Yamaha Preview Wonthaggi MX

The Nokia MX Nationals has entered the business end of the season, with just three point scoring rounds remaining before the titles are handed out. This weekend sees Yamaha Racing's factory backed teams and riders head to the coastal town of Wonthaggi in Victoria to contest for round 8 honours, and to further boost their championship points tallies.

And while scorching Pro Lite contender Jake Moss enjoys a huge lead at the top of Pro Lites, another unfortunate incident rocked the manufacturer's Pro Open campaign, with Matt Moss ruled out for the season after breaking his leg.Of some consolation is the fact that star pilot Cheyne Boyd steps forward from spectator to serious competitor once again after a lengthy spell recovering from an early season injury.

Fresh from an action-packed outing at Horsham last weekend, the support races are headlined by the popular Craig Dack Rookies field, with the young and talented riders eager to put on a good show in front of the national series teams and fans.

Yamaha Racing Pro Open.

Yamaha Racing's Pro Open rollercoaster ride continues this week, with the news that Cheyne Boyd will return to the CDR/Nokia/Yamaha lineup after fully recovering from injury.

Boyd headed into the season as the favourite to challenge Daniel Reardon for title honours, but had his hopes dashed after a nasty crash.His return to the bike this weekend will be bittersweet for the team, who have now lost the services of gun rider Matt Moss after he broke his leg last weekend.

Team Principal Craig Dack said that his team had been incredibly unlucky in terms of injuries during the year and hoped the final three rounds would yield better results."Our riders put so much effort into preparation so it is heartbreaking to see them sidelined like this, Matt had just hit peak form and is obviously disappointed to have had his run stopped," said Dack.

"One positive to emerge is return of Cheyne Boyd, we've missed him from the lineup for much of the season and he's been eager to get back on the bike for some time."

Boyd said he would approach the task with caution and knew that it would take time for him to recapture the pace he showed on the way to claiming runner-up in the Supercross series earlier this year.

Also in action this weekend for Yamaha are the Team Seven Motorsports duo of Shane Metcalfe and Tom Jones, both aiming to factor within the top 10 with some big names missing from the entry list.
Metcalfe's consistency has kept him in the hunt for much of the season, regularly featuring within the front running group of riders, while Jones has displayed flashes of brilliance and brought home a number of good moto results.

Yamaha Racing Pro Lite.Serco Yamaha's Jake Moss will head into the weekend as one of the favourites for round victory at Wonthaggi, but he will be firmly focused on the bigger picture as the championship grows even closer.

Consistency paid off for Moss at the previous round, and despite not winning a moto, he was able to increase his points lead to 86 through smart strategy. The hard charger set up a comfortable run home through a string of top results early in the season, with good starts and fast, focused performances paying strong dividends.

"Another long gap between rounds has meant its even more important to keep focused and try to get out on the bike as often as possible," said Moss."I'm confident that I've the best bike out there beneath me and will be ready to challenge for a win this weekend, though I won't be doing anything to risk my chances of taking the Pro Lite title."

Team Seven's Shawn Williams will be another rider out to put a tough run of results behind him and add some points to his championship campaign.

Craig Dack Rookies

In action again this weekend will be the future stars of the sport, represented in the Craig Dack Rookies class. Yamaha has a number of competitive riders fielding entries in round 4 at Wonthaggi, including Luke Styke who finished second overall last weekend.This event is the final for the series, and is sure to prove an entertaining drawcard between the premier classes throughout the day.

Championship Standings.

Pro Open MX Championship
1. Daniel Reardon, 310
2. Daryl Hurley, 273
3. Jay Marmont, 241
4. Cody Cooper, 237         
5. Troy Carroll, 196         
6. Matt Moss, 150
7. Nathan Crawford, 133
8. Kade Mosig, 130
9. Nathan Brochtrup, 121
10. Shane Metcalfe, 106
 
Pro Lite MX Championship
1. Jake Moss, 312         
2. Mitch Hoad, 226         
3. Danny Anderson, 203         
4. Cody Mackie, 197         
5. Kyle Tobin, 194         
6. Lewis Stewart, 185         
7. Michael Phillips, 162         
8. Adam Monea, 160         
9. Michael Addison, 139        
10. Peter Boyle, 124
Yamaha Under 19's
1. Brenden Harrison, 216
2. Todd Waters, 206
3. Kirk Gibbs, 180
4. Dean Ferris, 174
5. Matt Ryan, 145
6. Lawson Bopping , 144
7. Kody Wheeler, 127
8. Matt Hair, 98
9. Mat Arnautovic, 85
10. Joel Passlow, 76