The fifth round of the Nokia Motocross Nationals saw Yamaha’s factory race teams ride a rollercoaster of mixed results, a podium to Cameron Taylor the highlight for pro lites team Serco Yamaha while a broken collarbone for Matt Moss saw a disappointing end to CDR/Nokia/Yamaha’s day.

Yamaha stalwart Darryll King consistently chipped away at his championship campaign while Robbie Marshall and Cheyne Boyd both recorded solid results with Marshall moving into the Pro Lite championship top 10.

After the shock announcement on the eve of the fifth round of the Nokia Motocross Nationals that Troy Carroll’s return to racing would to be cut short, the Geelong based CDR/Nokia/Yamaha factory pro open team found themselves reduced to a three-rider squad for their home track onslaught.

All three CDR/Nokia/Yamaha riders qualified well inside the top ten and lined up for the opening moto in search of consistent results and maximum points.

Multi-time champion Darryll King got a sensational start, just missing out on the coveted holeshot. Team mates Moss and Boyd also got away well but it was to be short lived with all three riders departing their YZ450Fs in separate incidents.

While it was only a small off for Moss it was a case of déjà vu for Cheyne Boyd when he collided with a crossed up Timmy Weigand on the second lap of the race. Despite being left a little dizzy Boyd rejoined the race and passed an incredible 26 riders to finish ninth, Moss rode solidly to finish sixth.

A late race scare for King saw him collide with a lapped rider but his extensive gap to fifth place enabled him to rejoin the race without losing fourth place, a position he maintained until the chequered flag.

After a bad start to the second race King found himself forced to play catch up and had a few nervous moments riding on the edge before showing the style that has won him multiple championships by passing both brother Shayne and team mate Cheyne Boyd on the closing laps to finish fifth.

Boyd got a good start but while still nursing an injured thumb was forced to ride a little conservatively throughout the second race to finish in sixth place.

Moss’s race came to a premature halt when he hit a blind hole on the start finish line causing the bike to swap ends and drive the seventeen year old from Nowra into the ground with sickening force. Medical crews were quickly on the scene and Moss was taken to Geelong Hospital with a broken collarbone which will see him sidelined for the remainder of the Nokia Motocross Nationals.

Finishing fourth overall for the round behind Craig Anderson, Daryl Hurley and Daniel Reardon, CDR/Nokia/Yamaha’s Darryll King retains fifth in the championship and is now only two points off fourth placed Cody Cooper.

“While I didn’t have the ideal start to the season we are now chipping away and being as consistent as possible and it seems to be working,” King said.

“I am only two points off fourth place and fourteen points off third place in the championship so I really do need to ride error free races now.

“We head to Newcastle next weekend I want to keep the momentum going and wait for one of the guys in front to slip up,” King added.

After injuring his thumb at a lead up event Cheyne Boyd was only cleared to ride just prior to the event.

“While I had to be a mindful of my thumb Dacka has coached me to be a lot more aggressive in my riding style and it seems to be working,” Boyd said.

“I was really happy to get two good races in today and I feel like I am on the right track now.”

Riding a rollercoaster of emotions seeing his squad of riders halved before his eyes in less than 72 hours Team Principal Craig Dack vowed to bounce back from this latest setback.

“Regardless of how much experience you have or how many years you have been in racing, a disappointing season like this is still very hard to accept,” Dack said.

“Besides my own obvious disappointment I feel very much for my staff who have all put in endless hours make the team what it is.

“Having said that CDR/Nokia/Yamaha will be back on the podium before you know, you can count on it! Dack proclaimed.

SERCO YAMAHA FACTORY PRO LITE MOTOCROSS TEAM REPORT

As the 2006 Nokia Motocross Nationals reaches the halfway mark in the series Yamaha Racing’s pro lites operation Serco Yamaha continue to enjoy a strong run of momentum with Cameron Taylor and Robbie Marshall celebrating top five round results at Geelong’s Barrabool track today.

After a solid fourth placing at the previous round of the series, reigning champion Cameron Taylor, still struggling with tendon damage to his knee had one aim today, to consolidate points and maintain his top three championship position.

The Victorian rider got off to a great start securing the top qualifying spot while his team mates Robbie Marshall, Jake Moss and guest rider Damien King were left with room for improvement as they lined up for the first of two thirty minute moto's.

