Close to 4500 motocross fans made the journey to Wanneroo Park in WA, on the weekend to watch our countries best riders take on round one of the Nokia MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship.

Presented by Welshpool based KTM, the day was dominated by riders familiar with the sandy surface of WA, giving local entries a home grown advantage.

Riding the KTM 250SXF for Belmont Tools KTM, Michael Addison from Lesmurdie (WA), battled in the Pro Lites class with Wollongong’s (NSW) Ryan Marmont from Motorex KTM, who last year was runner up in the Australian Motocross Championship.

Being based on the East Coast of Australia Marmont is more familiar with hard pack surfaces, yet spending two weeks testing the KTM250SXF on Perth’s sandy soil helped him challenge WA’s Pro Lite State Champion, Michael Addison.

Of the two Pro Lite motos Addison secured a first and fifth place finish, while Marmont secured a fourth and second place finish. Addison now leads the Pro Lites ahead of Marmont and fellow WA rider Dean Porter.

The final Championship points in the Pro Lites class saw Michael Addison of Belmont Tools KTM Racing in first on 41 points, Ryan Marmont of Motorex KTM Racing in second on 40 points and privateer Honda rider Dean Porter in third also on 40 points. Marmont was awarded second position over Porter as he finished the final moto ahead of him.

While the Pro Lites class saw an East vs West Coast battle, the Pro Open saw a New Zealand vs Australia challenge.

Twelve minutes into the first Pro Open moto, the race was red flagged and restarted, following a collision between Motorex KTM’s Timmy Weigand and privateer rider Barry Morris.

As the race restarted New Zealand riders Daryl Hurley from Suzuki and Cody Cooper from Honda dominated race proceedings with the one and two spots. Hot on their tails was Motorex KTM’s Daniel McCoy.

Riding the KTM 450SX, McCoy was the only Aussie up with the Kiwi domination, resulting in a third place position in moto one.

McCoy’s team mates Lee Ellis and Timmy Weigand weren’t so lucky in the opening bout with Ellis not finishing the race after a major get off, and Weigand experiencing mechanical challenges putting him towards the back of the pack.

In the final Pro Open moto the KTM boys were back with a vengeance to challenge the Kiwi supremacy. While the trio out rode Cody Cooper, they were unable to stop Daryl Hurley who took the chequered flag again. Yet following Hurley it was Motorex KTM second, third and fourth across the finish line with Ellis, Weigand and McCoy respectively.

While New Zealander Daryl Hurley and Suzuki took the overall for the day on 50 points, Australia was still up there with Motorex KTM’s Daniel McCoy’s combined results securing him second on 38 points, while another Kiwi, Shayne King of Kawasaki took third on 30 points.

QUOTES
Rob Twyerould – Motorex KTM Race Team Manager - “It was a great start for Motorex KTM to work towards our goal of conquering both the Pro Open and Pro Lites Championship,” said Twyerould.

“Training for two solid weeks on WA’s sandy surface really paid off for the team. Ryan Marmont put in a huge effort for the Pro Lites class. He went in to each moto with caution following his come back from shoulder surgery and rode a smart race to now only be one point behind the championship leader, Michael Addison. Motorex KTM couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season with Ryan.

“The Pro Open racing started off shaky when all Motorex KTM riders were caught in a pile up in first corner of moto one. Then twelve minutes into the race it was red flagged and restarted when Timmy Weigand and Barry Morris were involved in an altercation. Showing true sportsmanship, Weigand stayed with Morris concerned for his well being until Morris was escorted off the track. As Weigand’s concern for Morris was the only reason he didn’t finish the race, officials allowed him to join the restart.

“Overall the Pro Open racing saw McCoy and Ellis reveal their firing form to achieve results they have been striving for since joining Motorex KTM. They both rode with determination to win.

“The conditions were tough today but all team riders rode brilliantly and coming over early really paid off for us. Round two is at Gillman in South Australia next weekend and the track is also known to have sandy patches so the Motorex KTM team will remain training in WA over the next few days in preparation for that round.”

Lee Ellis – Motorex KTM Pro Open - “The first moto didn’t really go to plan because I wasn’t able to finish the race. I got an ok start but I crashed into Weigand who had come off in the second corner.

“I then remounted and made some passes on riders ahead of me, but I clipped the back wheel of one guy which threw me and the bike down hard. The bike was bent and I felt like my body was as well so I didn’t finish the race,” said Ellis.

