News - Motocross & Supercross
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September
New Venue for Round 5 of Honda ThunderX Series

August
Warwick round of Junior MX Series moved to Tivoli
New Venue confirmed for Round 4 Honda ThunderX Series
Queensland Supercross Championships Supp Regs released
ThunderX Series Round 4 - new venue TBA
Doohan Drops In
Queenslanders win two of the three 2007 National Motocross Titles
McFarlane and Byrne in Australia's Motocross of Nations Team
Reardon crowned Champion

July
2008 major Motocross Series - Expressions of interest
Schubring takes on Red Bull X-Fighters in Spain
17,000kms, 3 states, and a podium for Cairns' Jake Wright
Reardon maintains lead despite fall
Waters granted another 'widlcard' entry to Australian Motocross Championships
Reardon returns to winning ways

June
Carroll leads the hometown assault
Junior Motocross Re-Gradings approved
Reardon maintains dominance, Waters breaks through
Shell Series Presentation Night

May
Honda Thunder-X Supp Regs released
Australian Junior Motocross Championships Supp Regs released

April
Dobson wins New Zealand National Title

March
Girls do Queensland proud at opening round of National Series
Go Girls Motocross / Off Road Series - Round 2
Reardon defends his Supercross Title
Changes to Tropical North Queensland Motocross Series

Round 2 Shell Advance Sunshine State Motocross Series - cancelled

Round 2 of the Shell Advance Sunshine State Motocross Series, scheduled to take place at the Coolum Motocross Track this weekend (Saturday 16th & 17th February 2008) has been cancelled.

Heavy rain on the sunshine coast has led to flooding in the pit area at the Coolum track, making the conduct of the event on this weekend impossible.

Round 2 may be rescheduled to take place on another weekend. Further information reagrding a possible rescheduled date will be advised once confirmed.

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New Venue for Round 5 of Honda ThunderX Series

Due to an unavoidable date clash, the fifth and final round of the Honda ThunderX Series scheduled to take place at Hinchliffe Property on Sunday 28th October, has been moved and will now take place at Goomburra (near Warwick).

Updated Supplementary Regulations are available from here.

A mud map of how to get to the Goomburra property can be downloaded from here.

Check out this link for YouTube footage of the venue which was used earlier this year for Round 2 of the Queensland Enduro Championships.

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Warwick round of Junior MX Series moved to Tivoli

Due to the continuing drama related to the horse flu epidemic, at 5pm on Thursday 30th August, the Department of Primary Industries announced that the Warwick Motocross Track at Morgan Park, would be temporarily closed, throwing this weekend's Y-AIM / YMF South East Queensland Junior Motocross event into confusion.
 
Motorcycling Queensland can provide confirmation that the event has now been moved to Tivoli Raceway, Cnr Coal Road & Brodzig Road, Chuwar (near Ipswich).

Members from the Moreton & Districts Motocross Club and Warwick Dirt Bike Club will be working flat out to prepare the Track and surrounding areas.

On a positive side of things, recent good rain in the South-East Queensland area has ensured that the dam at the track is full, and the track generally is in very good condition.

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New Venue confirmed for Round 4 Honda ThunderX Series

Motorcycling Queensland can confirm that a new / alternate venue has been confirmed for Round 4 of the Honda ThunderX Series, to be held on Sunday 9th September 2007.

The event will now be held at the fantastic natural terrain venue at Riverside Raceway, off Jack Parr Street, Mundubbera. This is the same venue that was used for round 3 of the 2007 Queensland Motocross Championships.

The Central Burnett Motorcycle Club has been fantastic for stepping in at late notice to help ensure that there will be a fourth round. Please show your appreciation to the Club on the day.

The track which is mostly natural terrain, is located close to the Burnett River, and is made up of loamy soil with large drop-aways and some man made jumps and berms.

The track is situated about 2km’s East of Mundubbera. Signs will indicate locality. Mundubbera is situated north of Kingaroy, west of Maryborough and south of Biloela on the Burnett Highway.

Camping is available on site and there is town water, toilets, showers, and bike washing and canteen facilities, there is no power and generator only for Toilet Block.

An entry form for all remaining rounds (noting the new Rd 4) venue is available from here.

The due date for on time Round 4 entries to be received has been extended to Friday 31st August.  Entries received after this date may attract a late fee.

Nb: Any person, who had previously entered for Round 4 at Warwick, will be posted a new Entry Form showing the new Round 4 venue. If you plan on riding at the new venue, please complete this form and bring it with you to machinery at Mundubbera.

Have you pre-entered for Warwick, and you’re not planning on going to the new venue (Mundubbera)?

Contact Kevin Mortimer on 0408 705 606 and leave a detailed message advising that you will not be riding in Round 4.

Please also return your Round 4 passes to PO Box 126, Clontarf, Qld 4019, including a self-addressed envelope, and either:

*an Entry Form for Round 5, which means you would like your entry transferred to this round, or,

*A note requesting a refund.

