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2005 Australian Motocross
Championship - Round Five - Newcastle - KTM Report May 22nd, 2005 |
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2005 Australian Motocross
Championship - Round Five - Newcastle - KTM Report May 22nd, 2005 |
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| Motorex KTM Racing Team’s Pro
Open rider Lee Ellis, made his mark on the Australian Motocross
Championship under sunny skies at Raymond Terrace on the
weekend, to claim his first podium finish since joining the
team. Ellis secured third in moto two behind the dominating forces of Daryl Hurley from Suzuki and Darryll King from Yamaha. It proved to be a good decision for Motorex KTM to pull Ellis out of the previous round at Coolum, to allow his injured wrist time to recover. But all didn’t go to plan for Ellis as the day unfolded. In practice Ellis showed great determination and speed to secure the second fastest lap time and a good pick of the gate for his first moto. Pumped with enthusiasm at the start gate, Ellis was mortified when his 450 endured electrical problems as the 30 second board was dropped. With a quick pit stop and some mechanical support from Johnny D, he was back out on the race track but only to warm up for moto two, as the race was already fifteen minutes gone. Come moto two, Ellis was all the more determined to make up for lost ground. Undeterred by the very dusty and hard packed track, Ellis got off to a good start, chasing Kiwi riders Daryl Hurley and Darryll King. While Hurley motored ahead, Ellis battled with Darryll King and Danny Ham for second and third. When King eventually made his move, it was a duel between Ham and Ellis for the podium. Swapping positions several times during the race, it was Ellis who came up trumps, passing Ham on an up hill climb and not looking back to take third on the podium. With Ellis not finishing the first Pro Open moto, the top three runnings for the day saw Daryl Hurley take the overall win, with Darryll King in second and Danny Ham in third. In the Pro Lites Class it was a day Motorex KTM’s 250F riders Ryan Marmont and Daniel McCoy would rather forget. Slightly jetlagged after returning from a training trip in the USA with Jay Marmont on the Thursday before the race, both riders didn’t endure one of their best meetings. In moto one, Marmont crashed heavily on an up hill climb into his second lap, hitting his head on his handle bars. The crash left him challenged to get back his rhythm and he found himself almost a lap down once he got going again. Marmont decided to pull out of moto one and regain his composure for his second race. McCoy’s start in moto one saw him battle for the lead with Danny Anderson from Honda, yet mid race Anderson suffered mechanical problems, leaving McCoy with a straight run home for the lead. Mayhem struck in the last five minutes of the moto for McCoy when he crashed out to not finish the race. With both Pro Lite riders battling injury and fatigue they still managed to make the second moto. A surprising start in moto two came from WA rider, Michael Addison of KTM Belmont Tools Racing Team, who scored the hole shot on his 125 SX and led for the first six laps. It was a mighty effort for Addison, but the pace of the usual front runners ended up taking their toll on his lead. Marmont moved into the top five within the first fifteen minutes of the thirty minute race, but an error in judgement caused him to crash again. Quickly getting back onto the bike, Marmont managed to cross the finish line in 9th place, gaining enough points to maintain a top three position in the Pro Lites Championship. Unfortunately, McCoy had an issue with his riding equipment in his second moto that was out of his control and for safety reasons he had to pull out of the race. The Pro Lite Championship now sees Cameron Taylor maintain his lead on 187 points, with Robbie Marshall moving into second on 159 points and Ryan Marmont in third on 152 points. Although Marmont and McCoy have slipped back in points there is still a chance both riders can secure the championship for Motorex KTM Racing Team. Fifty points are up for grabs per round and with three rounds remaining the Pro Lites Championship is not yet decided! Round six of the Championship sees the Motorex KTM Racing Team heading to Penguin, Tasmania on Sunday 12 June, 2005. QUOTES: Rob Twyerould – Race Team Manager “Racing is a tough game you always have ups and downs. It was a disappointing day for everyone in the Pro Lites but we’re very pleased for Lee to make his mark on the podium in the Pro Open,” said Rob. “Everything that went wrong was out of our control. Daniel McCoy showed incredible speed and was clearly the fastest rider out there in both motos. Unfortunately he had a safety issue with his riding equipment in his second moto that again was out of his control. “For Ryan, it would have been very hard to continue racing after hitting his head on his handle bars and it was a great effort to continue to ride in moto two with that injury. “We won’t be doing anything different in the Pro Lites for the next race meeting, we can just hope for smoother sailing on the day. “We couldn’t be happier for Lee Ellis who is improving on his performance whilst still nursing an injured wrist. It was very unfortunate to have an electrical problem in moto one, but Lee showed in qualifying that he is going to be the next guy who steps up to the Kiwi dominance of Hurley and King, which does the world of good for his confidence”. Lee Ellis – Pro Open “I was disappointed with moto one but absolutely stoked to finally get a podium in my second moto, it’s just what I needed,” said Ellis. “It’s a really positive feeling to finally get a good result and it pumps me up for the next round. I wasn’t able to practice much leading up to this race so you could almost say I’ve had six weeks off the bike. “The lack of training slowed down my pace a little and I felt I ran out of steam in my final moto, which makes it even more rewarding to take the podium. “I’m definitely looking for another podium at the next round”. Ryan Marmont – Pro Lites “I got off to a good start to qualify in 8th position but all didn’t go to plan in both of my motos,” said Marmont. “The impact of the handle bars hitting my cheek bone on the second lap of moto one really shook me up. I was left dazed for a while and it took sometime for me to regain focus and get moving again. I felt it was best to pull out of moto one and concentrate on my next race. “I was pleased with my consistency in moto two and was pretty happy with maintaining fifth place, but I misjudged a landing on the track which caused me to crash out and move back in the pack. I managed to finish 9th and most importantly stay within the top three for the championship. “I still feel confident that I can take out this championship, so I’m hoping for better rhythm at the next round.” Daniel McCoy – Pro Lites “I’m really disappointed with the whole race meeting and it is one I’d rather put behind me,” said McCoy. “I’m pleased to have such support and encouragement from my race team, who kept telling me that I was the fastest out there and I should be happy with my performance, but when things go wrong that are out of your control it can get very frustrating. “I just need to think about the next round now and be positive so I don’t get too down on myself. “We have three weeks until round six and I will be riding in a few other state events with KTM leading up to that, so I’ll just focus on maintaining my fitness to hopefully come in strong for the next championship event.” |
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