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2005 Australian Motocross
Championship - Round Six - Penguin (Tasmania) - KTM Report June 12th, 2005 |
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2005 Australian Motocross
Championship - Round Six - Penguin (Tasmania) - KTM Report June 12th, 2005 |
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| Dark clouds loomed over
Blackwood Park Motocross Track in Penguin, as round six of the
Maxxis Tyres Australian Motocross Championship took to Tasmania,
on Sunday 12 June. Over 75mm of rain had fallen prior to the
event, moulding the track into a deep rutted motocross
playground. Motorex KTM Racing Team attended the round with only two of its members Lee Ellis in the Pro Open and Ryan Marmont in the Pro Lites, as Daniel McCoy took time out following knee surgery, after suffering a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament and torn medial ligament. With McCoy now out for the season, Ryan Marmont is holding down the fort for Motorex KTM in the Pro Lites. Demonstrating his competitive qualities, Marmont moved back into second place for the championship, after many other factory team riders were punished by the demanding Penguin track. As the gate dropped in moto one, Marmont roosted the field with his KTM250SXF to take the hole shot, working towards a five second lead over the rest of the pack. At the fifteen minute mark, Marmont was challenged for the lead by Yamaha riders Troy Carroll and Cameron Taylor, who found their rhythm whilst many other riders were forced off the track by the challenging terrain. As the chequered flag dropped in moto one, it was Carroll first, Taylor second and Marmont third. With many riders now out with injury, Marmont took to his second moto cautiously to ensure maximum championship points. Coming out of the start gate in third position for moto two, Marmont rode a smooth and consistent race, unchallenged for his third placed position until the final five minutes of his moto. While Honda rider Danny Anderson lead the race, with Yamaha’s Cameron Taylor in second, Marmont found his third place status up for a challenge when Suzuki rider Luke Burkhart found his second wind to battle with Marmont for the final podium position. Not about to give up crucial championship points, Marmont pushed his limits to come up ahead of Burkhart for third. Combining both motos in the Pro Lites, Cameron Taylor from Yamaha took 1st, while Danny Anderson from Honda placed 2nd and Ryan Marmont from Motorex KTM placed 3rd. Marmont secured enough points to move back into second overall for the Pro Lites Championship, and with two rounds remaining he still has a chance at the title. The championship tally for the Pro Lites sees Taylor on 231, Marmont on 192 and Burkhart on 175. In the premier Pro Open class, Motorex KTM pilot Lee Ellis continued his battle with the Kiwi dominance of the King brother’s and Darly Hurley, in conditions he was not quite in tune with. Moto one saw Ellis get off to a 12th place start, a position he soon halved, as he worked his way up to 6th before crossing the finish line. The top three in moto one saw Suzuki rider Daryl Hurley 1st, Honda rider Craig Anderson in 2nd and Honda rider Shane King in 3rd. Ellis finished 6th. In moto two Ellis got off to a much better start and was in 4th place by the third corner. Ellis powered his KTM450SX up with the race leaders, well over fifteen minutes into the moto but their experience eventually got the better of him. Ellis battled with Darryll King at mid race for third but when King pulled away Ellis focused on staying upright whilst trying to avoid lapped riders in the deep ruts to finish in 4th. Suzuki front runner Daryl Hurley suffered mechanical problems pulling him out of moto two, leaving the top three spots to Shane King in 1st, Darryll King in 2nd and Craig Anderson in 3rd. The combined Pro Open results for the round saw Darryll King take the lead on 260 points, with Daryl Hurley in second on 258 points and Shane King on 236 points. Motorex KTM rider, Lee Ellis moved into 8th position on 122 points. Motorex KTM riders now have a two week break as the penultimate round of the Maxxis Australian Motocross Championship heads to Adelaide’s Gilman Motocross Track on Sunday June 26. QUOTES: Rob Twyerould – Race Team Manager “We’re really looking forward to the final two rounds, obviously with Ryan there is still the possibility to take out the championship, and today put him in a good position to do that. “Today’s conditions were very tough. The team have gone from riding the dry sands of Manjimup in WA last weekend, to heavy wet clay this weekend. “Ryan rode very smart to maintain championship points, while a lot of other riders got hurt. Robbie Marshall, Daniel Reardon and Troy Dorron were all challenged by injury on the Penguin track, but Ryan came away injury free. “Lee Ellis was a little challenged by the track which presented conditions he hasn’t yet mastered, but it is all about experience, learning and confidence. I truly believe he will get a podium before the motocross championship is out. “Over the next few weeks the team will also start training for the Australian Supercross Championship where Lee will start testing the KTM250SX two stroke and Ryan will debut the KTM 250SXF on the Supercross circuit. “It’s a shame to have McCoy out of the championship but he is only young and Motorex KTM wants to see him battle on to win many championships. We’re backing him 100 percent to take time out for surgery and hope to see him return for the final round of the Australian Supercross Championship in October. Ryan Marmont – Pro Lites “I rode consistently today and I’m happy with two third places which has moved me back into a good position for the championship. “Unfortunately, Robbie Marshall who was holding down second hurt himself, leaving me in a comfortable position to take second. It’s not the way I like to gain championship points but that’s just racing and it’s happened to me many times. “With two weeks of training leading up to the Gilman round, I have plenty of time to work on my fitness and speed to hopefully challenge Cameron Taylor for the outright championship.” Lee Ellis – Pro Open “The track took a lot of getting used to for me today, as I’m not familiar with such rutted conditions, which caused me to make a few mistakes. “Lappers proved to be a challenge to pass especially when the only option was to choose which deep rut was the safest to make a move. “I lost my pace a little when the front runners got away from me in both motos, so I decided to ride smartly and take some experience of the terrain away with me. “I’m more used to sandy surfaces and this track was very rutted and very difficult, so I struggled but thankfully didn’t crash. My wrist also held up really well so I’m pleased that is finally getting back to normal. |
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