Mundubbera accommodation options also include:

Billabong Motor Inn Mundubbera - Ph: (07) 4165-4533
Citrus Country Caravan Village Mundubbera - Ph: (07) 4165-4549
Mundubbera Motel Mundubbera - Ph: (07) 4165-4399
Three Rivers Tourist & Van Park Mundubbera - Ph: (07) 4165-3245
Royal Hotel Mundubbera - Ph: (07) 4165-4204
Star Hotel Motel Eidsvold - Ph: (07) 4165-1109
Gayndah Motel - Ph: (07) 4161-2500
Gayndah Colonial Motor Inn - Ph: (07) 4161-1999

For more information contact:
Lee Voss p: (07) 4165-1243, mb: 0428 654 601 
Birte Voss p: (07) 4165-4602 (all hours).

Thanks also to those other venues who expressed an interest in staging this round, most notably Rob Haworth at his Leyburn property.

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Queensland Supercross Championships Supp Regs released

The Supplementary Regulations and Entry Forms for the 2007 Supercross Masters Queensland Supercross Championships have been released and are available from this link.

This event will take place at the Boondall Entertainment Centre on Saturday 6th October 2007.

Further information regarding entries, ticketing, etc is available from the Supplementary Regulations or by logging onto the Supercross Masters website.

Entries are open forthwith and open to riders with the appropriate Supercross endorsement on their licence. Entries close Monday 1st October 2007.

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ThunderX Series Round 4 - new venue TBA

Round 4 of the 2007 Honda ThunderX Series, scheduled to take place at Warwick on Sunday 9th September will now take place at an alternative venue - as yet to be confirmed.

The Warwick Club have experienced some difficulties in obtaining Club and community support to stage this event only one week after hosting Round 4 of the South-East Queensland Junior Motocross Series.

The Motocross Subcommitte in conjunction with Motorcycling Queensland and the Series Co-ordinator are attempting to source an alternative venue.

As soon as any further information is know it will be posted right here, on the Motorcycling Queensland website.

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Doohan Drops In

Five times World MotoGP champion and Motorcycling Queensland Patron – Mick Doohan (OAM) took the opportunity to drop in, literally, for a look at the final round of the Nokia Motocross Nationals held at Coolum Motocross Track last weekend (Sunday 12th August).

Queenslander Doohan, who is well known to prefer helicopter as his preferred choice of transportation, landed his 'Chopper' at a designated area at Coolum track about midday on Sunday, and stayed at the track for a number of hours, spreading his time between the VIP area and strolling casually amongst the huge crowd that was in attendance.

Also spotted at the event on the Sunday was Kilcoy resident and current TeamVodafone V8 driver Craig Lowndes.

The crowd at the track on the Sunday was estimated by local club representatives as being the biggest crowd at any event that the Club has staged. The Suncoast Junior MCC was awarded the trophy for the 'Best round of the Series', for the third time - a true reward for the efforts of the Club's dedicated group of volunteers and officials.

Queenslanders in attendance went home with smiles on their faces as local riders Daniel Reardon (Pro Open), and Brenden Harrison (U/19s) won their respective Championship classes – full story here.

The Suncoast Club will now start gearing themselves up to host the 2007 Australian Junior Motocross Championships to be held at the track from 25th – 30th September.

Over 800 junior riders aged 4 – 16 years are expected to converge on the coast from every state in Australian, as well as from New Zealand and the United States.

The event is open to spectators FREE of charge every day  - except for the finals on Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th when a $5 entry fee will be charged.

More information on the Australian Junior Motocross Championships is available from the Suncoast Junior Motorcycle Club website.

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Queenslanders win two of the three 2007 National Motocross Titles
Photo courtesy: click28.com

In front of a massive crowd at the superbly prepared black sand Coolum Motocross Track, Queenslander Brenden Harrison (Serco Yamaha) wrapped up the Yamaha U/19s class, in its inaugural year, at the 2007 Nokia Motocross Championships.

Despite not winning a Moto on the day, Harrison took the top position for the 2007 series by riding intelligently and conservatively.

It was fellow Queenslander Todd Waters (KTM), who collected the overall round win, with Kirk Gibbs of Team 07 Yamaha caming in 2nd and Suzuki’s Lawson Bopping came 3rd.

In Moto 1, Cody Wheeler on his KTM took the holeshot but the race fast became a battle between the top 5 championship riders. Harrison started strongly but crashed and sacrificed some placings. It was another Queenslander - Dean Ferris (Yamaha) who took advantage of the leader’s misfortune and moved strongly through the pack to catch KTM’s Todd Waters. In the end, Ferris was too good and took top honours, followed home by Kirk Gibbs of Team 07 Yamaha in 2nd, and Todd Waters in 3rd.

In the 2nd Moto, Todd Waters put in a superior performance leading strongly out in front from the beginning to the end. After a strong start, Brendan Harrison dropped back to 4th but in doing so, tied up the 2007 Championship. Suzuki’s Lawson Bopping finished 2nd and Kirk Gibbs placed 3rd. Dean Ferris unfortunately didn’t finish the race.

