Supercross fans flocked to Claremont Showground on the weekend for the first Australian Championship event to be held in over 25 years.

Presented by WA based KTM, the Supercross Masters saw national and international factory team riders and privateers gather to take on Perth’s sandy soil, with over 4000 tonnes trucked in, to make up the course.

Dominating Pro Open proceedings were international racers Timmy Weigand from USA, riding for Motorex KTM and Daryl Hurly from New Zealand riding for Suzuki.

Hurly took the win on the night with Weigand in second and Newcastle, (NSW) rider Danny Ham in third. Weigand’s consistent results combined with his points from round one have taken him to the lead of the overall Pro Open Championship by four points, over Cheyne Boyd of Yamaha.

Competing in three Pro Open races, Weigand secured a third and second place result in his first two races, which were dominated by Honda’s Craig Anderson. The third and final Pro Open looked to be in the hand of Craig Anderson until he crashed and had to pull out of the race, which was red flagged and restarted.

Going into the re-start Weigand fell just off the start line, yet his determination to win was strong, as he came from dead last up to 8th position, securing enough points to place 2nd overall on the night to now lead the Pro Open Championship.

Weigand’s Pro Open team mate Daniel McCoy, had a night he’d rather put behind him. McCoy wasn’t able to secure the starts he had hoped for which had an impact on his performance, leaving him to look towards a brighter performance for next weekends Motocross Championship.

Motorex KTM’s Pro Lites entrant, Ryan Marmont made a positive return to the track after four months off recovering from shoulder surgery. The 2004 Australian Supercross Nationals Champion, took to the track with his usual grace - riding smart and cautiously as eased back into racing.

Pro Lite racing was dominated by Mitchell Hoad of Kawasaki who won the night with Bronte Holland of Team Electric KTM in second and Troy Dorron of Honda in third.

The sell out event has convinced Supercross Masters organisers Spokes Promotions to return to WA with the Australian Championship in 2007 for an event which will hopefully become annual on the motorcycling calendar.

QUOTES:
RYAN MARMONT
“Given it was my first event back after my surgery I wanted to ride my own race and not worry too much about the competition.

“By the end of the night my shoulder was only showing slight symptoms of pain so I knew I had raced at a level suited to its full recovery.

“Motorex KTM is right behind me which gives me all the confidence I need to race without pressure so I enjoyed coming back into the competition at my own pace.

“By the next round I will be ready for battle and I’m still after the number one spot with the overall Pro Lite Championship.”

TIMMY WEIGAND
“I didn’t feel that comfortable on the sandy track especially the deep rut sections. It was scary stuff out there tonight.

“I chose to ride consistently and not make mistakes which rewarded Motorex KTM with the overall lead in the Pro Open Championship so I chose wisely.

“Motorex KTM has decided I will no longer be riding both the Pro Lite and Pro Open Championship in the Supercross Masters, instead I will be focusing 100 percent on the Pro Open to maintain my lead and bring them to victory.

“The toughest competition for me wasn’t the other riders, it was the track. The softer surface takes some getting used to and it will be good preparation for round one of the Australian Motocross Championship next weekend in WA.”

DANIEL McCOY
“I just couldn’t get the starts I wanted tonight. I was slipping off the gate and everything I tried just didn’t work for me.

“It was frustrating not to secure good starts. With the competition being so tough you could only maintain a good lead if you started out front.

“Every rider has their good and disappointing races and this goes down as one of my disappointing races. I can now only put it behind me and focus on round one of the Australian Motocross Championship which kicks off next weekend. I’ve been training hard for motocross on the WA soil, so I hope to start off on a high.”

ROB TWYEROULD
“Overall I’m pleased with the Motorex KTM Team’s performance tonight. It’s great to be on top again in the Pro Open, we haven’t been there since Jay Marmont was on the team and the outright Championship is what we strive for.

“Timmy is showing more and more he is the man to get us there which is also an encouragement to the rest of the team to aim high and work hard.

“KTM is taking Timmy out of the Pro Lite Championship so he can solely focus on maintaining his lead in the Pro Open Championship.

“McCoy had an off night but all racers have nights like this every now and then, it just comes with the sport. The deep ruts in the track deterred most riders including McCoy but it was his starts that had the biggest impact on his racing.

“Looking ahead we have high hopes for Daniel in the Motocross Championship kicking off next weekend, which he has spent the last two weeks in Perth training for.

“I couldn’t be happier with Ryan Marmont’s return performance in the Pro Lite class. That smooth Marmont style is back like he didn’t leave the track. Ryan is a smart rider and he rode brilliantly. He certainly has it in him to win and once his fitness builds up following his shoulder surgery he will be back on the podium and after the Pro Lite title in no time.”