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Event: 2005 Maxxis
Tyres Australian Motocross Championship Round: Seven Location: Gillman,
South Australia Event Date: June 26,
2005 Deep rutted track calls on fast starts for Australian Motocross Championship Heavy rains leading up to round seven of the Maxxis Tyres
Australian Motocross Championship at Gillman in South Australia on the
weekend, saw riders compete on a one lined rutted course, where follow the
leader became came the play of the day.
To remain out front riders needed the best start possible, as
passing was almost impossible with the deep mud that sidelined the
track. Motorex KTM Pro Lite entrant,
Ryan Marmont, used the power of his KTM250SXF to ensure he was one of those
front-runners in both his motos. A bad pick of the gate in moto one, did not deter Marmont as he
worked his way up to third in his first race. Current Pro Lite Championship leader, Cameron Taylor, only
passed Marmont on the second last lap, proving Marmont has the power and technique
to race with Taylor. In moto two, Marmont scored the hole shot, maintaining his
position as one of the front runners until unfortunate rear brake problems
caused him to reduce his pace on the corners. With Marmont now riding at a reduced speed, three riders were
able to pass him ending his race in 4th place. Marmont’s combined results gave him a 5th overall
positioning for the day but he maintained his second overall ranking in the
Championship. The Pro Lites
Championship points now stand with Cameron Taylor from Yamaha in first on 272
points, Ryan Marmont from Motorex KTM in second on 230 points and Luke
Burkhart from Suzuki in third on 213 points. A combination of mechanical and emotional challenges saw Motorex
KTM Pro Open rider, Lee Ellis, haunted by start gate nerves as he took to his
two motos. Ellis was delayed off the start gate in moto one with minor
clutch problems, which saw him take to his first corner in 25th
position. Showing his physical
endurance and fitness, Ellis followed his usual form to power from the back
of the pack, to end up riding with the front runners by mid race. He finished moto one in 6th
position. In moto two Ellis was ready for a come back, his KTM 450SX was
running smoothly and all he needed was to power out of the start gate. Ellis describes his start as average,
taking to the first corner in 13th position and from then on
misfortune struck. Mid race, Ellis
hit a mudpack and was forced off the track.
When trying to re-enter the track, Ellis hit a tyre bouncing off the
bike. By the time Ellis restarted the
bike most of the race leaders were a lap ahead, which saw Ellis finish his
moto in 19th position. The final results saw Daryl Hurley from Suzuki take top honours
in the Pro Open Class putting him back in the lead for the overall
championship on 305 points, with Darryll King from Yamaha in second on 300
points and Shayne King from Honda in third on 276 points. Motorex KTM rider, Lee Ellis maintained 8th
position on 140 points. Motorex KTM riders will now prepare for the final round of
the Maxxis Tyres Australian Motocross Championship this Sunday, 3 July in
Conondale QLD. Stay tuned on news and
race results at www.ktm.com.au. QUOTES: Rob
Twyerould – Race Team Manager “Ryan showed great speed today but he lacked a bit of stamina in
the last 10 minutes of each race. His
fitness level is not at its peak, but you have to hand it to Ryan as looking
at his results this time last year, he wasn’t even in the top ten for
motocross, said Twyerould. “Ryan has proved himself as one of the best Pro Lite motocross
riders in Australia and he’s obviously within a mathematical chance of still
taking the title with one round to go. “Ryan only lost three points to Cameron Taylor today, but didn’t
lose anything to third place runner Luke Burkhart so he is still maintaining
his position quite well. “Lee seemed intimidated by the track and his mental approach to
racing still requires more confidence.
We all know he has the speed, when he experiences bad starts he has no
problem coming from the back of the race to battle with the front runners. “We need Lee to start off his racing battling with the front
runners rather than tiring himself to catch them. A lot of Lee’s challenges are a build up of nerves that have an
impact on his mental approach to racing.
Once he builds on his confidence to start out front, he will stay out
front. “We’re now all looking forward to the grand finale at Conondale
this weekend. The truck will go
straight to the workshop tomorrow to prepare the bikes and then we head
straight to Queensland, where the team hope to end the Australian Motocross
Championship on a high.” Ryan
Marmont – Pro Lites “I got a bad position in qualifying which meant a poor
pick at the start gate in moto one. I
knew the 250SXF had the speed to ride with the front-runners so I went into
the race with great confidence, said Marmont. “I over heated my rear brake in moto two which caused me
some technical challenges on the track.
I had to reduce my corner speed, which allowed some riders to pass me,
and with the track being so tight it was almost impossible to manoeuvre past. “I didn’t get to train as hard as I would have liked to
leading up to this round because it had rained so much back home in
Wollongong. My home track was pretty
much a muddy playground so it was hard to train in those conditions. “Overall I’m pleased I maintained second position in the
Championship and I hope to still challenge Cameron Taylor for the win at the
final next weekend.” Lee
Ellis – Pro Open “I’m really disappointed with my starts, sometimes I’m
confident and at other times I just can’t get a grip on beginning the race. “I’m comfortable working my way from the back of the pack but
that is not enough to win the race.
When I’m not competitive off the start, I don’t just feel like I’m
letting myself down but also the team. “I know the team totally support me, but I have to lift my
mental strength and hopefully with time and experience at a factory level I
can achieve competitive results.” POINTS: Top Ten
Pro Lites Round Points
Top Ten Pro Lites Championship
Points
Top Ten Pro Open Round
Points
Top Ten Pro Open Championship
Points
ENDS For
further information please contact: Lizzie
Leotta Media/Publicity Tel: 02
43826621 Mbl: 0411
414 231 Email: lizzie@pnc.com.au Greg
Chambers Marketing/Communications Tel: 08
9351 4785 Email: greg.chambers@ktmhusaberg.com.au Rob
Twyerould Race
Team Manager Tel: 02
4735 8044 Mbl: 0438
980 371 Email: rob.twyerould@ktm.com.au |
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