Pro Open
Mackenzie wins home round, Marmont takes Series lead
Kawasaki Racing Team’s Billie Mackenzie has won the fourth round of the 2010 Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals at Toowoomba QLD on Sunday 16 May.
The Scottish rider won two of the three motos to take the round win, while CDR Rockstar Yamaha rider and Wollongong local Jay Marmont has taken the Series lead by four points ahead of JDR Motorex KTM’s Tye Simmonds.
Although he qualified fastest, Mackenzie wasn’t the only one showing some impressive speed with four other riders all within one second of his time.
In the first moto, the boy from Bourke, Simmonds, took the holeshot before being overtaken by Mackenzie who was keen to make the most of his home track advantage.
The Kawasaki rider was soon out to an impressive lead, while Simmonds gradually fell through the field back to fourth.
The biggest on-track battle came from former Series Leader, Cougar Bourbon Thor Honda Racing’s Todd Waters, and privateer Dean Ferris (Honda).
The two riders were banging bars for most of the moto before an eventual crash from Ferris allowed Waters a clean run into second place leaving the privateer in third.
As the second moto got underway Kiwi and Team Rockstar Motul Suzuki rider Cody Cooper, who has struggled to find form since joining the Australian Series took the holeshot, however he was unable to hold onto the lead, soon overtaken by the green freight train of Mackenzie and young-gun Ferris.
While Mackenzie led for the first few laps, Cooper eventually made his way past Ferris and at times was right on the back of the Scott, but was unable to make a pass stick.
Mackenzie managed to hold on to the lead, despite lapped traffic with Cooper wrapping up the moto in second place followed by CDR Rockstar Yamaha rider Cheyne Boyd who finished in third.
The third moto looked to be a repeat of the first two, with Mackenzie soon out to a strong lead, however after a lack-lustre day, Marmont found his form, eventually catching up with the Kawasaki rider.
The two riders went bar-to-bar in and out of the turns, while Simmonds made his charge through the field, until disaster struck for Mackenzie, appearing to stall on one of the turns allowing a now in-rhythm Marmont and charging Simmonds – amongst others, to fly by leaving him in sixth place.
Despite his speed, Simmonds eventually caught Marmont, knowing that the Series lead was on the line; however the reigning Champs experience was too much for Simmonds, with the young rider eventually ceding to the Yamaha star and forced to settle for second place ahead of Ferris.
Quotes
First – Billy Mackenzie
“I’m definitely happy with today,” Mackenzie said.
“For my first ride back I was probably expecting a lot worse considering I haven’t ridden for so long.
“My wrist is pretty sore, I’m not going to lie, but it did the job today and it’s definitely better than it was at Broadford, so I’m just happy I had the extra time to heal and come back with a win.
“I really enjoy this track and the team have put a great bike together for me and we’ve had a great day.”
Second – Tye Simmonds
“The first race really let me down,” Simmonds said.
“And the second two I didn’t really get the best of starts, but I had fun racing with Jay today – we weren’t giving each other an inch!
“There were just some little mistakes I made – but it just goes to show how good the racing is and how close we are together and it was a good day.”
Third – Jay Marmont
“It didn’t come together all day for me today,” Marmont said.
“I qualified in eighth and then not getting a good start in that first race and crashing – the spirits were down in the team today with me.
“The boys were trying to keep my head up and get me positive, and Dacka [Craig Dack] grabbed me by the helmet and told me to go out there and do it this time so I went out there and gave it everything I had.
“It was good to race one-on-one with Billy, I haven’t seen him all Championship, he’s usually sprinting off at the start and I’m at the other end of the pack, but with Billy and Tye there was some awesome racing out there.