While still a little hesitant with his knee after the incident at Conondale, Taylor made his best start of the year despite missing a gear off the start. Taylor soon became embroiled in a tough battle for fourth place with Troy Dorron which resulted in the two riders coming together. The Serco rider became momentarily dismounted before catching the front runners and finishing third.

Robbie Marshall also enjoyed his best start for the year but it was disaster for Jake Moss who stalled his bike on the start gate only to rejoin the race 15 seconds behind the pack. While Marshall rode conservatively to finish fifth Moss was faultless as he meticulously climbed an astonishing 26 places to finish 13th.

After struggling through qualifying it took Damien King over half the race to get comfortable with his YZ250F and his selection of racing lines. The New Zealander kept his head down and held on to finish 18th.

Taylor was quick off the start in the second race and sat comfortably in third before making his move into second on the sixth lap of the race where he held station for the remainder of the race.

While Marshall rode another conservative and incident free moto to finish sixth both Moss and King had races they would rather forget with Moss unable to get find his rhythm, crashing three times before finishing 19th and King crossing the line in 28th.

A jubilant Taylor enjoyed his first podium since Wonthaggi, finishing third overall for the round behind Troy Dorron and Mitchell Hoad

“The bike felt great today, if anything I was still a little hesitant with my knee after the incident at Conondale,” Taylor said.

“It was a fantastic weekend of racing, there were so many competitive guys up the front and I really enjoyed the battles I was involved in.

“I had to ride smart in the second moto as after my bout of gastro this week I had absolutely nothing left by midway through the race,” Taylor concluded.

Robbie Marshall secured his best points haul for the year finishing fifth overall for the round and adding 31 points to his championship tally.

“I feel like I finally got the monkey off my back today,” Marshall said. “I did ride a bit conservatively but it was more important than anything to finish without incident.

“The bike was sensational and I am happy to be finally moving forward.

“ I feel like I can finally see light at the end of the tunnel,” Marshall explained.

After finishing 17th for the round Jake Moss slips back to 6th in the championship.

“It was a really disappointing round for me” Moss said.

“After stalling the bike in the first race I rode really well to get back to 13th but race two I just seemed to fall apart.

“As disgusted as I was with race two I still got two points but I will have my work cut out for me at Newcastle next weekend,” Moss commented.

Damien King was left wondering what he did wrong and said he felt totally unprepared for the skill and fitness of the Australian Pro Lites category.

“I was absolutely blown away by the speed of some of the Australian pro lites riders,” King said. “The series has stepped up three fold since I competed against the riders at Oceania last year.

There will be no rest for the Yamaha factory teams who head straight to Newcastle this week for the sixth round of the Nokia MX Nationals on Sunday 28th May.

Pro Open
1. Craig Anderson
2. Daryl Hurley
3. Dan Reardon
4. Darryll King
5. Cody Cooper
6. Shayne King
7. Cheyne Boyd
8. Daniel McCoy
9. Craig Carmichael
10. Timmy Weigand
14. Matt Moss

Pro Lites
1. Troy Dorron
2. Mitch Hoad
3. Cameron Taylor
4. Ryan Marmont
5. Robbie Marshall
6. Kade Mosig
7. Nick Saunders
8. Michael Phillips
9. Lewis Stewart
10. Danny Anderson
17. Jake Moss

Pro Open
1. Daryl Hurley, 221 points
2. Craig Anderson, 211 points
3. Dan Reardon, 172 points
4. Cody Cooper, 160 points
5. Darryll King, 158 points
6. Shayne King, 152 points
7. Cheyne Boyd, 130 points
8. Craig Carmichael, 114 points
9. Timmy Weigand, 104 points
10. Peter Boyle, 101 points
11. Matt Moss, 94 points
NC. Troy Carroll, 0 points

Pro Lites
1. Ryan Marmont, 204 points
2. Troy Dorron, 195 points
3. Cameron Taylor, 178 points
4. Mitch Hoad, 147 points
5. Kade Mosig, 135 points
6. Jake Moss, 117 points
7. Michael Phillips, 105 points
8. Shane Metcalfe, 101 points
9. Michael Addison, 95 points
10. Robbie Marshall, 94 points