Team Shift Motul Suzuki's Luke Burkhart established himself as a major championship contender when the Australian Supercross Masters series kicked off at Wayville Showground, Adelaide (SA) this weekend.

Running an outdoor, 20-rider, three-moto format for the Adelaide round of the Supercross Masters, the event featured an exceptionally competitive field of riders and delivered mixed results for many of the key players in the series.

Piloting the four-stroke Suzuki RM-Z450 for the first time in the Australian Supercross Championship, Burkhart displayed scintillating form in the 2006 season opener to finish second the in the night's final moto, placing fifth overall.

"I just can't say enough about the RM-Z450. it's the best bike I've ever ridden, I love it!" Luke Burkhart said.

"This track really favoured the 450 here tonight and I definitely had an advantage over the two-stroke machines."

"Last year when I was a rookie, I put the main series leaders on a pedestal, but now I've raced them and beaten those guys tonight, I know that they are within my reach and I can beat them anytime - it's a really good thing for your confidence," Luke Burkhart said.

Off to a great start in the evening's first eight-lap moto, Burkhart grabbed third place and settled into a fast, smooth rhythm until he clipped a bank with his brake lever and washed out mid-race, re-joining one position behind Daryl Hurley to finish in seventh.

In race two, Burkhart remained consistent on the #99 Suzuki, completing another solid performance and keeping many of the more experienced campaigners behind him.

The evening's longest battle, the final 15-lap moto witnessed superb form from the young New Zealander as Burkhart unleashed the RM-Z450 and stamped his name on second place.

After a four-month hiatus due to injury, Burkhart's Suzuki teammate, Daryl Hurley had a difficult return to racing despite producing a string of fast, aggressive performances.

Rocketing out of the start gates in the first race, Hurley was forced to take evasive action to avoid a collision on the opening lap, dropping him back into pack; he charged forward again, making a good recovery to claim sixth place.

Two crashes for Hurley in moto two saw the reigning Australian Motocross Champion's chances of a podium evaporate for the evening as he finished uncharacteristically down the order, before claiming a stronger result in race three.

"Since I broke my leg, I've only been back on the bike for the last two weeks and knew that it would be tough to get straight back up to speed tonight, but I got really great starts and had good race pace. I just got mixed up with some bad luck," Daryl Hurley said.

"Realistically, I didn't expect to come in and win here, but I've been working hard and was hoping to score a podium tonight and keep myself in the mix for the Supercross Championship. unfortunately it didn't pan out that way and I've really got my work cut out for me fort he rest of the season."

Team Shift Motul Suzuki Team Manager, Jay Foreman remained optimistic for the supercross season.

"There were such mixed results from all of the leading riders that it is still very much anyone's championship," Jay Foreman said.

"Luke has done a great job here in Adelaide and positioned himself well for the remainder of the supercross season - he can definitely step up and challenge for the title.

"Daryl is a real champion and with more hours back on the bike he will be a major factor in the remaining supercross rounds."

The Supercross Masters makes a long-awaited visit to the West when the series heads to Perth (WA) for round two on Saturday 25 March.

2006 SUPERCROSS MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP:

SX PRO OPEN - CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (AFTER ROUND 1:)
1. Daniel Reardon (8)
2. Timmy Weigand (7)
3. Cheyne Boyd (6)
4. Craig Anderson (5)
5. Luke Burkhart (4)