“I started the Series with the red plate and then lost it, so it’s good to have it back again especially coming into one of my home races at Raymond Terrace.”
| Pro Open Rnd 4 Results | Open Standings |
| 1. Billy Mackenzie, 65pts 2. Tye Simmonds, 56pts 3. Jay Marmont, 54pts 4. Cody Cooper, 54pts 5. Cheyne Boyd, 53pts 6. Daniel McCoy, 41pts 7. Matt Haworth, 41pts 8. Dean Ferris, 40pts 9. Beau Ralston, 32pts 10. Robbie Marshall, 29pts | 1. Jay Marmont, 190pts 2. Tye Simmonds, 186pts 3. Todd Waters, 171pts 4. Dean Ferris, 167pts 5. Billy Mackenzie, 157pts 6. Cheyne Boyd, 156pts 7. Cody Cooper, 138pts 8. Daniel McCoy, 137pts 9. Andrew McFarlane, 111pts 10. Beau Ralston, 93pts |
| — Pro Lites Larsen and Arbon take round four of the 2010 Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals Pro Lites and JDR Motorex KTM team rider PJ Larsen has taken out the fourth round of the 2010 Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals while Kawasaki Racing Team’s Luke Arbon has won the Under 19’s class. As qualifying got underway it was Serco Yamaha rider Ford Dale who qualified fastest, less than a second ahead of teammate Kirk Gibbs and Larsen. Dale, Larsen, and Gibbs were all out to a strong start in the first moto when the race was red-flagged – when racing continued it was the same three riders out in front and when the two sessions were combined, American rider Larsen came out on top, followed by Dale and Gibbs. In the second moto, Larsen took the holeshot however he was soon overtaken by veteran of the sport and purple-haired Kim Ashkenazi (Suzuki) who was followed by Kawasaki Racing Team’s Cody Mackie. The three did battle until Mackie crashed and in dropping back through the field he let a number of riders slip by including JDR Motorex KTM’s Ryan Marmont and Kawasaki riding ‘privateer’ and former Champ Luke George. Larsen was out to a massive lead and despite a valiant attempt to reign him in by Marmont, he was too far ahead, forcing him to settle for second ahead of George. In the third and final moto it all came together for Dale, with the Queensland local catching and passing Larsen on the first lap and holding onto the lead until the chequered flag, with Larsen taking second place and South Australian Gibbs forced to settle for third. In the Under 19’s class, despite finishing fourth for the round MX Rad Coastal KTM rider Josh Cachia has retained his massive Series lead, while South Australia’s Kawasaki Racing Team rider Luke Arbon celebrated his round win, with an impressive 2-1-3 finish. Quotes “We got four good starts with the red flag in the first moto and we just made it work. “I’ll be sticking around in Australia until after the next round at Raymond Terrace and then I’ll fly out back to the US and get three solid weeks of training in. “After the last round, the entire team wanted to come out here and do well for Andrew and his family.” Under 19’s – Luke Arbon “I felt good at Canberra and ended up second there but one more step up on the podium is good and I’m happy. “I went to hospital at the first round and lost a bunch of points there, but everyone is riding awesomely and it’s going to be tough but there are a lot of races left. |
| Pro Lites Rnd 4 Results | Lites Standings |
| 1. PJ Larsen, 72pts 2. Cody Mackie, 51pts 3. Ford Dale, 49pts 4. Ryan Marmont, 45pts 5. Luke George, 43pts 6. Luke Styke, 42pts 7. Kirk Gibbs, 40pts 8. Kade Mosig, 40pts 9. Cameron Taylor, 31pts 10. Brock Winston, 30pts 14. Michael Phillips, 25pts | 1. PJ Larsen, 207pts 2. Kirk Gibbs, 183pts 3. Cody Mackie, 164pts 4. Ryan Marmont, 163pts 5. Ford Dale, 149pts 6. Lawson Bopping, 139pts 7. Luke Styke, 125pts 8. Luke George, 120pts 9. Michael Phillips, 114pts 10. Kade Mosig, 106pts |
| 19s Qualifying | 19s Race 1 | 19s Race 2 | 19s Race 3 | 19s Race 4 | 19s Standings |
| 1: Josh Cachia | 1: Cam Dillon | 1: Cachia | 1: Leig | 1: Hamish D | 1: Cachia |
— Cougar Bourbon Honda Thor Racing
In what was a day they would like to forget, Cougar Bourbon Honda Thor Racing riders Todd Waters and Michael Phillips both fell victim to Toowoomba’s Echo Valley circuit at Round 4 of the MX Nationals today.
