Boyd takes the round win at Newry in penultimate round of Australian MX Championship
Jay Marmont (Yamaha) has won the 2008 Pro Opens Championship at the final round of the Rockstar Motocross Nationals held at Coolum, Queensland.
Marmont only needed to finish in the top 15 in the first moto to take the title and with his 12th place finish he easily brought it home.
Speaking after the moto Marmont said that although he’s wrapped up the Championship, it wasn’t quite the finish he was expecting.
“I’m pumped, but that race didn’t end up how I wanted it too,” Marmont said.
“A guy went down and got stuck under his bike and I was riding the whole moto with the front end of my bike all twisted, and it was the longest 30 minutes of my whole life but I got through it!”
Marmont’s father, Peter, was thrilled with his oldest son’s victory after a nerve wracking race!
“I don’t know if I had any dark hairs left but if I did he just took them all off me after that one!” an emotional Peter said.
CDR Rockstar Yamaha Team Manager Craig Dack had nothing but praise for the young rider who had worked incredibly hard throughout the season.
“We’re really proud at CDR to have helped Jay realise a dream, and that’s to win a national Motocross Championship,” Dack said.
“The preparation started here in October, we were very focused on this Championship and he’s got a great bunch of people around him.
“I’m really happy for him, he’s a great man and he deserves the Championship.”
While Marmont had a less than average performance in the first moto it the main battle of the day was between Craig Anderson (Honda) and Daryl Hurley (Suzuki) for second and third.
However a surprise DNF from Anderson in the second moto left it wide open for Hurley to take second and allowing Cheyne Boyd (Yamaha) to step up into third.
Hurley, who leaving Championship racing in Australia, was happy with his second place but would have liked to go one better and show the Aussies what he’s made of.
“I always like to win but this year I just didn’t have the time or the focus to win,” Hurley said.
“I think this is the eighth Championship in Australia I’ve finished second in now, but I definitely didn’t have it for Jay this year, he won convincingly.”
When asked about his riding future, the Kiwi said that it all depends on time.
“I’ve got a lot going on next year, and the whole plan was that if I don’t get time to ride anymore this is it, but if I still manage to throw my leg over a bike and ride and feel comfortable enough I wouldn’t mind coming back to see everyone.”
The action started with qualifying as the sun shone on the stunning Coolum circuit and it was Boyd who was fastest ahead of Hurley and Honda’s Cameron Taylor on the black sand track.
Anticipation was building as the Pro Opens lined up at the gate and all eyes were on Marmont as the first moto got under way, however it was West Australian KTM rider Michael Addison who found form on the sandy track taking the holeshot yet he soon lost the lead to Victorian rider Cheyne Boyd (Yamaha).
Boyd, who has proved to be a strong sand rider, dominated the first moto, leading every step of the way; the biggest surprise was Marmont crashing in the first lap dropping him back into second last.
Boyd was soon followed by Anderson and McCoy, as Kiwi Hurley was left battling back in sixth, and Marmont charged his way through the field to 18th place.
Soon McCoy had overtaken Anderson, however there was no catching Boyd who had amassed a huge lead, yet by this stage Marmont had the Championship wrapped up in 13th place.
Hurley had worked his way up to fifth by the time the flag fell, however it was Boyd, McCoy then Anderson with Marmont wrapping up the overall win.
The second moto, while no longer a battle for the Championship, was still fought hard with second and third places still up for grabs.
Once again Addison got the holeshot and was followed out closely by Anderson who soon took the lead.
However within the first lap Anderson had crashed and was unable to finish the rest of the race leaving Boyd out in from once again, followed by McCoy, and Addison.
Three quarters of the passed without a change to the Yamaha one two, with McCoy still riding in third, until the final lap where out of nowhere Honda’s Cameron Taylor overtook McCoy to take third in the moto.
At the flag it was Boyd, Marmont and Taylor with Hurley wrapping up second place in the Championship finishing the moto in eighth.
—
Luke George Pro Lites Champ
Luke George (Kawasaki) has taken out the 2008 Pro Lites Championship in the final round of the Rockstar Motocross Nationals, held at Coolum Pines Motocross Park, Queensland.
Adding to the Kawasaki haul was Adam Monea who finished second in the Championship with Honda’s Kade Mosig rounding out the top three.
Emotion got the better of not only George but his father Barry George and team manager as he was surrounded by team members and family.
George, who has consistently held the red plates from the very first round, was thrilled with the win event though it came down to the wire in the final moto.
“It’s been overwhelming this year, it’s been phenomenal,” George said.
“I’ve learnt so much at every single round and it’s great to have Adam [Monea] and Kade [Mosig], who are such good riders racing me because it makes me a better rider.
