The fourth round of the National Championship got off to a dramatic start with Under 19s rider Andrew Reardon (Honda) airlifted to hospital with a broken femur following a fall in the first moto.
But the drama in the Under 19s didn’t stop there, with several riders penalised for yellow flag breaches including Josh Cachia (Honda) who, at the time of the incident, had amassed an impressive lead.
With penalties accounted for, it was young rider Menchi who took the moto, followed by Matt Ryan (Yamaha) in second and Tasmanian star Ross Beaton (Yamaha) in third.
The second moto was much smoother for the Under 19s, with the rider’s cool, calm and collected after the events of the morning.
Lawson Bopping (Suzuki) claimed victory ahead of second placed, and race favourite, Tye Simmonds (KTM) with Timothy Lonsdale (Kawasaki) rounding out the top three.
When the Pro Lites took to the track after a slight delay, they meant business, with Kade Mosig (Honda) scoring the holeshot,
Unable to capitalise on it, Mosig quickly dropping back to third and eventually finished seventh in the moto.
It was Kirk Gibbs (Yamaha) who took out the first Pro Lites moto, chased down by Adam Monea (Kawasaki) and Todd Waters (KTM), with series leader George finishing fourth.
In the second moto, Mosig once again scored the holeshot and soon became embroiled in a three man battle for the chequered flag along with Gibbs and Dean Ferris (Honda).
Eventually Gibbs rose to the occasion and finished the moto nearly 10 seconds ahead of Ferris, in second, and Mosig, in third.
The Pro Opens provided some of the most spectacular and exciting racing; riding hard and extremely fast, a sensational battle between Anderson and Jay Marmont (Yamaha) left spectators on the edge of their seats.
While Marmont scored the holeshot in the first moto, he was immediately overtaken by Anderson at the first jump, and soon set to work catching the former Australian Champion.
At one point the gap between the two was barely a second, with Marmont at one point taking the lead, only to have it snatched back on the next set of jumps.
A tooth and nail battle ensued until the flag with Anderson home by a whisker ahead of Marmont, with both riders lapping up to 14th place.
The second moto was just as exciting with Marmont eager to get back at Anderson however the big surprise was Cheyne Boyd (Yamaha).
Boyd not only kept pace with the two leaders, but overtook on the 16th lap to take the lead and eventually the flag, just under two seconds ahead of Marmont, with Anderson in third.
Event Director Kevin Williams was impressed with the standard of racing seen at MX Central (Barleigh Ranch Raceway), however stressed the importance of safety at these events, in light of the incidents in the first race of the day.
“Motorcycle racing is dangerous at the best of times, and when a rider comes off and is incapacitated at the edge of the circuit it is imperative that all riders understand and obey the yellow flag,” Williams said.
“These guys may be new to this level of racing and new to the Championship, however we certainly set the record straight, and this is not the first time tough penalties have been handed out for this breach.
“The officials and management of the series takes yellow flags very seriously.
“However today, again, has produced some fantastic racing with the quality and the fitness levels of the top riders in all classes really showing through.”
The fifth round of the 2008 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross National will be held at on 1 June, at AJS Motocross Club, located north of Perth.
| Pro Open Round Four: 1: Boyd 45 points 2: Anderson 45 3: Marmont 44 4: Lee Ellis 30 5: Luke Burkhart 30 | Pro Open Series: 1: Anderson 181 2: Marmont 176 3: Daryl Hurley 154 4: Boyd 123 5: Burkhart 115 | Pro Lites Round Four: 1: Gibbs 50 points 2: Monea 40 3: Todd Waters 36 4: Mosig 34 5: Ferris 30 | Pro Lite Series: 1: George 155 2: Mosig 151 3: Monea 135 4: Gibbs 132 5: Ferris 125 |