Waters finished second in the first moto but crashed heavily in the second Pro Open race and was taken to hospital with a suspected broken collarbone.
The red plate holder, who held a 13-point championship lead coming into this round, now sits third in the standings on 171 points.
“I am really disappointed, I was feeling good and had a great first race where I challenged Billy (McKenzie) for lead,” Waters explained.
“The second race just didn’t go to plan, I crashed and ended up last then pushed too hard as I was coming through and crashed again, landing awkwardly on my shoulder.
“We will see what the doctor has to say but I am going to do everything I can to make the next event at Newcastle,” he added.
Team-mate Michael Phillips also struggled on the hilly Toowoomba circuit and finished the round 14th overall.
The New Zealander, who finished fourth in the final Pro Lites race acknowledged he let himself down with some silly mistakes.
“My starts were positive and the bike is great, I just let myself down with some silly mistakes,” Phillips said.
“I was happy with the last race, I showed that with a bit of aggression I can definitely get up there.
“I have some homework to do before Newcastle but I can’t dwell on today, I need to focus on making sure I don’t make the same mistakes again,” he continued.
The next round of the 2010 MX Nationals will be held at Newcastle’s Barleigh Ranch on Sunday 30th May.
— CDR Rockstar Yamaha
CDR Rockstar Energy Drink Yamaha’s Jay Marmont has taken the points lead in the premier Pro Open class after round four of the Rockstar MX Nationals held at Toowoomba over the weekend.
Marmont overcame a slow start to the day and a challenging track to post third overall for the round, but more importantly, move into the championship lead and run the coveted red leader plate for the next round at Raymond Terrace.
After struggling in qualifying and then a fall in moto one, Marmont fought on like the champion he is and snatched a fourth in race two before winning race three and in the process, securing the points lead in the Pro Open division by four points over Tye Simmonds.
“It was a hard fought day today. I just couldn’t get going in qualifying then I was in a first turn crash in the first race and right at the back of the field. I salvaged a reasonable result, but the team rallied behind me for the final two races and I was able to improve with every lap.
“It’s nice to grab the points lead and run the red plate, but it all means nothing if it isn’t bolted to my bike at the end of the championship. We still have a long way to go and plenty of work to be done before we get carried away,” said the focused Marmont.
Team mate Cheyne Boyd missed a podium spot by just a single point in another solid day on the race track. Like Marmont, Boyd was pack in the back in moto one to post a ninth, but charged home with 3-4 finishes in the remaining two motos to round the day out on 53 points and fifth overall.
Boyd now sits sixth in the championship and is right in the thick of things in the points chase. Only a handful of points separates Boyd from a top three position and with the series nearing the halfway point, he is well placed to make a big run home.
“It got a terrible start in the first race and found it hard to pass. But the next two motos saw my starts improve and I was able to run up front. But fifth isn’t where I want to be so I will be doing plenty of work before the next round to ensure I get on the podium,” Boyd offers.
Team owner, Craig Dack was also pleased to see his riders show some fighting spirit on the track and grind out a reasonable day given how things started out in qualifying and the opening moto.
“Both riders showed some heart out there today and managed to dig themselves out of a hole they created in the morning sessions. Jay really dug deep in the final moto and was desperate for the win, while Cheyne also got the starts he needed and put himself in contention.
“We leave here with the red plate and also in a positive frame of mind for round five in two weeks time.”
— Serco Yamaha
Serco Yamaha’s Ford Dale racked up his first podium finish for the year taking third place in the Pro Lite division at round four of the Rockstar MX Nationals at the picturesque Echo Valley circuit in Toowoomba, Queensland.
Dale showed blistering speed all weekend, setting the fastest lap time in qualifying and then looked to translate that speed in results in the three points paying races for the day.
Moto one was stopped at the midday way point when a fallen rider required urgent medical assistance. As the required 75% of the race wasn’t completed, the riders gridded up again for the remainder of the race with the elapsed times of both races used to determine the result. Dale recorded a second place finish.