2007 Champion Brendan Harrison was ecstatic with his overall win.

“Considering that my broken foot bothered me for the first couple of rounds, I’m really happy with the way its turned out. I knew I needed 4th in the second Moto today after crashing in the first. Its awesome to take out the U/19’s in the first year it has had its own national championship.”

In the Pro Open class, despite finishing in 3rd place for the round Queenslander Daniel Reardon (Kawasaki Racing Team) was crowned the 2007 Nokia Pro Open Champion.

The first race of the Pro-Opens saw Shift Motul Suzuki’s Daryl Hurley take the holeshot and shoot to an early. Behind him, Cody Cooper, the No Fear Honda rider who has been going from strength to strength over the last few rounds, kept Hurley in his sights and pushed hard to eventually take lead position which he retained until the end.

This year’s champion Dan Reardon of Kawasaki had to pull off early with goggle problems and only made it back to 10th position by the finish. Hurley held on behind Cooper to finish 2nd and Troy Carrol of Cool Air Racing Team rode consistently to place 3rd.

After KTM’s Jay Marmont and Cheyne Boyd of CDR/Nokia Yamaha fought for the holeshot, the 1st half of Moto 2 was dominated by Boyd with Reardon breathing down his neck. The 2nd half however was all Reardon, who took Boyd on lap 10 in a final display of the speed that gave him the 2007 series and secured him a contract in the United States. Cody Cooper crashed and failed to finish.

Reardon said that the 1st Moto was disappointing.

“I got a good start but was getting heaps of dirt on my goggles from Troy Carrol who was ahead of me. I crashed, then still couldn’t see so had to pull into the pits and change goggles. In Moto2 my start wasn’t that good but I felt much better. I didn’t put pressure on myself and just waited for a clear pass. To go out on a high like this is awesome”, he said.

Queenslanders filled 4 of the top 10 placings in this year's Pro Open Championships with Troy Carroll (Cool Air Racing) in 5th, Privateer Nathan Crawford (Toowoomba Honda) in 7th, and CDR Yamaha's Ford Dale in 9th.

U/19s class competitor Todd Waters (Motorex KTM) put together enough points over 3 wild card rounds to finish as the highest placed Queenslander (16th) in the Pro Lites class. Brenden Harrison also competed as a wild card in 3 rounds finishing in 18th. Waters and Harrison will be out to give this class a good shake next year as fulltime Pro Lites competitors.

For all of the round and Series results go to www.ozmotox.com.au

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McFarlane and Byrne in Australia's Motocross of Nations Team

Queenslanders Andrew McFarlane and Michael Byrne have been named in the team that will represent Australia at the 2007 Motocross of Nations to be held in the United States in September.

The event that will take place in Budds Creek on 22-23 September will feature a strong Aussie line-up, consisting of McFarlane, Byrne and Chad Reed, as well as Team Manager Gary Benn.All three of the chosen riders currently ride in America, and with previous experience at the Budds Creek track, Australia is sure to be one of the top teams in contention for outright honours.

Brett Metcalfe and Daniel Reardon have been named as the reserve riders for the team, and having formed part of the 2006 team that competed in England, will add valuable back-up if needed.

Speaking of the team selection, Team Manager Gary Benn noted that it is possibly one of the best line-ups for a Motocross of Nations that Australia has named in years, and admitted that he has high hopes of a podium finish.

“Seeing that it is in America, and given that it is those three guys riding, you would think that if we don’t finish on the podium we must have had some sort of a mishap,” he said.Benn revealed that the whole team will be catching up in the week prior to the event at Chad Reed’s property in Florida, and said that the riders had a fairly strong bond which was likely to benefit the team.

“I know that they are in different teams, but I guess it’s sort of natural that any Aussies who are in another country, and have the same interest, and same job, always have a sort of a bond anyway. 

Benn also revealed that Metcalfe was not considered for selection in the team due to an injury at the time of selection.“When the team was picked, Brett was injured, and although at the moment he is riding really well, the reason why he was made a reserve was due to the fact that he was coming back from injury when the team had to be picked.”

Recently crowned Australian Motocross champion Daniel Reardon (another Queenslander) could consider himself unlucky to have also missed out on the Team. Speaking of his selection from his home in America, McFarlane admitted to being ecstatic with the news, and said that it meant a lot for him to be able to represent his country.

“I think for any Aussie, you have the dream to one day wear the green and gold in whatever sport.  Whether that’s for Motocross or in the Olympics or any sport, it’s definitely something special and always something I have wanted to do,” he said.

“I like to wear the green and gold gear, and I love representing my country event though I haven’t been home for a long time. McFarlane added that he believes the 2007 Australian Team to be exceptionally strong, and hopes that with the right preparation, a top-five finish can occur.“I think it has been a long time coming for us to all get together,” he said.

“There are a lot of positive things with the line up and it is something that I am really excited about.“We will just prepare ourselves as best as we possibly can - I think it is really possible for us to get a top-five finish, and that’s what we’re aiming for.”

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Reardon crowned Champion
Photo courtesy: Mick Innes SMX Industries

Queenslander Daniel Reardon (Kawasaki Racing Team) is the 2007 Pro Open Nokia Australian Motocross Champion!