“I can’t give it up enough for the team, they worked so hard and we got what we wanted.
“It’s just awesome!”
KRT Team manager Brett Whale was blown away by the young rider’s performance throughout the Series.
“This is what dreams are made of,” Whale said.
“To see this young boy, 18 years of age, who could be riding in the under 19’s, it’s just unreal.
“This kid’s the real deal and he’s going to go all the way!”
George’s father, Barry, was speechless and so proud of his son.
“I’m so drained, but the kid deserves it,” Barry George said with a tear in his eye.
“He’s such a great kid and I’m so proud to be his father he’s just a true Champion.”
The excitement began with qualifying with Mosig setting the fastest lap time followed by Ford Dale (Yamaha) and Matt Moss on Suzuki.
In the first moto, George took the holeshot but was soon overtaken by Moss and Monea with the Series leader locked in a battle with his Kawasaki compatriot for critical Championship points.
Moss dominated the moto and Honda’s Dean Ferris had a stellar ride on the sandy track however disaster struck for Kawasaki rider Cody Mackie, who only recently returned from injury.
Unfortunately for Mackie he put the bike down in the ninth lap and had to be taken from the track with a suspected broken femur, the same leg that kept him from the majority of the season.
At the flag, however it was Moss by 15 seconds followed by Ferris and Dale in second and third respectively with George in fifth and Monea in seventh.
The second moto the holeshot was even between George and Ryan Marmont (KTM) with the latter breaking ahead.
By the sixth lap Dale had taken the lead, with Mosig in second and George in third with Ferris leaving tyre marks on his back.
In one of the most exciting finishes of the day Dale and Mosig left everyone on the edge of their seats as they crossed the line in a photo finish.
And it was Dale by a stunning .03 of a second, with Moss crossing the line in third.
George who finished in fifth had amassed enough points to take the Championship ahead of Monea.
— Under 19s
Tye Simmonds wraps up Under 19’s Championship
Tye Simmonds (KTM) has taken out the Under 19’s Championship at the final round of the 2008 Rockstar Motocross Nationals held at Coolum, Queensland.
The New South Welshman held off a last ditch effort from Suzuki’s Lawson Bopping who finished in second overall with Yamaha’s Matt Ryan rounding out the top three.
Simmonds said of his win that it had been a very long and very tough Championship.
“Congratulations to all the other guys that rode today and throughout the Championship,” Simmonds said.
“The competition has just been awesome this year.
“I was nervous out there, that was the longest race I’ve done in my whole life!”
KTM Team Manager Ross McWatters said that while it hadn’t been a smooth easy Series for Simmonds he managed to pull it together at the right moment.
“We’ve really been investing in young riders over the last couple of years,” McWatters said.
“We’ve got a really strong young team and Tye was amazing at some rounds and while he struggled at others he got the job done.”
As qualifying got under way it became apparent that the sandy track was going to sort the men from the boys, with Simmonds qualifying fastest, followed by Luke Styke (Yamaha) and Josh Cachia (Honda).
In the first Under 19’s moto it was Series leader Simmonds who took the holeshot followed closely by Yamaha’s Luke Styke and Lawson Bopping (Suzuki).
By the fifth lap Bopping had passed Styke and was moving in on Simmonds and the black sand track became rougher.
Coming into the seventh lap, Bopping had taken the lead with Simmonds right on his tail, and a battle between Styke and Ross Beaton (Yamaha) ended with Styke putting the bike down.
In the last lap, however, Bopping crashed allowing Simmonds to take the lead back and Beaton to slip into second place after returning to the series following injury.
At the chequered flag it was Simmonds, followed by Beaton in second with Shaun Williamson (Yamaha) rounding out the top three.
The second moto got off to a flying start with young Honda rider Cachia taking the holeshot and the lead; however by lap four he had fallen back into second place behind Bopping.
Meanwhile, Beaton, who has struggled to find form throughout the season made his way up to third, with Series leader Simmonds sitting comfortably in sixth.
Bopping held onto the lead when the flag fell and was followed by Cachia and Beaton who came in second and third respectively.
His win in the second moto earned Bopping the round win, however it wasn’t enough to keep Simmonds from the top step of the podium and taking the Championship win 11 points clear of the Suzuki rider.
Despite finishing fifth overall on the day, Yamaha’s Matt Ryan managed to hang onto third in the Championship.
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 |
Under 19’s Round Results 1: Bopping 43 points 2: Beaton 42 3: Simmonds 40 4: Cachia 38 5: Matt Ryan (Yamaha) 32 |
Final Under 19’s Championship Standings 1: Simmonds 230 2: Bopping 219 3: Ryan 213 4: Williamson 178 5: Cachia 174 |