Moto two proved to be the down fall of his day, logging 18th place after falling off on two occasions. Running second in the early stages and ready to challenge for the lead, Ford tipped over in a turn. He quickly remounted his bike and charged back into a podium position before falling awkwardly again and losing valuable time.
The third and final leg saw Dale at his fearless best. Running third early, he charged down the steepest of hills on any motocross track in Australia, passing fellow Yamaha rider Luke Styke to move into second, then one lap later, pulled the exact same move on the race leader to take control of the race and ride on to an impressive race win.
“While third is ok and I have made up a heap more points in the championship, when I look back at this round it will be the one that got away. I had the speed and got the starts I needed to win here today, I just made some mistakes in race two and it cost me dearly,” said a thoughtful Dale.
Fellow Serco Yamaha rider Kirk Gibbs carried the red leader number plate into the Toowoomba event and was determined to keep it bolted up the front of his YZ250F. Like team mate Dale, Gibbs qualified well in third place and was ready to race.
Moto one saw the South Australian in third place after the times were combined, but also like Dale, disaster struck in moto two as Gibbs took several soil samples and finished the moto outside the points. But he quickly gathered himself for the final leg and rebounded strongly for a third in moto three leaving him in seventh place for the day and now second in the championship.
“I am angry with myself about the second race. I was in a good position and made a silly mistake and then two laps later made a much bigger one when I got cross rutted entering a turn.
“I felt great on the bike today and the team has really got the YZ250F working awesome, so I feel like I let them down a bit. I will have to redeem myself at the Raymond Terrace round in two weeks time,” Gibbs offered at the end of racing.
— KTM
P.J LARSEN – Pro Lites (Moto results 1-1-2)
Moto 1: “ I had a good start in the first moto getting out of the gate just behind Ford Dale and Kirk Gibbs,” said Larsen. “As the race progressed I was right up with them, but someone went down on the back side of the hills, and the race was red flagged 12 minutes in. Promoters re-started the race, and combined our positions from both races for an overall moto one result. The re-start saw us race for only eight minutes, so I just maintained a consistent flow and ensured I was up with Ford Dale and Kirk Gibbs to maintain enough points for the win.
Moto 2 : “I got out of the gate in around sixth or seventh place in the second moto, but quickly worked my way up to second, and made a pass on Kim Ashkenazi for the lead. Once I passed him I pulled a decent gap and cruised home for the win.
Moto 3: “I got off to a pretty good start in my final moto and was in a comfortable position by the end of the first lap. I stayed close to Ford Dale who was leading, but I didn’t want to risk anything by making any passes, I was thinking more about re-gaining the red plate, and increasing my lead in the Championship. I didn’t have to win this moto to win the round, so I settled into a good pace and rode smart to finish second, which gave me the overall for the round and a decent lead in the Championship.”
RYAN MARMONT – Pro Lites (Moto results 4-2-14)
Moto 1: “I had a good start, and found my grove half way through the first moto, but then the race was red flagged just as I was settling into a good pace, and we had to go back to the start line,” said Marmont. “We only had a short amount of time to re-gain our pace for the second moto, but I got a good start and ran with the front runners to secure fourth.
Moto 2: “I got a bad start in the second moto in around 15th place, but I started putting my laps together and rode solid and got up to second. I was really happy with that ride.
Moto 3: “We had to go straight back to the start line after finishing moto two, because the format was back-to-back racing for moto two and three. I didn’t have a bad start, I was in the top ten, but then two guys in front of me crashed, and I got caught in the crash which pushed me back to dead last.
“If it was a normal endurance style motocross, I could have made up a lot more ground, but with only eight laps in total there really isn’t much you can do from dead last, so I rode home in 14th place which wasn’t ideal, but at least I secured some points to contribute to my overall Pro Lites Championship result.”
