Yamaha Report from Mackay Nokia MX

Yamaha Racing’s factory motocross teams were faced with an unusual prospect this weekend, racing at a track that the modern day Nokia MX Nationals had never visited. The element of chance was great, and the riders were determined to take the upper hand and adjust to the new terrain quickly.

Fortunately, the bucketing rain that had been seen in Mackay and the surrounding areas had subsided in order to provide riders with the perfect playing field, a loamy and sandy track.The crowds came in their thousands, and a well-prepared track made the event a positive experience for all.With the Under 19’s Championship not contesting the round, it was once again up to Yamaha’s Pro Open and Pro Lite riders to deliver strong results, and they did not disappoint.

Jake Moss was the manufacturer’s best-placed finisher, taking second for the round and further extending his massive points lead. The Pro Open runners were mixing it with the leaders for much of the weekend, and were unlucky not to finish higher up the leaderboard.

Yamaha Racing Pro Open.

Yamaha Racing’s Pro Open riders spent much of the day coming to grips with an incredibly quick track in good conditions at Mackay’s Gum Valley today, the site of round 7 of the Nokia MX Nationals.  A well-prepared venue saw the opportunity for some very high speeds, and the CDR/Nokia/Yamaha and Team Seven Yamaha teams put up a good fight despite not finishing in ideal positions.I

n the opening moto for the day, Matt Moss and Darryll King got off to a good start, overcoming the mid-pack jostling early and establishing a steady routine. Previous round winner Matt Moss entered the event with high expectations, and despite struggling with arm pump finished the opener in fifth.
King crossed the line just 10 seconds behind, taking seventh place, but a promising start soon crumbled away to a deflating DNF for Ford Dale who retired after just 3 laps with radiator damage.

Team Seven Yamaha riders sat just outside the running for top 10 placings, with Tom Jones grabbing 12th, and Shane Metcalfe very close behind in 14th. A clean start in the second and final moto for the day had Moss and King closing in on the top 5, with the action on the high-speed track really heating up.Moss again fell victim to arm pump, and slipped back to 7th. King rode a consistent race, and settled into a rhythm behind his younger teammate to take 8th.

Jones again flew the flag for Team Seven, finishing in 14th, while Metcalfe finished a lap down on the leaders to claim 20th. Moss said he had entered the weekend not quite knowing what to expect of the circuit and was reasonably happy with his progress.“Heading into the round I was pretty confident of my fitness following last weekend, so was frustrated to be troubled by arm pump which definitely slowed my progress in the races,” explained Moss. “I’m confident that I’m still carrying good speed and will bounce back to challenge for a few more round wins before the year is out.”

King said staying clear of trouble was important this weekend and felt he had delivered some solid results. “Coming back from injury is always difficult, so I was pretty pleased to be keeping in check with the frontrunners for much of the weekend,” said King. “I’m feeling better and better each day that passes and know that I can chase a podium at the next round.”

Yamaha Racing Pro Lite/Under 19's Wildcards.

Consistent results have delivered Jake Moss another round podium at Mackay’s Gum Valley today, his second overall placing the product of two top 5 moto results.The championship leader entered the round as favourite to take victory, but faced a setback in moto 1, with a bout of arm pump halting his charge.
Moss mustered up 5th, but bounced back strongly in the second moto, using a fantastic start to work his way into the lead pack. Unfortunately, his encouraging fightback was cut short as he crashed trying to pass a lapped rider, and did well to finish third.“My day didn’t go to plan,” said Moss. “My head just wasn’t in the right place this weekend.” 

“I still managed to finish second overall and further extend my lead by 11 points.” “My main focus now is the Championship, I can potentially wrap it up at the next round,” he finished

.Under 19’s Championship leader Brenden Harrison faced a series of disappointing setbacks that put pay to a good result, and his potential was definitely not shown today. A bad start to the first Pro Lite moto had Harrison playing catchup, yet he still managed to carve his way back to 9th. A crash with fellow Yamaha rider Luke George in moto 2 took Harrison right out of contention, but he forged on to take a 15th place finish, still many positions ahead of a quality field. “I had a horrible start in the opening race but did manage to salvage a top ten position from dead last after I crashed at Turn 1,” said Harrison.
 
“The pile up with Luke George really cost me as it took forever to pull our bikes apart. I am looking forward to the next round at Wonthaggi as I will again be competing in the Pro Lites and will have the chance to redeem myself.”

Team Seven Yamaha’s Kirk Gibbs was left to rue a weekend that could have been, after a crash put him out of the running in moto 1.He placed comfortably within the top 10 in moto 2 (8th place) and displayed the tenacity and skill that sees him currently challenging for title honours in the Under 19’s Championship.Dean Ferris and Luke George put on a good show for the fans, and delivered Yamaha strong result aboard their YZ250Fs, finishing the round in 5th and 9th respectively.

 Round Results .

Pro Open MX Championship
1. Daniel Reardon, 50
2. Daryl Hurley, 42
3. Jay Marmont, 37
4. Troy Carroll, 35
5. Cody Cooper, 34
6. Matt Moss, 30
7. Darryll King, 27
8. Simon Thompson, 23
9. Lee Ellis, 18
10. Nathan Crawford, 18
 
Pro Lite MX Championship
1. Lewis Stewart, 50
2. Jake Moss, 36
3. Todd Waters, 35
4. Michael Addison, 31
5. Dean Ferris, 30
6. Cody Mackie, 29
7. Peter Boyle, 27
8. Mitch Hoad, 26
9. Luke George, 26
10. Michael Phillips, 20

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