Boyd takes the round win at Newry in penultimate round of Australian MX Championship
As the rain settled in for the eighth and penultimate round of the 2008 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals, anticipation was steadily building as everyone wondered if Jay Marmont (Yamaha) could bring the Championship home with a round to spare.
However, it was not to be, with the Yamaha rider forced to wait for the Grand Finale to be held at Coolum, Queensland on August 3 after finishing fifth overall on the day.
Despite freezing conditions, excitement was in the air as the riders lined up at the gate and the first Pro Opens moto got under way.
When the gates dropped, it was Marmont who scored the holeshot; however, more than five riders were caught up first turn carnage, including Honda’s Daniel McCoy and Kawasaki’s Mitch Hoad.
While both riders continued to race, McCoy pulled out after completing two laps, and Marmont was soon overtaken by Kiwi Luke Burkhart (Suzuki), who along with teammate Daryl Hurley, seemed accustomed to the wet conditions.
A small slip from Burkhart saw him drop back to ninth, while Craig Anderson reeled in the Series leader, eager to keep his rivals lead to a minimum, with West Australian privateer Dean Porter (Honda) back on form heading out in third.
Porter was soon passed by Cheyne Boyd (Yamaha), and Marmont was overtaken by Anderson, leaving the Yamaha double fighting it out for second and third.
Halfway through the moto Boyd was desperate for a pass on Marmont, and eventually made his move; however, no longer wearing his goggles, he was forced to squint through the rain and try not to get caught in Anderson’s roost.
Following a poor start to the moto, Hurley began chipping away at the leaders getting to within one second of Marmont at the chequered flag, with Anderson hanging on to the lead despite a flat tyre with Boyd finishing in second.
In the second Pro Opens moto, Honda’s Cameron Taylor took the holeshot ahead of Boyd, who soon overtook leaving second placed Taylor to fight off a charge from Burkhart in third.
The Kiwi was closing in on Taylor when he stalled halfway through the moto, leaving the path open for fellow Suzuki rider Hurley to slip into third, while Anderson fought his way up to fourth, ahead of West Australian Michael Addison (KTM), Burkhart, Marmont and Kawasaki rider Mitch Hoad.
In the dying laps of the race Anderson, Hurley, Burkhart and Addison were all caught up in a prang which saw Addison fall back, however Hurley managed to keep it on two wheels and stay ahead of Taylor.
Boyd brought the race home easily, proving that practice pays off after two weeks of training in wet conditions, with Hurley coming in second and Taylor fighting off Anderson once again for third.
Quotes
Jay Marmont (Yamaha)
“It was tough out there, it was so slippery,” Marmont said. “In the first moto I did pretty well, I got a good start and managed to stay in the top three, but in the second moto it just didn’t happen. I think we all had moments out there on the track, but that’s Motocross, you have to take the good with the bad, and I’m stoked to still be standing up here, healthy and still on top; bring on Coolum.”
Cheyne Boyd (Yamaha)
“In the first race I made it hard for myself, I had a pretty terrible start so my main focus for the second one was to get the best start that I could,” Boyd said. “Cam Taylor and I got out pretty fast in the second moto and I just wanted to pass him as soon as I could and put in consistent laps. “This rain made it a bit tricky with my goggles and I had to try to keep them on as long as I could, and when I got the last lap board I thought ‘I’m going to enjoy this last lap and remember all of it because I couldn’t see for the last half of the race’.”
Craig Anderson (Honda)
“It was a good day out there, I felt great in the first moto, even with a flat tyre at the end of the race,” Anderson said. “I made three points on Hurley this weekend, the track was great and it’s always good to show this Kiwi what’s up!”
The ninth and final round of the 2008 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals will be held at Coolum Pines Motocross Park.
In the first Pro Lites moto, it looked as if the day was going to become the Adam Monea show once again, with the young Kawasaki rider taking the holeshot and amassing a huge lead reminiscent of his one-one victory at Murray Bridge.
For a while George and Kade Mosig (Honda) battled for second and third but by the final laps of the race Moss had reeled in the leaders and pulled some fast moves, eventually passing both riders and slowly creeping up on Monea.
George and Mosig were locked in battle when Mosig overtook, leaving the Series leader in fourth.
The second moto got off to a green start again, this time with George taking the holeshot and the lead, with Monea hot on his heels and Moss within striking distance.
However Monea couldn’t hold his own on the slippery track and put the bike down allowing Moss to slip by and chase down George.
With only three laps to go Moss overtook, and it seemed that he had the moto in the bag before a late charge from George saw a photo finish with Moss a miniscule 0.087 seconds ahead of the Kawasaki rider.
The Under 19’s class was, however, all about Josh Cachia (Honda) with a one-two win earning him the eighth round victory ahead of Yamaha’s Luke Styke and Matt Ryan, bringing the latter to within 10 points of Series leader Simmonds.
Event Promoter Kevin Williams said that while the weather had put a dampener on crowd figures those who stuck it out were not disappointed with the standard of racing on show.
“In what was probably the wettest round we’ve had, there was a solid crowd of die-hard fans who braved freezing cold and wet conditions to see some fantastic racing,” Williams said.
“The Newry circuit has been upgraded from a state level circuit to a true national circuit and we saw some quality riding; and as always the best guys are at the front of the pack.
“The most exciting element of the Championship is yet to come with every class now to be decided at the final round at Coolum in two weeks time.”
Pro Open Round Eight 1. Boyd 22-25 / 47 2. Anderson 25-18 / 43 3. Hurley 18-22 / 40 4. Taylor 16-20 / 36 5. Marmont 20-16 / 36 6. Addison 14-14 / 28 7. Burkhart 11-13 / 24 8. Price 12-12 / 24 9. Jones 13-6 / 19 10. Porter 15-4 / 19 | Pro Lite Round Eight 1. Moss 22-25 / 47 2. Monea 25-18 / 43 3. George 18-22 / 40 4. Mosig 20-20 / 40 5. Ferris 16-16 / 32 6. Gibbs 15-14 / 29 7. Mackie 13-13 / 26 8. Marmont 14-12 / 26 9. Waters 12-10 / 22 10. Anderson 10-11/ 21 |
Pro Open Series: 1. Marmont 338 2. Hurley 300 3. Anderson 286 4. Boyd 273 5. Taylor 214 6. Addison 207 7. McCoy 207 8. Burkhart 175 9. Hoad 140 10. Porter 137 | Pro Lite Series: 1. George 311 2. Monea 304 3. Mosig 299 4. Ferris 211 5. Marmont 208 6. Gibbs 183 7. Anderson 173 8. Waters 168 9. Woods 165 10. Stewart 150 |