McFarlane wins round, Marmont takes Series lead
The second round of the 2009 Australian Motocross Championship, held at the newly re-developed A.C.T. Motor Cycle Club, was always going to be massive, but no one expected just how big it would be.
Spectators and fans couldn’t contain their excitement as Andrew McFarlane (Yamaha) battled it out in the new Canberra Cup format with reigning Pro Opens Champion, and now Series leader, Jay Marmont (Yamaha) and Todd Waters (Honda), to take out the round.
The Pro Opens rode four hard and fast 15 minute motos, and with only a few minutes to catch their breath in between each moto, was not for the feint hearted.
With the new format, qualifying for the gate pick was vital, and Cheyne Boyd (Yamaha) was fastest on the day, securing the first gate pick but with less than a second between the top six qualifiers anticipation was at boiling point.
Despite neither rider getting the holeshot, the first moto quickly became a battle between Ford Dale (Honda) and Marmont, the two banging bars and clipping wheels in the dying laps of the moto, desperate for Championship points.
Dale, who at the first round two weeks ago dislocated his shoulder, was unable to hold off Marmont in the last lap, the Yamaha rider the eventual winner with Kawasaki’s Craig Anderson rounding out the top three.
Things heated up in moto two as Dale, Marmont, McFarlane, Cheyne Boyd (Yamaha) and Waters all fought it out on the rough Canberra track.
By the seventh lap, Marmont, Dale and Waters had broken away from the pack with an epic battle taking place at every twist and turn as the top three hung on until the finish line.
After a 10 minute break to refuel and recoup, it was Waters who blasted out of the gates to take the holeshot.
In what has to be the most exhilarating 15 minutes of Motocross in recent years, four riders gave the spectators more than their money’s worth with an epic race that will have the people of Canberra talking for many months to come.
Dale, Waters, McFarlane and Codie Mackie (Kawasaki) had everyone on the edge of their seats as they fought their way around the track for 15 minutes with only a fraction of a second separating them at any given time.
It looked as if Dale would hold onto the lead until the flag but in the last turn McFarlane had his measure, flying over the last jump, with Mackie following suit, a mere 0.4 seconds between the three riders.
While not quite as exciting as the third moto, the fourth did have its highs and lows, with Boyd looking certain to take a victory, however, in the last lap it all came unstuck when he went down in the back section of the track allowing McFarlane, Marmont and Mackie to all slip by, taking valuable Championship points with them.
With a few weeks to recover from the gruelling Canberra Cup, Australia’s best will be back in action for round three on 17 May at Toowoomba Queensland.
Andrew McFarlane – round winner
“The young guys are working really hard and riding really good.
“Ford [Dale] is riding really well and I didn’t put that past any of the riders and tried to be as prepared as I could and really liked the format today, it was fun.
“I knew I had to get the start, in the first two races I struggled a bit but I just kept my head down and kept at it.
“After the crash in the second one, I got back up and felt really strong and I knew the next two were going to be good for me so I was really happy and it’s good to come home with a win at the second round.”
Jay Marmont – Series leader
“In the third race I just went into a rut down the back of the track, before I knew it I was in dead-last and had to come through in 15 minutes which was kind of tough.
“It was hard, I thought I had to beat Ford [Dale] going into that last one I wasn’t sure that Andrew [McFarlane] won the third one, I guess the team was just looking at us, and with the four race formats there’s just so many points up for grabs, and Andrew, being who he is, played it super consistent and he didn’t crash today and got the overall.”
Pro Lites
Moss and Styke set pace at new Canberra track
Matt Moss (Suzuki) has taken out the second round of the Australian Motocross Championship in the Pro Lites class, with Luke Styke (Yamaha) taking out the Under 19’s.
With Luke George (Kawasaki) now in the Series lead following two second place finishes; Josh Cachia has remained in the Championship lead in the Under 19s class by only three points.
As the massive two-day weekend got under way, expectations were high as some riders saw the re-developed A.C.T. Motor Cycle Club track for the first time.
In the first Pro Lites moto, Moss scored the holeshot, and was followed closely by reigning Pro Lites Champion George.
After a full 30 minutes of racing Moss held on to the lead, extending it out to seven seconds by the chequered flag ahead of George and Yamaha rider Kirk Gibbs who finished in second and third respectively.
The second moto saw Moss and Tye Simmonds (KTM) banging bars around the first two corners, tussling for the lead, with Moss eventually breaking away and riding his own race to the finish.
A battle ensued between Yamaha’s Mitch Hoad and George, with Hoad crashing out in lap seven, handing second place to the reigning Champion, while Simmonds held off a late charge from Ryan Marmont (Yamaha) to take third place.
The opening Under 19s moto got underway Dylan Gosling (Honda), Luke Styke (Yamaha) and Josh Cachia (Yamaha) were all off to a strong start.
By the end of the moto, Cachia had taken the lead and was increasing the gap between himself and second placed Luke Arbon (Kawasaki) and third placed Styke.
In the second moto Styke took the holeshot and was off to an early lead, with Gosling and Arbon following close behind while Cachia, after a poor start saw him back in 14th.
By the tenth lap Styke was out to a convincing lead, Arbon was in second and Gosling barely hanging on in third with Cachia putting in the ride of his life to make it up to seventh place.
Styke took the flag, ahead of Arbon, and Gosling was unable to hold on in the very last lap, as Harley Quinlan (Yamaha) rode on and up in third place.
The Series now takes a couple of weeks off and then heads to Toowoomba, Queensland for the third round on 17 May.
Matt Moss
“Today was great, the track out here is awesome and to come away with two wins at the second round is fantastic.
“It’s all about working towards a Championship win and although I’ve won the round I’ll still need some strong results to get the Series lead.”
Luke Styke
“I’m really happy with how today went, the first moto was tough, but it all came together in the second.
“I really can’t thank the team enough, and my mum and dad for driving me up here along with all my sponsors.”
— Results from Round Two in Canberra
| Pro Open Race One
1. J Marmont |
Pro Open Race Two
1. J Marmont |
Pro Open Race Three
1. A McFarlane |
Pro Open Race Four
1. A McFarlane |
| Pro Open Round
1. A McFarlane 86 |
Pro Open Championship
1. J Marmont 152 |
||
| Pro Lites Race One
1. M Moss |
Pro Lites Race Two
1. M Moss |
Pro Lites Round
1. M Moss 50 |
Pro Lites Championship
1. L George 104 |
| Under 19s Race One
1. J Cachia |
Under 19s Race Two
1. L Styke |
Under 19s Round
1. L Styke 45 |
