Australian’s reign supreme in Supercross finale
The final round of Milwaukee presents the Terex Australian Supercross Championship concluded in spectacular fashion at Toowoomba Showgrounds over the weekend.
With the title fight in the Pro Open and Pro Lites going down to the wire, Australia’s elite staged a spectacular upset over their American rivals.
Team Motul Pirelli Suzuki rider Matt Moss, who was five points behind US rider Josh Hill coming into the round, dominated the 20-lap final, leading from start to finish to clinch both the race win and title ahead of his twin brother, Campbell Mining Suzuki’s Jake Moss. Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Jay Marmont rounded out the Round 6 podium.
The race was not without controversy with Hart & Huntington/Insure My Ride/DPH Motorsports mounted Hill, and Jake Moss coming together on the second lap of the race, in an incident that is still under review with Motorcyling Australia officials.
For Matt Moss it was the perfect end to an incredible 2013 season in which he secured both the national motocross and supercross championships.
“It feels really good,” said Matt Moss. “To be honest it was a little bit unexpected but I knew I wanted to get the job done.
“I knew I could win it was whether Jake could beat Josh, it was in someone else’s hands. Once I saw that Jake and Josh had come together it was smooth sailing. Having my brother behind me, I knew he wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardise it for me.
“I have some plans for 2014, I definitely want to defend both titles but before that I want to go and race the first five rounds of the AMA Supercross in America. I feel I am fit and ready so why not give it a shot now,” Moss continued.
Finishing second in the Toowoomba final saw Jake Moss end the season runner-in the Pro Open championship.
“It is awesome for Matt and I to be one and two in the championship and it is an incredible feat for a privateer to finish runner-up.
“Josh (Hill) and I had words after practice, he thought I got in his way and it left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. He didn’t want me to have the pass and we collected each other but he got the worst of it”.
A bruised and battered Josh Hill retired from the 20-lap final and despite not scoring any points from the round still finished the season third in the championship.
It was a case of déjà vu in the Pro Lites final, with Serco Yamaha’s Luke Styke taking the title ahead of Carlton Dry Honda Racing’s US import Gavin Faith.
Faith, who also took a five-point lead into the weekend, crashed twice in the final and finished the round eighth. Styke controlled the 15-lap race from the onset to greet the chequered flag ahead of Choice Motorsports Brendan Harrison and his Serco Yamaha teammate Luke Arbon.
“It is a dream come true, two titles in 2013, it hasn’t really sunk in yet,” Styke explained.“ I was concentrating on the motocross this year and the plan with supercross was to hopefully play it safe and look forward to Europe.
“I really can’t believe it I am lost for words and can’t thank the team enough for sticking behind me.
“Everyone trains hard but it is the guy who puts in the most work that ultimately ends up on top,” Styke concluded.
Despite finishing eighth, Faith still finished the season second ahead of Raceline Suzuki rider Ryan Marmont.
Gold Coast rider Jay Wilson secured the Under 19’s title with a second place finish to Berry Sweet Yamaha rider Corey James in the final round.
The GTYR Yamaha rider dominated the 2013 season winning four of the five rounds to take the title 19 points ahead of James.
Yamaha’s Wilson Todd edged out KTM rider Brock McLeary in the Junior Lites class. Winning the fourth round of the series, the Queensland rider finished four points ahead of McLeary in the championship standings.
— Pro Open main event results: Toowoomba
1. Matt MOSS, 2. Jake MOSS, 3. Jay MARMONT, 4. Daniel McCOY, 5. Lawson BOPPING, 6. Hayden MELLROSS, 7. Jacob WRIGHT, 8. Matt HAWORTH, 9. Lewis WOODS, 10. Brett METCALFE
— Pro Open championship standings (After Rd 6 of 6):
1. Matt MOSS 123, 2. Jake MOSS 118, 3. Josh HILL 103, 4. Jay MARMONT 99, 5. Daniel McCOY 99, 6. Weston PEICK 83, 7. Sam MARTIN 69, 8. Lewis WOODS 54, 9. Hayden MELLROSS 51, 10. Jacob WRIGHT 51
— Pro Lites main event results: Toowoomba
1. Luke STYKE, 2. Brenden HARRISON, 3. Luke ARBON, 4. Taylor POTTER, 5. Nickolas SUTHERLAND, 6. Ryan MARMONT, 7. Kayne LAMONT, 8. Gavin FAITH, 9. Wade HUNTER, 10. Luke WILSON
— Pro Lites championship standings (after Rd 6 of 6):
1. Luke STYKE 135, 2. Gavin FAITH 128, 3. Ryan MARMONT 117, 4. Taylor POTTER 88, 5. Brenden HARRISON 86, 6. Dylan LONG 84, 7. Kayne LAMONT 82, 8. Luke ARBON 79, 9. Nickolas SUTHERLAND 71, 10. Luke WILSON 58
— Under 19s main event results:
1. Corey JAMES, 2. Jay WILSON, 3. Jake EMANUELLI, 4. Joel WIGHTMAN, 5. Blake SOLA, 6. Bailey COXON, 7. Jake DONAHER, 8. Izak MAULE, 9. Elijah WIESE, 10.Tristian DUNCAN11.Dylan WILSON
— Under 19s championship standings (After Rd 5 of 5)
1. Jay WILSON 122, 2. Corey JAMES 103, 3. Jake EMANUELLI 98, 4. Joel WIGHTMAN 96, 5. Jake DONAHER 75, 6. Bailey COXON 67, 7. Izak MAULE 67, 8. Elijah WIESE 57, 9. James BROWN 49, 10. Tim O’BRIEN 39
— Serco Yamaha Report
Styke’s Stunning ASX Championship Win
Serco Yamaha’s Luke Styke surged home to win the final round of the Australian Supercross Championship and in the process take the overall championship win making it a near perfect season for Styke and the Serco Yamaha team.
