Some determined riding and good use of the smoother inside line throughout the opening laps saw Shane fight his way well into the top 15 by the halfway point. Shane continued to move forward until the closing stages when he became involved in a heated battle for seventh place with local hero Mick Cook, the pair dicing and passing several times in the closing laps.

Shane’s better use of inside lines frequently placed him in front of Cook, only to have the veteran Queenslander repass him using the horsepower of his 450cc machine to good use in the heavy sand. Cook put that advantage to good effect on the final corner when, on the last lap, Shane drifted into a boggy line, which robbed him of much needed momentum and allowed Cook to beat him to the line and into eighth place. Despite the last minute set back, this was Shane’s best finish this year so far.

Pro Open Moto Two - Moto Two’s start was not the best for Shane with his KX250’s rear wheel spinning wildly and digging well down into the Coolum sand before launching forward. Due to his poor start, Shane was faced with a bigger challenge than he had in the first moto, being placed even further back in the field. The mix of sand and loam plus the sheer number of bikes using the track ensured the track quickly became extremely whooped out – a real test of fitness and durability.

Slowly moving forward into the top 20, Shane benefited from the withdrawal of several competitors through crashes and mechanical failures. As the race passed the half-way point Shane found the conditions to be tough going as the extremely rough bumps robbed his bike of momentum and caused the motor to bog in the sand. Searching for smoother lines proved pointless as the circuit now resembled a bomb crater. As the race wound down there was a four-way dice over 13th position between Nathan Brochtrup, Daniel Howley, Trent Pons and Metcalfe. With the pack around him all on 450cc machines, Shane soon lost out whenever he was forced to change line and at the end of the race, he found himself in 15th spot.

With the 13 points from his first moto finish added to the six for his 15th in Moto Two, Shane took 12th overall on the day and now holds down 15th in the championship.

ProLites - The team’s ProLites pilot, youngster Toby Price had a tough day too with poor starts and a circuit that he found hard to come to grips with.

ProLite Qualifying - Toby quickly reeled off a respectable time of 1 minute 50.809 seconds on his second lap, placing him near the front of the class early in the session. With the track’s sandy surface cutting up and returning to the tough, physically demanding sand circuit that Coolum is famous for, Toby found it difficult to improve on his earlier effort and was in 22nd place as the session closed. With only around 3.5 seconds covering the top 20 or more riders it was sure to be a day of close racing.

ProLite Moto One - After a bad start, Toby rounded the first turn in almost last place. He soon set about working his way towards the points paying end of the field and had moved up to 17th at the race’s conclusion. With the majority of the field all so close in their lap times, passing was extremely difficult and Toby earned every position the hard way.

ProLite Moto Two - Toby managed a better start this time and was running in about 20th at the end of the first lap. The young ex-junior Australian Champion quickly moved up to 17th position for a few laps before again moving forward into the top 15 and in the closing stages. Price then battled with Moto One winner Luke Burkhart for 11th place, Toby eventually passing the Kiwi Suzuki rider to close in on tenth placed Honda rider Troy Dorran in the dying laps. Dorran proved just too out of reach for the young Kawasaki star and Toby crossed the line in 11th place on the track, his best finish so far this year.

Quotes:
Toby Price: “I was really happy with the bike – it was trouble free again, and I am even happier with my Moto Two result. I really feel that I can run inside the top ten with a start. I swallowed a big clump of sand and nearly pulled out early on in that moto but it turned out to be my best finish so far this series.”

Ross McWatters: “Shane rode well in the first Moto and again showed us his skill and fitness on a tough track that gave a distinct advantage to the torquier four-strokes. Shane had no brake problems today so hopefully that is behind us. Toby impressed me in Moto Two, closing in on a top ten result and looking strong. Every one in the team is looking forward to the Newcastle round in three weeks.”