In near perfect racing conditions at The Lakes track in NSW, Reardon piloted his KX450F to Championship victory, and in so doing extended his points lead out to 59 points in the Pro Open class - with one final round still to go, making him unbeatable in the Title race.

With the final round in his home state (Queensland) at Coolum next weekend, Reardon is preparing to finish his last Australian round in peak form for KRT, before he makes his way to the US at the end of the month to begin his dream of competing in the AMA.

“It is a fantastic result for Kawasaki and the great team of people around me to wrap up the 2007 Championship with one round still to go,” said Reardon.

“I can’t thank KRT enough for putting so much effort into making my dream of winning both the 2007 Australian Supercross and Motocross Titles a reality".

“My goal for 2007 was to win both Titles before going overseas to race and we have achieved it. I can’t thank the guys at Kawasaki enough for their support over the years and for always giving me a great bike to ride.

Not once this year has my bike missed a beat in racing which is evidence that the product and team just work great.

“Wrapping the Championship up with one round still to go is an awesome effort by everyone involved in the Team and we will be out there to continue our domination, whilst having a bit of fun, next weekend at Coolum. I really enjoy racing on that track and I intend on going out there and riding the final round event with as much conviction as I have shown all season,” Reardon said.

Brett Whale was ecstatic for Daniel and the Team to have wrapped up KRT’s second 2007 Open Championship. “It is an awesome result for Kawasaki and the Team to secure the 2007 Motocross Title with still one round of racing to go,” said Whale.

“Daniel has done an awesome job for Kawasaki over the years and his dual Championship win in 2007 is a great achievement for such a talented young rider.”

“We are looking forward to celebrating podium results in both the Lites and Open Championships at Coolum.”“We have had endless support from our Team Sponsors this year which has been great and our results are a reflection of the whole Team’s commitment to being the best in 2007,” Whale said.

The final round of the 2007 Nokia Motocross Championships will take place at the Coolum Motocross track this Sunday 12th August. For more information check out the Suncoast Junior Motorcycle Club website at www.suncoastjmc.com.au

Round and overall series results available from www.ozmotox.com.au

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2008 major Motocross Series - Expression of interest

The Motorcycling Queensland Motocross, Junior and Women's Subcommittees are calling for Expressions of interest from MQ affiliated Clubs interested in hosting round/s of major Motocross events in 2008.

Also being called for are Expressions of interest from suitably qualified Officials interested in nominating for Series officating positions.

The following major Motocross events for 2008 are seeking Expressions of interest from MQ affiliated Clubs:

*Sunshine State Motocross Series - '2008 Expression of interest to host'
*Queensland Motocross Championship - '2008 Expression of interest to host'
*Queensland Thunder-X Series - '2008 Expression of interest to host'
*South East Queensland Junior MX Series - '2008 Expression of interest to host'
*Women's Off Road Series (incoporating the Queesland Junior Female Motocross Championship) - '2008 Expression of interest to host'.

To register your Clubs interest please download the relevant '2008 Expression of interest to host' document/s, complete and return to Motorcycling Queensland via fax: 3281-2742, e: info@mqld.org.au or post: PO Box 2072 North Ipswich Qld 4305, by Friday 31 August 2007.

Expressions of interest are also being sort from appropriately qualified / licenced Officials to fill the following Series positions:

*Series Clerk of Course (Sunshine State Motocross Series, South East Queensland Junior Motocross Series and Women's Off Road Series only);
*Series Race Secretary (all events).

Persons interested in these positions must hold at least Level 3 accreditation and a current Officials Licence.

To nominate for any of these Series Officials positions, please submit an application in writing to Motorcycling Queensland via fax: 3281-2742, e: info@mqld.org.au or post: PO Box 2072 North Ipswich Qld 4305, by Friday 31 August 2007 outling the position/s you are applying for and relevant practical experience.

If you have any queries with any of the above, please contact Motorcycling Queensland on p: 3281-2255 or info@mqld.org.au

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Schubring takes on Red Bull X-Fighters in Spain

Queensland freestyle rider Matt Schubring (Motorex KTM) - pictured, will enter his first ever invitational only Red Bull X-Fighters event this weekend in Spain’s famed bullfighting arena Las Ventas in Madrid.

Las Ventas arena is being transformed into one of the most technical freestyle motocross tracks for the last leg of the Red Bull X-Fighters tour, which has already visited Mexico and Ireland earlier in the year.

Competing in pairs (one after the other), each rider has 90 to 120 seconds to show his skills and impress the judges and audience. Currently leading the tour is 20 year-old Dany “DT” Torres (ESP), who won Red Bull X-Fighters in Mexico City and came third at Slane Castle.  

Torres will also have some stiff competition from KTM rider Matt Schubring who will enter on board the KTM 250 SX-F, along side fellow rivals “Czech Hammer,” Libor Podmol, Eigo Sato (Japan) plus Travis Pastrana and Nate Adams from the USA.