TYE SIMMONDS – Pro Open (Moto results 4-5-2)
Moto 1: “I had an awesome start in moto one, with the KTM 350 SX F taking me to a hole shot position, but I got passed early by three riders and that upset me,” said Simmonds. “I was passed in areas where I felt I shouldn’t have been passed, and I ended up fourth for that moto, and told the guys in the pits I wanted some suspension changes to better suit the track conditions.
Moto 2: “I felt more comfortable in the second moto, and chipped away at riders making passes for the race leaders. I was trying to pass Jay Marmont and lost a little focus watching his back wheel, which caused me to crash, but I got back up and still managed to finish in fifth position.
Moto 3: “We had a five minute break between moto two and three which wasn’t long, so it was a quick turn around between races. I got off the line in around fifth, and made a few passes to get up front. I found myself battling again with Jay Marmont. I came into a rut and hit neutral losing two spots to Dean Ferris and Cheyne Boyd, but I got going again and passed them back. I was again battling with Jay and passed him, but he passed me back, so I crossed the chequered flag in second.
“Overall I got second for the round, which made me happy as I was riding with my late team mate Andrew McFarlane’s numbers, and I wanted to do him proud and get on the podium. He was obviously looking down on me from upstairs, and I salute him for all he has done for me as I ride in his honour. I’m going to ride with Andrew’s numbers for the rest of the motocross season, in his memory to show my respects of my friend and team mate.”
JAY RYNENBERG – Race Team Manager
“We’re in a good position for both the Pro Lites and Pro Open Championship, and took away some valuable pointers from Toowoomba to work on leading up to the next round at Raymond Terrace,” said Rynenberg.
“Tye rode really well, with solid starts, and great consistency which rewarded him with a podium, and a great progression in his Championship ranking. He did have a few little mistakes happen, but as a team we know what to work on for the next round to hopefully snag the red plate.
“PJ rode smart as usual, and he didn’t have to win his final race to get the overall, so he calculated his position, and regained the red plate which was smart riding on his behalf.
“Ryan was on the gas all day, he had two fast opening motos, and only needed eighth or better to get second overall, but an unfortunate crash let him down, otherwise he rode phenomenally well.
“We have a two week break now to re-group and get prepared for Raymond Terrace. All the boys know where the competition is at and what they need to work on to maintain or improve on results, and I have the faith in all of them to follow through.”
— Team Suzuki
Team Rockstar Motul Suzuki star Cody Cooper continued his climb to the sharp end of the Australian National Motocross Championship with a polished display at Toowoomba.
After struggling early in the season with the dry, hard pack Australian surfaces, Cooper showed why he is regarded as one of the fastest riders in the country.
After qualifying fifth fastest, Cooper was quickly on the pace aboard his Suzuki RM-Z450 in the first of the three Pro Open motos, and fought an epic battle with Tye Simmonds and Dean Ferris, being pipped for a podium finish on the final lap.
In the second moto, Cooper grabbed the holeshot and was involved in an absorbing battle with an in-form Billy Mackenzie on the Scot’s home circuit.
Eventually finishing second, Cooper notched the fastest lap time for the race and proved he is back on top of his game.
Another fifth in the final moto secured his best points haul for the season and fourth position for the round.
Cooper now finds himself seventh overall, but has improved his points haul in every round and is looking forward to the next round at Raymond Terrace, NSW.
After qualifying well, Team Rockstar Motul Suzuki Pro Lites young gun Lawson Bopping endured a difficult round.
Bopping was on top of his game at the last round in Canberra, but finished this round in 11th position.
His 30 points saw him drop to sixth overall in the Pro Lites championship; however the team is confident he can reclaim the 2009 form that saw him the heir apparent to Matt Moss’s Pro Lites crown.
Team Rockstar Motul Suzuki Team Manager Jay Foreman was philosophical about the day’s results.
“Lawson finished last year in fantastic form, getting stronger and stronger with each round and we know he’s good enough to do the same this year.
“Cody gets better and better each round as he gets more familiar with the bike and the different Australian tracks.
“We have the equipment, we have the riders and we look forward to Suzuki pushing its way to the top of the table again in both championships.”
