Motorex KTM and Ryan Marmont have taken the lead of the Pro Lite class in the Nokia MX Nationals, following a strong performance at round two of the Australian Championship held at Gillman in South Australia on the weekend.

Riding the KTM250SXF in two thirty minute motos, Marmont’s combined results saw him finish fourth on the day, only missing out on the podium by one point.

In his first moto Marmont scored the hole shot and led for the first few laps, until a personal challenge with bike fitness started to impact on his endurance. Having only been back on the bike for one month following shoulder surgery, Marmont wasn’t able to push to his usual peak in fitness.

In his second moto, Marmont secured a strong start behind Mitchell Hoad of Kawasaki, dropping back to fourth in the first few laps. Towards the final laps Marmont was dicing with Michael Phillips of Teknik Racing, who ended up taking fourth ahead of Marmont who crossed the line in fifth.

Combining moto results on the day the overall winner was Cameron Taylor of Serco Yamaha, followed by Cody Mackie of Pro Kawasaki in second, Troy Dorron of No Fear Honda in third and Ryan Marmont of Motorex KTM in fourth.

Marmont’s consistent results were enough to take Motorex KTM to the top of the Pro Lite Championship on 74 points, with Troy Dorron in second on 66 points and Cameron Taylor in third on 59 points.

In the Pro Open class, Motorex KTM riders Timmy Weigand and Daniel McCoy remained in the top ten for the overall Championship, while Lee Ellis slipped back in the field. It was a race meet that both riders and mechanics found challenging.

Riding the KTM450SX on the softer sand in WA for the past three weeks helped the team prepare for round one at Wanneroo Park, where they all finished strongly, yet testing and practicing on the sand proved not to be ideal leading up to the first of the hard packed tracks at Gillman in SA.

With a lot of lessons learnt the team will now regroup and work on preparing for the combined sand and hard packed surface of Wonthaggi in Victoria, which will host the third round of the Australian Motocross Championship on Sunday, 30 April.

QUOTES
Rob Twyerould – Motorex KTM Race Team Manager - “The shining light for us today was Ryan Marmont taking the lead of the Pro Lites Championship, said Twyerould.

“Ryan was runner up last year and is determined to secure the number one plate this year. His bike fitness isn’t at its optimum level just yet following his shoulder surgery, and although it wasn’t too painful for him to ride, we still had to ice it between races.

“In the Pro Open Championship, we learnt some valuable lessons and although our riders were not thrilled with their overall results, we still remain in the top ten with Timmy Weigand and Daniel McCoy.

“Weigand has shown a mixture of results to date but has beaten the front runners in other races so once his combination of bike testing and track conditioning come together we feel confident he will be up there.

“We can only get better from here, and we all share the same goal - to lead the Championship so team confidence should get us there.”

Ryan Marmont – Motorex KTM Pro Lites - “It’s awesome to be leading the Championship, said Marmont.

“I was runner up last year and this year I hope to be number one. My bike fitness isn’t back to normal just yet so I did struggle to hold a lead throughout each 30 minute moto.

“It was my first time back on a hard pack track since my shoulder surgery so I’m pretty happy with how I went considering the time I have been off the bike.

“I’m going to America for two weeks now to spend time with my brother Jay (two-time Australian Supercross Champion). I’ll be practicing on KTM250SXF on the American test tracks with Jay, since he has no racing over the next two weeks.

“I always come back faster after practicing with Jay in the States because they’re so much quicker over there and you pace yourself against the best riders in the world.”

Lee Ellis – Motorex KTM Pro Open - “Race one I got an average start, I was in about 12th and I was catching up but I came up on some lappers and dropped the bike in a corner, I got going again but lost a few positions and my rhythm before I finished in 13th, said Ellis.

“Race two I got a good start but the track was wet on the first few laps and I rode too cautious so a lot of people passed me. I was running about 10th and then I must have hit something sharp on the track because I got a flat tyre. I rode the whole second half of the race with a flat tyre and didn’t finish well.

“I could have pulled in to change my tyre but I didn’t know that until I finished. As it was I don’t know that I would have made up much ground whether I pulled in or not.

“There are eight more rounds to go so I will stay positive and try and improve at the next event in Wonthaggi.”

Timmy Weigand – Motorex KTM Pro Open - “I’m still finding my rhythm and comfort zone with bike testing and the varied track surfaces," said Weigand.

“My fitness is up there so once I master the other two components being my bike and the tracks I should be up there winning.

“I was challenged with the muddy sections and then I had some mechanical mishaps in my second moto, so it all didn’t come together for me today.

“I’m heading back to California this week where I will continue to master the performance level of the KTM450SX in hope for some better results at round three in Wonthaggi.”

Daniel McCoy – Motorex KTM Pro Open - “Some days you’re on it and others you’re not, and today just wasn’t my day," said McCoy.

“Testing on the sand in WA didn’t do me any justice coming into a hard packed surface in SA. I didn’t get the best of starts in either of my motos and both races seemed to go by very quickly. By the time I felt I was making any ground it was all over.

“I had an awesome opener in WA so to come through at the back of the pack at round two is disappointing. I can only put it behind me and work towards better results next time.

“I’m riding in the WA State race next weekend and then the KTM Natural Terrain series so I will be back in Perth for another three weeks. There are some hard pack tracks in WA where I’m going to test after the KTM Natural Terrain race so I should be better prepared for the mixed circuit that is ahead in Wonthaggi.”