Styke entered the final round five points behind Pro Lites points leader, US import Gavin Faith, and needed to win the round and Faith to finish outside the top three to secure his second championship for the year and pull off a stunning upset.
Right from the drop of the gate, Styke stormed to the lead and took control while a dramatic race unfolded behind him. Faith took a small fall early in the race when he hit the back of another rider in the opening exchanges and the championship was suddenly on the line.
Faith then started to carve his way back through the field and nearly wrestled the championship back into his position when he fell again with only a few laps to run and effectively handing the championship to Styke.
But the drama wasn’t over as a tight knit pack had closed in on Styke and the battle for the lead was on. He managed to hold them off, take the race win and slam his fist skyward as he celebrated his championship win.
“Man, what a night! Styke sighed. “I just wanted to win the race and at the very least put some pressure on Gavin to finish right behind me to earn the championship.
“I couldn’t really read the pit board but I was able to get a glance across the track every now and again to see where he was. He went missing one lap but I wasn’t sure if he had made up a heap of ground or went down so I had to keep going for it.
“Then, I had Brendan Harrison all over me on the last lap so the pressure was on all the way to the finish.
“I’m so pumped to win the championship and it’s a great way to go out with the Serco Yamaha team. I’m off to Europe next year to contest the world MX GP’s with Yamaha and this was a championship that capped off a great relationship I have had with everyone at Serco and Yamaha Australia,” he signs off.
Team mate Luke Arbon put in his best performance of the year to finish the final round on the podium in third place. Arbon was in the heat of the battle in the entire main event and never outside the top three from the drop of the gate.
Arbon rounded out the championship in eighth place, even with a DNF at the Phillip Island round. It was an impressive performance from the 21 year old South Australia who only a few months back was competing at local events around Adelaide.
“I can’t thank the Serco Yamaha team enough for this opportunity. I have had a great time and the bikes are amazing.
“I was determined to get on the podium before the championship finished and it was nice to be up there with Styke when he claimed his championship trophy,” said Arbon.
Team owner, Gavin Eales was also on hand to witness his teams stunning results.
“I couldn’t be prouder of my team and the effort they have put in all year. It has been a long season but everyone from the riders to the mechanics has worked tirelessly and the results have been amazing. Also thanks to our team of sponsors and Yamaha Australia for their continued support.
— Suzuki Report
Motul Pirelli Suzuki’s Matt Moss clinched the 2013 Australian Supercross Championship tonight in Toowoomba’s sixth and final round, adding it to his and the team’s Australian Motocross Championship victory earlier this season.
Aboard the 2014 RM-Z450, Moss was at his immaculate best in Queensland, topping timed qualifying, winning his heat race and leading all 20 laps of the main event on his way to the race win and championship after entering the finale five points behind the lead.
It’s been a remarkable year for Moss in his maiden full-time campaign in the premier category, sealing both the Supercross and MX Nationals Championships for Suzuki in his return to the Jay Foreman-managed Motul Pirelli Suzuki squad.
“My feeling right now is indescribable,” 25-year-old Moss commented. “I just wanted to do my own thing, stay clean and that’s exactly what I was able to do. All day long I felt confident, I knew I had to do my job and get a good start in the main, which is how it turned out.
“I’m really thankful to Jay and Jess Foreman, as well as the entire Motul Pirelli Suzuki team – now we need to come back and defend these two number one plates next year!”