Schubring will be the only Aussie competing in the tour with Robbie Maddison out with injury.  Check out the event and cheer on Matt on the free live action webcast at www.redbullxfighters.com – 5.30am (AEST), Saturday 28th July, 2007.

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17,000kms, 3 states, and podium for Cairns' Jake Wright

Our very own Far North Queensland boy Jake Wright has just completed the all new Williams Event Management (WEM) Rising Star Rookies Series where he finished in second place in the Yamaha Academy 12-14yrs 85cc class.

An outstanding result considering the Series was held over 3 rounds, none of which was even remotely near where Jake resides in Cairns (Far North Queensland).

In fact for 2 of the rounds he had to cross 3 states to get to the start line.With a dedicated support team consisting of Mum (Tanya) and Dad (Nathan), a Van with a fully stocked fridge, plenty of warm blankets and an ever growing DVD selection for the long journeys, nothing was going to stand in Jake’s way. Jake kindly took the time out to reflect on this year’s Series, and share his many up’s and down’s which saw him finish with an overall Series podium in the 85cc 12-14yrs class.

Round 1 – Newry, Victoria 18th March Even with Mum and Dad sharing the driving it still took us 2 days to arrive at the first round in Maffra, Sale, Victoria. It's funny how the temperature always seems to be single digits in these places. Something, coming from Cairns, that I’m just not used to…

I’m sitting on the start line, in my thermals, trembling, and unable to feel the end of my fingers due to the cold. As it turned out Round 1 was a very fast and the track felt very smooth track and not all that technical. Being a bit of a ‘rut boy’ I’m not a huge fan of all of the flat corners.

The feeling on the start line was like a Mini Aussie Juniors Title, especially the professional way Williams Event Management (WEM) ran the event. They’ve got the schedule board, so everyone knows what time their event’s on and once the horn goes if you’re not on the grid, you miss out on the pick of the gate and have to move to the end. It was really professional, and I was glad to be a part of it.

Not the start I was looking for though, with a crash in my first 85cc practice session, resulting in a broken exhaust manifold after I was hit from behind, meaning I complete practice with a very noisy bike. Dad and I then had the task of fixing the bike before the first 85cc race. Luckily we take a spare 85cc when we travel such long distances, as it turns out it was used a few times…I was also competing in the 125cc class on my Husqvarna 125. This class was full of amazing talent including, Tye Simmonds, Harrison Wooding, Troy McNally and the awesome Hamish Dobbyn who lobbed in for the third round.

Wow this guy (Hamish) is fast and a nice fella to boot. We chatted a bit at the start gates and he is now off overseas to train with Stefan Everts and compete in the World Mini Championships.

Race 1 on the 85cc and I crashed in the very first corner, not a very good start to say the least… But I get up and got going knowing I still have 20 minutes to catch up. The track was very fast and I knew I had to work hard. After working my way through the pack I got up to 4th position, which is where I finish the race. Not a bad effort, all things considered.  I know I can do better in the second moto, which is a 15 minute moto.

I get a much better start and finished 2nd meaning 2nd also overall after the 1st round. In the 125 class I manage a 6th and a 7th position which puts me in 6th place overall for the round. Again not a bad effort I thought considering the quality of riders that I was up against.

Round 2 – Lakes, New South Wales 3rd June 2007

Mum & Dad are happy because we’ve only got one state to cross to get there, which thankfully means quite a few less travel time. Again it’s single digit temperatures, but I seem to be getting used to it.

The Lakes Track was like nothing I had seen before. Half of it is on a hill. It contained some very big jumps, and was very technical track. After a quick walk around and a practice session I start to feel ok with it, and I actually ended up really enjoying it.

The 85cc class again was full of excellent competition and i was looking forward to racing my friend Dylan Gosling. The Lakes was his home track and I was keen to see how I could perform. Mum’s feeling a bit nervous though about the size of some of the big tabletop and woops, but its all good. The first 20 minute moto was awesome. I was happy with my 2nd placing, which is where I finish in the second moto also. I finished 3rd overall and again was happy with my placings.

Again the 125cc class is bulging with talent, and these guy's are fast. I finish up with an 8th place in each of the moto's and some pretty fierce arm pump, meaning an overall position of 8th in this class at this round.

Round 3 – Horsham, Victoria 15th July 2007

A second Victorian venue for the Series means we’re again crossing 3 states just to get there. Not only were the temperatures here single digit, they were minus.

After pulling into a Rest area somewhere in the middle of New South Wales to have a sleep, we wake up to -4.5 degrees. I’m heading into the last round in 2nd position in the 85cc 12-14yrs class, only 1 point behind my good mate Dylan Gosling. It’s time to give it my very best and that's what I was going to do.

The track at Horsham was just sensational, definitely one of the best I’ve ever ridden. The track itself is excellent soil, diced up really nice and had jumps and obstacles that rutted up nicely. Fast too.The facilities there were the best Mum and Dad have ever seen. Mum was so impressed she even took a video of the showers…I felt really comfortable here, and in practice was loving it.

