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Motorex KTM and Marmont lead in Pro
Lite Moto X Championship Motorex KTM and Ryan Marmont have taken the lead of the Pro Lite
class in the Nokia MX Nationals, following a strong performance at round two
of the Australian Championship held at Gillman in South Australia on the
weekend. Riding the KTM250SXF in two thirty minute motos, Marmont’s
combined results saw him finish fourth on the day, only missing out on the podium
by one point. In his first moto Marmont scored the hole shot and led for the
first few laps, until a personal challenge with bike fitness started to impact
on his endurance. Having only been
back on the bike for one month following shoulder surgery, Marmont wasn’t
able to push to his usual peak in fitness. In his second moto, Marmont secured a strong start behind
Mitchell Hoad of Kawasaki, dropping back to fourth in the first few
laps. Towards the final laps Marmont was
dicing with Michael Phillips of Teknik Racing, who ended up taking fourth
ahead of Marmont who crossed the line in fifth. Combining moto results on the day the overall winner was Cameron
Taylor of Serco Yamaha, followed by Cody Mackie of Pro Kawasaki in second,
Troy Dorron of No Fear Honda in third and Ryan Marmont of Motorex KTM in
fourth. Marmont’s consistent results were enough to take Motorex KTM to
the top of the Pro Lite Championship on 74 points, with Troy Dorron in second
on 66 points and Cameron Taylor in third on 59 points. In the Pro Open class, Motorex KTM riders Timmy Weigand and
Daniel McCoy remained in the top ten for the overall Championship, while Lee Ellis
slipped back in the field. It was a
race meet that both riders and mechanics found challenging. Riding the KTM450SX on the softer sand in WA for the past three
weeks helped the team prepare for round one at Wanneroo Park, where they all
finished strongly, yet testing and practicing on the sand proved not to be
ideal leading up to the first of the hard packed tracks at Gillman in SA. With a lot of lessons learnt the team will now regroup and work
on preparing for the combined sand and hard packed surface of Wonthaggi in Victoria,
which will host the third round of the Australian Motocross Championship on
Sunday, 30 April. QUOTES Rob Twyerould –
Motorex KTM Race Team Manager “The shining light for us today was Ryan Marmont
taking the lead of the Pro Lites Championship, said Twyerould. “Ryan was runner up last year and is determined to
secure the number one plate this year.
His bike fitness isn’t at its optimum level just yet following his
shoulder surgery, and although it wasn’t too painful for him to ride, we
still had to ice it between races. “In the Pro Open Championship, we learnt some
valuable lessons and although our riders were not thrilled with their overall
results, we still remain in the top ten with Timmy Weigand and Daniel McCoy. “Weigand has shown a mixture of results to date
but has beaten the front runners in other races so once his combination of
bike testing and track conditioning come together we feel confident he will
be up there. “We can only get better from here, and we all
share the same goal - to lead the
Championship so team confidence should get us there.” Lee Ellis – Motorex KTM Pro Open “Race one I got an average start, I was in about
12th and I was catching up but I came up on some lappers and
dropped the bike in a corner, I got going again but lost a few positions and
my rhythm before I finished in 13th, said Ellis. “Race two I got a good start but the track was wet
on the first few laps and I rode too cautious so a lot of people passed
me. I was running about 10th
and then I must have hit something sharp on the track because I got a flat
tyre. I rode the whole second half of
the race with a flat tyre and didn’t finish well. “I could have pulled in to change my tyre but I
didn’t know that until I finished. As
it was I don’t know that I would have made up much ground whether I pulled in
or not. “There are eight more rounds to go so I will stay
positive and try and improve at the next event in Wonthaggi.” Timmy Weigand – Motorex KTM Pro Open “I’m still finding my rhythm and comfort zone with
bike testing and the varied track surfaces, said Weigand. “My fitness is up there so once I master the other
two components being my bike and the tracks I should be up there winning. “I was challenged with the muddy sections and then
I had some mechanical mishaps in my second moto, so it all didn’t come
together for me today. “I’m heading back to California this week where I
will continue to master the performance level of the KTM450SX in hope for some
better results at round three in Wonthaggi.” Daniel McCoy – Motorex KTM Pro Open “Some days you’re on it and others you’re not, and
today just wasn’t my day, said McCoy. “Testing on the sand in WA didn’t do me any
justice coming into a hard packed surface in SA. I didn’t get the best of starts in either of my motos and both
races seemed to go by very quickly. By
the time I felt I was making ground it was all over. “I had an awesome opener in WA so to come through
at the back of the pack at round two is disappointing. I can only put it behind me and work
towards better results next time. “I’m riding in the WA State race next weekend and
then the KTM Natural Terrain series so I will be back in Perth for another
three weeks. There are some hard pack
tracks in WA where I’m going to test after the KTM Natural Terrain race, so I
should be better prepared for the mixed circuit that is ahead in Wonthaggi.” Ryan Marmont – Motorex KTM Pro Lites “It’s awesome to be leading the Championship, said
Marmont. “I was runner up last year and this year I hope to
be number one. My bike fitness isn’t
back to normal just yet so I did struggle to hold a lead throughout each 30
minute moto. “It was my first time back on a hard pack track
since my shoulder surgery so I’m pretty happy with how I went considering the
time I have been off the bike. “I’m going to America for two weeks now to spend
time with my brother Jay (two-time Australian Supercross Champion). I’ll be practicing on KTM250SXF on the
American test tracks with Jay, since he has no racing over the next two
weeks. “I always come back faster after practicing with
Jay in the States because they’re so much quicker over there and you pace
yourself against the best riders in the world.” CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: Top Ten
Pro Open Championship Points
Top Ten Pro Lites Championship
Points
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