 |
2005 Australian Motocross
Championship - Round Five - Newcastle - Kawasaki Report May 22nd, 2005 - By, Mark Barnett |
 |
|
|
2005 Australian Motocross
Championship - Round Five - Newcastle - Kawasaki Report May 22nd, 2005 - By, Mark Barnett |
|
| The Kawasaki Racing Team were
looking forward to the fast Barleigh Ranch track at Raymond
Terrace, particularly as the team’s Pro Lites pilot, Toby Price,
is regarded as a “local” by the patriotic Newcastle crowds. Pro Open Qualifying Shane took to the track and looked comfortable, quickly settling in and posting constant lap times in the 1 minute 36 to 1 minute 37 second mark. Shane's fastest lap came mid-way in the session, his 1:36:703 being good enough for 11th fastest. Pro Open Moto One In moto one Shane got a good jump off the line but was forced back towards mid-pack. Within the first few corners he had settled into 14th position and made forward progress, moving up to 11th at the 20min mark. Shane was able to advance further to 9th position, this came despite the presence of yellow flags being waved on the back part of the circuit for the final few laps. The race was actually red-flagged and stopped with three laps to go to give the Ambulance crews access to a fallen rider, this prematurely ended any chance of Shane advancing further into the top ten. He crossed the line in ninth, just metres off eighth-placed privateer Nick Saunders’ rear wheel. Pro Open Moto Two Moto two's start was not good for Shane, with the KX250R's front wheel coming up causing him to back off a little to keep control as he raced down the straight towards the first turn. Shane was then faced with the challenge of moving forwards from 30th position at the end of the first lap. With the track’s personality changing as the days racing developed, ruts, rocks and plenty of bumps gradually replaced the well-groomed sandy track that everyone raced on earlier in the day. Several rider retirements helped move Shane up into the points paying end of the field just after the 20 minute mark. In the final 10 minutes, Shane's fitness and determination helped push him past a further couple of riders to come home 18th by the fall of the chequered flag. With the 12 points from his first moto finish added to the two for his 18th in moto two, Shane took 17th overall on the day and moved up two spots in the championship to 14th. Youngster Toby Price had a busy weekend at an event that should be considered his home town race. The popular teenager made a guest appearance at Kawasaki Newcastle’s dealership promotion the day before the event and was kept well occupied signing posters throughout the day in-between races on Sunday. Pro Lite Qualifying Toby seemed to enjoy to the track and quickly reeled off a respectable time of 1:36.11 seconds on his sixth lap, placing him 12th fastest at the end of the session. With little more than one and a half seconds covering the top 12 riders, the day’s racing was sure to be closer than ever in the Pro Lites. Pro Lite Moto One Toby rounded the first turn at the rear of the field and finished the first lap in 27th place, working his way into the points by half distance. Toby then moved up another five positions to finish a hard fought 15th at the race’s conclusion. With the majority of the field all so close in their lap times, passing was again very difficult, Toby earned every position the hard way. Pro Lite Moto Two Toby managed a better run to the first corner but his hopes of a top 10 start were dashed when he was brought down along with several other rides, including many of the first moto's front runners. Rounding the first lap in 34th, Toby had a major job ahead of him to fight his way through and into the points. By the halfway mark, Toby had advanced to 15th and managed to keep ahead of most of the group of front runners also involved in the first turn incident, indeed he made up a couple of extra places. With just five minutes remaining in the race, Toby found himself tiring and suffering from a bit of arm-pump on the bumpy track. Heartbreakingly for the Singleton based rider, he lost two positions in the dying stages of the race to moto one winner, Luke Burkhart and Mildura privateer Warren Smart, dropping him back to 15th. Toby collected a total of 11 points from his 16th and 15th places on the day and holds down 20th position in the championship. Quotes Shane Metcalfe: “I was happy with my first race result, coming from mid-pack to finish in 9th place. In the final race luck didn’t come my way; I was caught in the first turn pile up then was taken down on lap three. It was a real struggle from then on trying to catch the riders ahead. “I am looking forward to the next two rounds of the championship as I have had success (at those tracks) in the past.” Toby Price: "I was really happy with the bike and apart from fading a few seconds a lap at the end of the second moto, I was happy with my pace. I am just not getting through the first corner where I need to be to run up front. Seems like either I get off the line too slowly, or I get blocked out in the first corner each race… it's frustrating.” Ross McWatters “Shane rode consistently in the first moto. Without a decent start it is really hard for him to claw his way back into the top ten, and getting to eight or ninth is all he can manage at his current pace. His second moto was disappointing, his start was terrible and he never really got up to the speed he had in the opening race, 17th place is well outside what Shane and the bike is capable of. “Toby is finding it hard to get off the line and given that most of the ProLite riders are 10kg lighter than he is, the start is his biggest hurdle. His lap times are consistent and reasonably close to the pace of the fast guys. Coming from behind he is doing it tough and using up a lot of energy, making it so much harder for him. He is putting in the ground work and I guess he is paying his dues and earning every point the hard way right now. “We’re looking forward to the next rounds and with some luck we’re sure to improve in both classes.” The Kawasaki Racing Team will next be in action at Round Two of the Australian Motocross Championship at Penguin in Tasmania on June 12th. See you there. |
|
|
Search the site - Late Braking News - Forum Bike Tests - Features - Wallpaper - Race Calendar
MCNEWS.COM.AU
|
|