The first 20 minute moto on the 85cc I got a great start and was in second place after a few laps I had made my decision on where i was going to take first place and I was ready to make the move – the bike had other thoughts…On the 3rd lap my bike looses all power and feel like I’m was stuck in low gear.

I instantly started looking at my engine, gear lever, brake lever I could not work out what was happening, everything looked fine, yet still no power. Then I realized it was probably engine failure. It wasn't long before the whole field passed me and I finished last. I felt pretty bad and really let down. I seem to have been plagued with bike troubles on my 85cc all year at quite a few major events.

Mum and Dad met me in Pit Lane where we established that there was no compression, which meant that another ring had broken another barrel ruined. Again it’s onto the spare 85 with a suspension change and a few bits and pieces we we’re ready to go again in the last race. I knew that 1st place was going to be out of my reach as I was too far behind on points.

Because I finished last in the first moto I get last pick of the gate for the second 15 minute moto. As I sat on the start line with Dad he patted me on the back and said:

“Mate, you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain just go out and show them what you got”. With that, the 15 second board went up then the gates dropped and I got a pretty good start into the first corner.

Coming out in 2nd position I sat and waited for my moment, in the 4th lap I was ready, and make a successful move on first. I get in front and put daylight between myself and the rest of the field.

I won the race and managed to move from 4th place overall back up to 2nd place overall and podium for the series. All things considered I was in a pretty good state of mind, and also had a great day on my 125 with a 3rd place in the first moto, and a 7th place in the 2nd moto, meaning a 4th place overall for the round, and 5th place overall for the series - a big surprise.

I was pretty happy as Mum and Dad put in a huge effort for the whole Series. They’d driven more than 17,000 km’s and I really wanted to reward them and myself for their efforts (even though Mum made me pay for the fuel to the last round - I had to hand over $990.00). I’m really glad I had the opportunity to be apart of such a great Series and had a great time doing it. 

Kevin Williams and all his staff at WEM were great and looked after everything. The tracks were excellent and everything was run very professionally. I now I’m a better rider for the experience. Check out the full results from all of the classes in this year’s Yamaha Motocross Development Series at www.ozmotox.com

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Reardon maintains lead despite fall

Brisbane’s Daniel Reardon (Kawasaki Racing Team) has maintained his lead in the Pro Open class of the 2007 Nokia Motocross Championships after Round 8 held in Wonthaggi, Victoria, despite a heavy fall in Moto one.

With riders and spectators braced for drenching rain, sterling weather conditions provided a welcome break in tradition at the Wonthaggi Motocross track.

Reardon stole the holeshot in Moto 1 but ran into trouble in lap 13 when he came off at the bottom of a jump. He was straight back on the bike despite looking dazed and by the end of the Moto was back to 3rd. Cody Cooper took the win, with Cheyne Boyd in second. Moto 2 was dominated by the same three riders but this time Reardon made no mistakes and led from start to finish, followed by Cody Cooper in 2nd and Cheyne Boyd in 3rd.

Reardon was quick not to use a bout of the flu which has dogged him for the past week, as an excuse for any average performance, but conceded that he didn't feel himself.

"I took quite a hit to the head when I crashed in Moto 1 as I didn't have time to put my hands out and crashed head first. I also broke my knee brace in the same crash. I just dealt with the flu the best I could and tried to find some good lines. I rode much more smoothly in the second Moto than in the first", he said.

Fellow Queenslander Troy Carroll (Cool Air) had a solid round to remain in the top 5 in the championship race. Toowoomba Honda's Nathan Crawford had a disastrous round collecting only 6 pts, but stays in the top 10 in 9th place.

Another Queenslander Ford Dale (Yamaha) sits just one poitn outside the top 10 in 11th place. Young Queenslanders Todd Waters (Motorex KTM) and Brenden Harrison (Serco Yamaha) both received wildcard entries into the Lites class, and once again set about mixing it with the more experience / seasoned riders.

In the first moto both were jostling, with a number of other riders, in a battle for 3rd, a position Harrison eventually filled, with Waters in 6th. In the second Moto Waters’ missed the opportunity to take first overall, after dropping the bike whilst sitting comfortably in 3rd position in the in the final moto, which pushed him back to fourth overall for the round. Harrison finished the second Moto in 8th position, putting him in 5th for the round.

Waters and Harrison will now turn their attention back to the under 19’s class, which resumes at Lakes in two weeks, where Waters is currently sitting in second place, 10pts behind Harrison. “I have had some wins against Brenden Harrison in the Pro Lites racing, so hopefully that’s an indication of how I will go racing him in the remaining under 19’s rounds.”

Full results and more news, etc on the 2007 Nokia Motocross Championships available from www.ozmotox.com

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Waters granted another 'wildcard' entry to Australian Motocross Championships

Atherton’s Todd Waters (pictured) has been granted another wildcard entry to ride with Motorex KTM Factory Racing in the Pro Lites class at round eight of the Australian Motocross Championship, taking to Wonthaggi this Sunday July 22.

Waters who usually races in the Under 19s class is making his third appearance in national Pro Lites racing and to date has claimed a podium in each event he has entered.