It was a Suzuki sweep of the Supercross podium overall as Moss’ twin brother Jake claimed second for the round and series, while American Josh Hill salvaged third despite a DNF in the final main event of the season.
Motul Pirelli Suzuki team manager Jay Foreman was proud of Moss’ efforts once again, the team making the most of its tight-knit structure across the course of the season.
“This is great,” Foreman said. “Matt was never a gamble for me, we’ve worked together before and won championships together before. Once Matt is in the right place, anything is possible – he’s so determined and he’s a winner. This result is really incredible for the whole team.”
Moss and Suzuki have now won five championships together including the 2008 SX Lites title, 2009 MX and SX Lites titles and both the 2013 MX and SX Open titles.
— KTM Report
Motorex KTM rider Daniel McCoy gave it everything, but was unable to finish his supercross season with a trip to the podium, as the 2013 Milwaukee presents the Terex Australian Supercross Championship concluded at Toowoomba Showgrounds.
Matt Moss won the race from Jake Moss and Jay Marmont, while McCoy built upon an impressive start to challenge Marmont for the final rung of the podium throughout the race.
The result gave Matt Moss the title from Jake Moss and Josh Hill, with Marmont and McCoy finishing equal on points, although Marmont would take the higher position by virtue of higher final moto finish.
While a week of afternoon thunderstorms in the area left many expecting the worst, the weather stayed fine all night allowing some intriguing racing to unfold.
One interested observer on the night was national motocross number 5 Kirk Gibbs, who suffered fractured ribs in his crash at Mt.Gambier over a month ago and has been instructed to take a rest from racing or testing until after Christmas.
In the SX-Lites class newly crowned Queensland Supercross Champion Brendan Harrison of the Choice Motorsports Team had the crowd on their feet with a come from behind charge from fourth that took him right up to and alongside eventual race winner Luke Styke on several occasions in the last three laps.
Harrison played it hard but clean however, to finish with a well-deserved second place ahead of Luke Arbon.
Fellow KTM riders Kayne Lamont and Dylan Long both fell in the final and were credited with 7th and 17th respectively.
Danny Apro, Motorex KTM Crew Chief: “Overall it was one of the best track layouts we’ve had, with good width and nice combination sections – and we got lucky with the weather! In the heat Daniel blew the start with wheel spin and just couldn’t come through. For the main we made a couple of small changes and we were third out of Turn 1 but got relegated in Turn 2. DMC pushed hard after Marmont and caught him, lost him, caught him again etc. but in the end he had to settle for fourth. Always you want better but it’s about in line with where we’ve been for much of the supercross season so I’m not unhappy.”
Daniel McCoy: “It was an okay night. I qualified fifth – I’m not one to hang it all out in a qualifying lap. In the heat I spun off the start and the best I could do was fourth which gave me the eighth gate pic. It was actually a good gate and I got a great jump and ran it down hard but I had to go outside as there was a line up on the inside. I tried everything to get past on Jay but then Bopping was behind me showing me a wheel whenever he could so I had to defend as well as attack. Fourth was the best I could do and unfortunately the tie with Jay means I end up fifth on countback. Not what I wanted but it is what it is.”
Brenden Harrison: “I’m pretty happy. I really wanted to win tonight and I did everything I could – made some passes and I got close but I just couldn’t quite get there. It’s been a good season and we’ve progressed at every round which is fantastic but there’s a lot more room for improvement. I think we used the season perfectly and now I’m really looking forward to round one of the motocross championship.”
— Carlton Dry Honda Report
Carlton Dry Honda Racing’s Gavin Faith has finished the 2013 Milwaukee presents the Terex Australian Supercross Championship runner-up after a tumultuous final round of the series in Toowoomba last night.
Faith won his heat race and was favourite to take the title, but he went down on the opening lap of the race while sitting second.
The American worked his way up into fifth but a second crash dropped him to eighth and second in the overall standings for 2013.
“I am totally devastated,” Faith said. “I was feeling great, I had good pace in my heat race and was confident coming into this event.
“I made a mistake on the opening lap and no matter how hard I tried to recover I went from bad to worse
“It has been awesome being back in Australia and part of the series, I just really wish I could have delivered the team another championship,” Faith continued.
Teammate Hayden Mellross recorded his best result of the series, finishing the Pro Open final sixth.
Despite missing the opening two rounds of the series the New South Welshman ended the series ninth in the standings.
“Last night was definitely a big improvement on previous rounds but still not quite the finish I was hoping for,” Mellross explained.
“After missing the opening two rounds with injury it was pretty much a case of chipping away at it and improving each round.
“We took it round by round and tried to take positives out of each race. Last night was the first race in three months I haven’t suffered arm pump,” Mellross added.