“Thankfully in the second moto I made up for lost ground. Again my start was just ok - I got out in about twelfth position. Then one-by-one I started passing riders, the sandy surface was really working for me while others were struggling.

“Coming into the third and second last laps, I passed my team mates McCoy and Weigand to sit in second position. I knew chasing down Hurley would be a big ask of myself so I just rode fast and smart to maintain my position and make up for points lost in moto one.

“I’m stoked to be back on the podium for Motorex KTM and it’s hopefully where I can stay for the remainder of the championship.”

Timmy Weigand – Motorex KTM Pro Open - “When Barry Morris and I collided in moto one, we hit pretty hard and I couldn’t bring myself to continue the race until I knew he was ok. Thankfully officials allowed me to re-start when the race was red flagged but my restart didn’t go to plan,” said Weigand.

“Mechanical challenges pushed me back to about 15th in the restart but I’m still glad to have finished the race to come home with some points. It’s better than nothing.

“I enjoyed the second moto but the track to me was like a beach and that’s no exaggeration. I have raced on many sandy surfaces in WA like Manjimup and Southern Cross but they don’t even come close to comparing the sand at Wanneroo Park.”

Daniel McCoy – Motorex KTM Pro Open - “I had already been in two crashes before moto one was red flagged and restarted so my body was feeling the impact. I was down and out ten minutes into moto one walking back to the pits when my mechanic confirmed the race was re-starting, said McCoy.

“We had to rush back to the start gate and I was running late so I didn’t get a great pick of the gate. I had the middle of the track which isn’t ideal and although I was hurting I still pulled out fourth into the first corner.

“My pain started to ease as adrenaline kicked in while I was passing Craig Anderson for third. Once I got passed Anderson I was chasing down Cody Cooper slowly reeling him in, but then a lapped rider crashed in front of me and I hit him going down again. Thankfully my bike didn’t stall so I quickly got back up without loosing too much ground and finished third.

“In my second moto I got an average start in about sixth position but training on the sandy surfaces of Perth for two weeks paid off as I passed Cody Cooper and then Cheyne Boyd to move into fourth.

“Daniel Reardon then crashed in front of me so I was in third position which I maintained for most of the race, until my Motorex KTM team mate Lee Ellis took me over on the third last lap, so I was back in fourth which was enough points to seal second overall on the day. I’m now twelve points behind championship leader Daryl Hurley.”

Ryan Marmont – Motorex KTM Pro Lites - “I had a great day and feel all the more confident now that my shoulder is healing quickly,” said Marmont.

“I felt better racing today than I did at the round two of the Supercross Championship last weekend, the sandy surfaces must have had less impact and coming over to Perth two weeks early to train really helped with my preparation.

“In my first moto I had an average start in around eighth position which wasn’t what I was wanting. I pushed hard and worked my way up to fifth and stayed with the front group for most of the race. I eventually got into third and with two laps to go, local guy Michael Addison got passed me so I finished in fourth.

“I got a better start in my final moto and was second behind Troy Dorron. I then passed Dorron and took the lead but again Michael Addison’s local knowledge of the sandy surfaces paid him justice as he passed me for the lead.

“Another local WA rider, Dean Porter then started chasing me down for second and we were wheel on wheel for about five laps but he crashed so I went on to finish the race in second and the overall Pro Lites Class in second, only one Championship point behind Michael Addison.

“It was a great day of racing for me and my family as my older brother Jay secured his best results to date in the East Coast American Supercross in Houston Texas over the weekend as well. Jay competed in round seven and got 4th in the Pro Lites class after coming down at the start gate and having to work his way through the entire field.”

Jeff Leisk – KTM Australia, General Manager - “It’s great to finally have Australian Championship events taking place in WA,” said Leisk.

“KTM Australia’s head quarters are based in Welshpool and we have been travelling to the East Coast for over 25 years competing in Australian Championship events because WA hasn’t had a look in.

“WA is renowned to be a dominating motorcycle market where fans flock to events. 4500 fans is one of the best crowds the Australian Motocross Championship has seen in years. The riders, motorcycle clubs and fans combined are all enthusiastic to see championships of this calibre return to WA and KTM will always support home town events.

“The sandy tracks of WA should definitely be a part of the surface mix in Australian Championship racing. A true champion should be able to win on all surfaces but everyone has an advantage on their home turf. If the local KTM riders were not going to win today they wouldn’t be able to win anywhere else. The sand was tough but it is also just an obstacle of racing.”