Waters first taste of Pro Lites victory was at round six of the Australian Championship in Toowoomba where he secured a 1st and 6th placing for a 2nd overall ranking on the day.

His next Pro Lites race meeting was at Mackay where he secured a 3rd and 6th place finish for a 3rd overall ranking on the day.

Confident of making the podium again this weekend, Waters will enter on board the KTM 250 SX-F, before returning to the Under 19s class for the remaining two rounds of the Championship at Lake Macquarie and Coolum. Waters currently sits second in the Under 19s class behind fellow Queenslander Brendan Harrison (Yamaha), with another Queenslander - Dean Ferris (Yamaha) also inside the top 4.

Unquestionably some of Queensland's best up and coming motocross talent of the past 5 years, Waters, Harrison and Ferris are all former graduates of Motorcycling Queensland's U21s Elite Training Camp. Stay tuned on Waters racing results at www.ktm.com.au.

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Reardon returns to winning ways
Photo courtesy: Kawasaki Pty Ltd

It’s been a long time since a round of the National Motocross Series hit the beautiful cane fields of Gum Valley, 60kms south of Mackay.

A bumper crowd, in excess of 5,00 people, turned up to watch the nations top motocross riders battle it out on the grass hillside.

1988 was the last time a national event was held at the track and many of the younger riders were looking forward to hitting the famous track. None more so than Queenslander Daniel Reardon, who was keen to improve on a relatively dissapointing last round (6) at Toowoomba.

He did so in impressive style taking 2 dominant wins in the premier Pro Open class, in so doing reasserting himself as the best open class rider in the country.

"I've ridden on this track once before earlier in the year and I knew it was going to be great. The preparation that has gone into it has made it one of the best rounds of the series." said Reardon.

As for the reason behind his improvement at this round compared to the two previous, he had this to say: "I think the difference is really just that Im back on my program".

Fellow Queenslander Troy Carroll continued his good form with a fourth overall while Simon Thompson and Nathan Crawford were also in the top 10 with eighth and 10th overall, respectively.

Little known Victorian Lewis Stewart bust out of the blocks in the Pro Lites division and then simply rode to victory. Behind him there was plenty of action with Jake Moss, Todd Waters and Dean Ferris in the middle of it.

Moss took second overall on the day and increased his points lead in the championship while Waters backed up his podium at Toowoomba with another at Mackay, claiming third. Ferris was only two places behind with 5th overall.

The MX Nationals now takes a couple of week’s break before resuming at Wonthaggi in Victoria. The championship finale happens at Coolum on August 11/ 12 so be sure to catch some of the action. Full results available from www.ozmotox.com.au

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Carroll leads the hometown assault

Toowoomba's Troy Carroll (Cool Air Racing) led the Queensland assault when Round 6 of the Nokia Australian Motocross Championships was run at Echo Valley, Toowoomba on the weekend.

It was Carroll's first win of the year and his best round of this year's Championships - finishing second overall for the weekend.

Carroll said he was feeling 'fit and strong' and duely made the most of the home track advantage.

"My bike is running well and I knew that if I rode consistently and stayed near the front, alot of riders would crash because of the ruts and bumps. I got a little bit of arm pump, but that didnt last long" said Carroll.

Carroll's successful weekend has seen him establish himself in the top 5 in the Championship, 41pts clear of sixth placed Matt Moss - the round winner from Toowoomba.

Despite finishing sixth, and clearly not having his best weekend, Championship leader Daniel Reardon (Kawasaki) maintains a comfortable lead in the Championship, fellow Queenslander Nathan Crawford (Honda) sits in seventh place, with another Queenslander Ford Dale (Yamaha) just outside the top 10 in 12th.

With no Under 19's class at the Toowoomba round of the Championship, the top 4 riders in the Under 19's (which included three Queenslanders - Brenden Harrison, Todd Waters and Dean Ferris) were offered wildcard entries into the Pro Lites class.

Waters duely set tounges wagging with a win in the first Moto, followed by a 6th placing in the second Moto (to finish 2nd overall for the round), Ferris then took centre stage in second Moto finishing in 2nd place (8th overall) to round winner Jake Moss.

Brenden Harrison couldnt find his rythmn and finished in 9th overall for the round.Despite this being his first ride in the Pro Lites, Ferris was pleased with his efforts.

"I've been training hard very hard for today, I didn't qualify so well, but I was confident I had the speed. The track was very tough which really tested the fitness" said Ferris.

In the Womens Championship, Queenslander Ashlea Bates took two second placings to visiting American Katherine Prumm.

Ashlea sits comfortably in second place overall in the Championship behind Prumm.

The seventh round of the Nokia Australian Motocross Championships now heads to Koumala, Gum Valley in Central Queensland, this weekend (Sunday 1st July).Further information on the Championships, including overall standings, etc. is avaialble from www.ozmotox.com

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Junior Motocross Re-Gradings approved

The Motorcycling Queensland Junior Subcommittee met on Tuesday 12th June and approved a number of re-gradings for Queensland junior motocross competitors.