— Team Kawasaki
The Kawasaki Racing Team’s goal of three MX Championship crowns in 2010 is well and truly on track after the fourth round of the Australian Motocross Championship at Toowoomba, QLD on 16 May. Opens rider Billy Mackenzie and U19s rider Luke Arbon both took top honours for the round, winning their classes, while Lites rider Cody Mackie took out 2nd place.
Cody Mackie and Luke Arbon now move inside the top three in their classes in the Championship and Billy Mackenzie advances three places to sit in 5th in the Premier class as he makes up for 3 lost motos after a crash at the second round.
Showing his lighting fast speed once again, the flying Scotsman, Billy Mackenzie, qualified his KRT KX450F fastest at the Echo Valley MX track at Toowoomba. (Billy has qualified fastest at every round this year). Knowing he had to obtain as many Championship points as possible after a second moto crash at Canberra that sidelined him for 3 races and cost him 75 potential points, Billy went out and got the job done at his new home track. Billy won the first and second motos as well as taking the holeshot in the second. A clean sweep was on the cards as Billy found the lead quickly in the third moto however he had to settle for 6th after stalling his bike mid way through the race. Billy’s 1-1-6 results were good enough to give him the round win.
Billy says, “It’s a good result but I would’ve been happier with 3 wins. My wrist gave me a bit of grief and I was a bit tired. . . maybe I took too strong a pain killer. With the back to back motos I was really feeling it by the end. I struggled off the start in the third race and in the end my shoulders were hurting from being off the bike for so long due to the wrist injury. I just couldn’t hold on and I ended up stalling the bike. On the plus side the wrist is getting stronger all the time and I should be at 100% by the next round.”
After winning countless Junior National titles over the years, Under 19s rider Luke Arbon can now add a senior level moto win and round win to his list of accolades. Proving that he is one of the most promising young riders in the country, Luke shrugged off a disastrous first round (that resulted in a trip to the hospital and 2 lost motos) and has finished on the podium at both rounds since. Luke finished 2nd in the first moto and then grabbed the holeshot in the second on his KX250F, never looking back to take the win. A 3rd in the final moto and Luke’s 2-1-3 results planted him squarely on the top step of the podium for the round and advances him to 3rd place in the Championship.
Luke says, “I’m extremely happy. I feel like I’ve gotten the monkey off my back. I’d really like to thank Kevin (Crutcher) and Troy (Carroll) and my mechanic Ryan for their support and I’m just focusing now on carrying this momentum with me into the next round.”
In an extremely competitive Pro Lites class, Cody Mackie completed Kawasaki Racing Team’s podium streak at Toowoomba taking 2nd place. Although he didn’t come away with any moto wins for the day, Cody’s 4-4-6 results still gave him enough points to take 2nd for the round and moves him forward a position in the Championship into 3rd place.
Cody says, “It’s taken a little longer than I expected to get on the podium this year. I didn’t really do anything different this round except lay it all on the line at the starts and it paid off. The starts are so important because it’s really hard to pass on the track as everybody is fast. Thanks to the team for sticking by me. I’m looking for much the same at Raymond Terrace. Get good starts and let the riding take care of itself. This Championship is far from over for me.”
Kawasaki Racing Team Manager, Troy Carroll, was extremely pleased with the team’s results saying, “It’s great to have success in all three classes. Luke Arbon has stepped up a level and knows now that he can win not only races but also the Championship. Cody had a much better day. He’s got his starts sorted out and his results will only get better and Billy rode extremely well considering he hasn’t really ridden in a month. He managed great starts in all three motos and came away with great results including the round win. His fitness wasn’t 100% due to the time spent off the bike and that took its toll by the third moto but he’ll be back to 100% by the next round”.
KRT Principal, Kevin Crutcher says, “It’s a magnificent day for Kawasaki and I’m proud of the whole team. The hard work is paying off and it’s great to get all three riders on the podium. A big thankyou must go to Cool Air Conditioning and all of our sponsors.”
The Kawasaki Racing Team will be back even stronger, fitter and hungrier for success at the 5th round of the Australian Motocross Championship at Raymond Terrace on 30 May.
