Team Shift Motul Suzuki's Daryl Hurley won round two of the Australian Supercross Masters at Perth's Claremont Showgrounds, last night.

Newly mounted on the RM-Z450 machine, a delighted Hurley scored the marque's first four-stroke round victory for the Pro Open class of the Supercross Masters for 2006.

Hurley's team-mate, Luke Burkhart was also impressive on the RM-Z450, but was given a controversial penalty that cost the Suzuki outfit its first-ever 1-2 round finish in the Australian Supercross Championship.

Burkhart's penalty also cost him vital points and dropped him from second place to fourth in the championship - extending the newly gained lead of US import, Timmy Weigand.

Kiwi's Hurley and Burkhart finished the evening's three motos in fourth and eighth, fifth and second, and first and fourth respectively. However, due to the penalty applied in race two, Burkhart was awarded third place in the second moto.

The Supercross Masters Series now makes way for the Australian Motocross Championship which kicks of in Perth next weekend (Sunday 2 April).

Daryl Hurley - Team Shift Motul Suzuki rider - "It was great to take the win on the R M-Z450 and get some good points on the board.

"I made a few mistakes early in the night. I wasn't really comfortable on the bike to start with - I've never ridden a 450 in Supercross before and I was slightly out of sync while I was getting accustomed to it. As the first race went on I settled into a rhythm, but it was only an eight-lap moto so I only just got into the groove as the race wrapped up and I finished in fourth.

"I rode pretty consistently all night and just kept getting smoother as the races went on, particularly in the last race - I really got a flow going with the new bike.

"On the restart for the final race, Luke [Burkhart] grabbed the holeshot and we had a Suzuki 1-2 on the opening lap. I got past Luke and pulled a five second lead by the end of the race.

"I'm loving the RM-Z450 for Supercross - it's great for the starts and it gave me a real mental boost to know that I've got that four-stroke power like mo st of the other guys."

Luke Burkhart - Team Shift Motul Suzuki rider - "This was a tough circuit - it's a reasonably technical and very unforgiving sand track that really separated the leaders from the followers.

"The bike is great and I put in a good, solid performance, so I'm 99% happy - apart from the points that were taken away from me which has made the difference between second place and fourth for both the round and the championship.

"The penalty doesn't make sense to me. the track marker was missing and we all rode around the outside of the hay bale. I followed the other riders through there and wasn't the only guy taking that line.

"It's a bit disappointing to have second place taken from me, but it feels good to be running up there with the top guys and to know that I'm one of them now."

Jay Foreman - Team Shift Motul Suzuki Team Manager - "This has been a great race meeting for Team Shift Motul Suzuki with Daryl's overall win for round two of the Supercross Masters, but Luke's penalty has soured things a little for us.

"We should have had a Suzuki 1-2 here this weekend and Luke should be sitting in second overall in the championship. Instead he's been awarded fourth place for both.

"We're naturally very disappointed".

"The Supercross Masters series takes a break now as we head into the Australian Motocross Championship in Perth next Sunday.

"We've done some intensive motocross testing in NZ - the bikes are well prepared and obviously both Daryl and Luke are riding very well.

"The whole team is focussed on retaining our #1 plate in the motocross and I think we're well positioned for some strong results next week."

2006 Australian Supercross Masters Championship

Round 2 - Results
Daryl Hurley 8, Timmy Weigand 7, Danny Ham 6, Luke Burkhart 5, Cheyne Boyd 4, Craig Anderson 3, Daniel Reardon 2, Shane Metcalfe 1

Championship points - after Round 2
Timmy Weigand 14, Cheyne Boyd 10, Daniel Reardon 10, Luke Burkhart 9, Daryl Hurley 8, Craig Anderson 8, Danny Ham 6, Cody Cooper 3, Daniel McCoy 2, Shane Metcalfe 2