A copy of these new re-gradings, which will take effect immediately (before round 1 of the South East Queensland Junior Motocross Series), can be viewed from here.

Riders on this list will shortly recieve their Gradings Certificate from Motorcycling Queensland.

The full Motorcycling Queensland Junior Motocross Gradings List can be viewed here.

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Reardon continues to dominate, Waters breaks through

Daniel Reardon (Kawasaki Racing Team) again dominated the podium at Round Five of the Australian Motocross Championship, at Murray Bridge in South Australia over the weekend. KRT’s man of the moment, Daniel Reardon, continued to put on race winning performances for green supporters, wrapping up the Pro Open program in true Reardon style.

Reardon qualified fastest for Race one and won both Pro Open races.“It was good to come away with the round win and put Kawasaki on the podium again,” said Reardon.

“I was a little off my game by not winning the hole shot in both races, but I was reasonably quick to make amends and get to the lead.”

“In Race One I went into the fi rst corner in about eighth place, but as I had great pace on my KX450F, I quickly charged through to take the lead. I think I rode just a little too comfortably. I came home 16 seconds in front of Hurley though, which was still a good result.”

“In Race Two, I had to take evasive action going into the first turn, after Moss went down in front of me and I was close to being caught up in his accident. I quickly regathered my race strategy and caught up with the top three.”

“By the third lap, I was challenging for the lead. I made a good move on Hurley and Marmont and overtook them whilst under brakes through a turn. From there I just rode my own race and came home 5 seconds in front of the field.”Reardon has opened up a 31pt gap over his nearest rival (Daryl Hurley), and a 61pt gap over equal third placed Cody Cooper and Jay Marmont.

Queenslander Troy Carroll sits in outright fifth place in the Championship, after a consistent weekend saw him collect 34pts. The same couldn't be said of fellow Queenslander Nathan Crawford who suffered a busted radiator in race 1, and a spectacular cartwheeling accident in race 2 put paid to his chances of establishing himself in the top 5. He sits in seventh place.

In the Under 19’s class Queenslander Todd Waters (Motorez KTM) - pictured above, took a clean sweep of the field, and in so doing broke fellow Queenslander Brenden Harrison’s winning streak, claiming two convincing wins.

It was the first time that Waters has been able to beat Harrison so far in the Series.

“Murray Bridge was my kind of track,” said Waters. “I got the fastest lap time in qualifying so I got the best pick of the gate.“In the first moto I was second out of the corner, and stayed in second for around three laps.  I chased down Dean Ferris (another Queenslander) who was leading and once I passed Dean I pulled a 15 second gap to the finish line.

“In my second moto I got the holeshot and there was no looking back.  Dean Ferris was behind me this time and we both pulled away from the rest of the field but I wasn’t giving up the lead, I held it on and again took the win.

“I scored the fastest lap times in the main events, as well as qualifying so it was an all round awesome weekend of racing for me and the phone hasn’t stopped ringing with messages of congratulations.

”Harrison, however maintains a 10pt lead over second placed Waters in the Series. Dean Ferris sits in fourth place, only 6pts behind third (Kirk Gibbs).

The Australian Motocross Championship now heads to the Sunshine State for round 6, to be held at Toowoomba's Echo Valley on the weekend of 23 & 24 June. Championship standings is avaialble from www.ozmotox.com

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Shell Series Presentation Night

A reminder to all Shell Advance Motocross Series competitors, parents, supporters that the 2007 Sell Series Presentation Night will be held at Gailes Golf Club on Saturday evening 7th July. This is the Saturday evening of the Tivoli round of the South East Queensland Junior Motocross Series.

The evening will include recognition of class winners, buffet dinner, dessert, lucky door prizes, and the opportunity to socialise with fellow friends and competitors.

Tickets are $35 for adults and $22 for children (5 - 12 years). A Family pass consisting of 2 adults and 2 children is also available for $95.Numbers will be limited, so get in early. Please return the Ticket Order Request Form to PO Box 126 Clontarf Qld 4019 before Sunday 24th June.

More information on this night is available by contacting Kevin Morrimer on 0408 705 606.

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Honda Thunder-X Supp Regs released

The Supplementary Regulations & Entry Forms for the 2007 Honda Thunder-X Series have been released.

The Series is a 5 round Queensland Natural Terrain State Championship in the Junior Lites, Lites, Open, Women's and Quad classes, as well as Veterans and Evolution classes. The 5 round Series will be conducted as follows:

Round 1 - Sunday 17 June (Hornes Property, Hervey Bay)
Round 2 - Sunday 29 July (Mt. Perry Sport & Rec Club, Mt. Perry)
Round 3 - Sunday 19 August (Henschens Property, Kingaroy)
Round 4 - Sunday 9 September (modified Morgan Park, Warwick)
Round 5 - Sunday 28 October (Hinchcliff Property, Canungra)Supplementary Regulations can be accessed from here.

Entries are open forthwith and close last mail Wednesday (11 days before each round). Further information on this Series available by contacting the Race Secretary - Kevin Mortimer on 0408 705 606.

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