Australian Supercross
Team Rockstar Motul Suzuki’s Jake Moss has raced back into contention for the Australian Supercross Championship Pro Open crown after scoring his best points haul for the season in New Zealand at the weekend.
Moss had his fuel-injected RM-Z450 dialled in from the start, as he hauled around the tight, 450-metre track constructed at North Harbor Stadium in Auckland.
Moss was unstoppable in the heats and his searing pace – particularly through the testing rhythm section – meant he was never headed in the eliminator format series, overcoming AMA regulars Hansen, Alessi and Reardon. He maintained that form in the gruelling quad format challenge – consisting of four six-lap races back to back.
Consistently quick off the line, Moss was back to his brilliant best with a 2-3-2-2 to secure a well-deserved 86 points and his first podium finish of the season which has lifted him to third position overall and clearly back in contention for the Pro Open title.
Team Rockstar Motul Suzuki’s Cody Cooper, guest riding for the two New Zealand rounds, put in a strong performance in front of his home crowd finishing sixth overall.
In the Pro Lites, defending champion Matt Moss, began the day in strong form, qualifying second fastest. He started the first leg of the Triple Challenge Final well, riding a controlled race to maintain second position throughout behind arch rival PJ Larsen. Team-mate Lawson Bopping – coming off his first round win in his most recent outing – was unfortunately involved in a spectacular crash on the opening lap that forced him to the back of the field.
Race two went horribly wrong for Moss when he came in contact with Luke Arbon and the resulting damage to his bike made it impossible for him to salvage any points.
The third and final race looked to be an uphill battle for Moss, contending with a poor gate pick and unfamiliar set-up on a spare Suzuki RM-Z250. Undeterred, he proved why he is the dual and defending Pro Lites Supercross Champion by claiming a meritorious second place under challenging circumstances.
Moss’s second place finish in the third final gave him 44 points for the round and meant he finished the weekend in second position overall. Despite surrendering the title lead to Larsen, he is just nine points adrift even with his worst result of the season.
Bopping came back from his big crash in race one to secure 25 points and hang on to fifth position in the Championship with Team Raceline Pirelli Suzuki rider Steven Clarke in sixth.
Said Jay Foreman, Rockstar Motul Suzuki Team Manager: “Jake showed tonight that he can put the RM-Z450 on the box. He rode superbly and he is pumped for the final three rounds. In the Pro Lites, the pressure is now on PJ. Matt can work on pulling those points back, so he knows what to do for these final three rounds.”
The Super X carnival moves to the southern island next week at Dunedin’s Carisbrook Stadium – known as the House of Pain to rugby fans the world over.
Pro Open Results:
1. Josh HANSEN
2. Jay MARMONT
3. Jake MOSS (Team Rockstar Motul Suzuki)
4. Tye SIMMONDS
5. Daniel MCCOY
6. Cody COOPER (Team Rockstar Motul Suzuki)
7. Todd WATERS
8. Mike ALESSI
9. Daniel REARDON
10. Mason PHILLIPS
Pro Open Championship Standings:
1. Josh HANSEN 225
2. Jay MARMONT 193
3. Jake MOSS 152
4. Tye SIMMONDS 149
5. Daniel REARDON 138
6. Todd WATERS 128
7. Daniel MCCOY 127
8. Justin BRAYTON 121
9. Lewis WOODS 107
10. Mike ALESSI 107
Pro Lites Results:
1. P J LARSEN
2. Ryan MARMONT
3. Luke STYKE
4. Matt MOSS (Team Rockstar Motul Suzuki)
5. Ford DALE
6. Cody MACKIE
7. Nicholas SUTHERLAND
8. Steven CLARKE (Team Raceline Pirelli Suzuki)
9. Robbie MARSHALL
10. Josh CACHIA
Pro Lites Championship Standings:
1. P J LARSEN 210
2. Matt MOSS 201
3. Ryan MARMONT 176
4. Cody MACKIE 136
5. Lawson BOPPING 130
6. Steven CLARKE 111
7. Josh CACHIA 110
8. Ford DALE 105
9. Luke STYKE 103
10. Robbie MARSHALL 102