A consistent riding style once again paid off for Wollongong flyer, Ryan Marmont as he took Motorex KTM to the podium at round three of the Nokia MX Nationals, held at Wonthaggi in Victoria on the weekend.

Riding the KTM250SXF Marmont secured a second and third place podium at the Australian Championship event, resulting in a second overall placing for the day, and a 12 point lead over his nearest rival, Troy Dorron of No Fear Honda.

In his first 30 minute moto Marmont was second around the first corner and off to a great start. After dropping back to fifth place mid race, Marmont started to make his moves on the front runners. With Mitch Hoad of Kawasaki holding a healthy lead, Marmont diced with Troy Dorron of Honda for second.

With rain and sand roosting his face, Marmont’s vision was some what challenged. Unintentionally pulling all his tear-offs in one go, Marmont had to take off his goggles all together just to see where he was going.

Still dicing with Dorron, Marmont waited until the last lap to make his move and come home with second for moto one.

Moto two saw Marmont off to a great start as he took the hole shot into the first corner. Mitch Hoad worked his way past Marmont come the second corner and the battle was once again between Marmont and Dorron for second and third, this time with Serco Yamaha’s Cameron Taylor thrown in the mix. The three diced the entire race with Hoad coming home first, Taylor second and Marmont third.

The Pro Lite Championship standings now sit with Motorex KTM and Ryan Marmont in first on 116 points, Troy Dorron of No Fear Honda in second on 104 and Cameron Taylor of Serco Yamaha in third on 97 points.

While Marmont and Motorex KTM enjoy their lead in the Pro Lites Championship the team are still trying to make the podium in the Open class.

Team riders Timmy Weigand and Daniel McCoy were challenged on the Wonthaggi circuit, with Weigand still trying to find his comfort zone on the KTM450SX, and McCoy enduring mechanical challenges.

The team will regroup for training and testing this week in hope of ironing out all challenges before the next round of the Nokia MX Nationals, this Sunday, May 7 at Connondale in Queensland.

QUOTES
Rob Twyerould – Motorex KTM Race Team Manager
“Our Pro Lites results are very positive with Ryan riding consistent and strong, said Twyerould.

“We have seven rounds to go so he still has to stay strong to maintain his lead but he is holding an average 40 points every round and he is sitting on the podium every week, so things are looking very promising for Ryan.

“More than anything Ryan wants to win a round and he is proving that isn’t too far away.

“For the Pro Open the whole team needs to pull together to start making some ground.

“A combination of mechanical challenges and riders finding their rhythm have been most of the problems, all of which we hope to sort out by next weekend”.

Lee Ellis – Motorex KTM Pro Open
Missed the round recovering from injury.

Timmy Weigand – Motorex KTM Pro Open
“I practiced on the KTM450SX back home in California but I’m still finding my rhythm with the bike, said Weigand.

“In my first moto I fell off in the first corner and was right at the back of the 40 rider line up. I managed to work my way through to 14th by the end of the race but I was still disappointed to be outside the top ten.

“In the second moto I got a much better start and remained in the top five for most of the race, until I had another fall and dropped back to tenth. I was able to work my way back up to seventh which helped me maintain enough points to stay in the top ten for the Pro Open Championship.

“I’m training and testing with McCoy out at Appin this week and together with our mechanics we hope to improve on technique and bike challenges to start breaking some ground in the Aussie Championship.”

Daniel McCoy – Motorex KTM Pro Open
“I was feeling very confident after winning at the KTM Natural Terrain Motocross Series last weekend in Perth. My KTM450SX was running smoothly, I had great rhythm and everything ran like a dream so I’m very disappointed that everything didn’t come together for me in the Australian Championship when it really counts, said McCoy.

“I got a good start in the first moto and was riding strong until mechanical challenges pushed me back in the field and then more mechanical challenges struck again in my second moto, so I was pretty much out of the game.

“I know I’m capable of great results so hopefully together my mechanic and I can work out a better bike set up to get me there.”

Ryan Marmont – Motorex KTM Pro Lites
“I’m really happy with my results today, I haven’t been on the podium in two motos for quite some time, said Marmont.

“I’ve really been concentrating solely on motocross riding instead of mixing it up with Supercross and it’s paying off for me.

“I felt I was behind after my shoulder surgery so I knew I had a lot of work to put in to get back to my usual fitness level.

“I spent the last two weeks training on the KTM250SXF with my brother Jay (two time Australian Supercross Champion), which always pays off for me.

“Jay rang me a couple of times between each of my motos on the weekend, giving me advice on how to mentally approach myself for each race. His support is incredible and it really helps me on the race track.

“I’m feeling confident to hold onto the lead but with seven rounds to go, I still have a way to go.”