Hurley dominant in Penguin
Team Shift Motul Suzuki’s Daryl Hurley has opened his 2008 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals account with a dominant display at round one in Tasmania
Team Shift Motul Suzuki’s Daryl Hurley has opened his 2008 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals account with a dominant display at round one in Tasmania, giving the new RM-Z450 a winning debut in the Southern Hemisphere’s toughest off-road championship.
The New Zealander took out the weekend’s opening race in Penguin by 17 seconds and is sitting pretty atop the points table after the first of eight rounds. Aboard Suzuki’s brand-new RM-Z450, Hurley blitzed his opposition in the season’s first Moto after qualifying in sixth position. He took victory in style and was disappointed with a close second place in race two, after communication problems cost Hurley a clean sweep. Leading by almost 20 seconds, Hurley backed off in the closing laps to ensure a safe race victory, however was unable to see his pit-board and unaware of the closing Jay Marmont, who snuck past on the final lap.
Also on the revolutionary new Suzuki RM-Z450, Hurley’s compatriot Luke Burkhart enjoyed a strong result, the young Kiwi finishing the round in fourth position and full of praise for his new machine. The only downside to an otherwise great weekend for Team Shift Motul Suzuki was an injury to Pro Lites youngster Matt Moss. Moss crashed heavily during practice and sustained a broken arm which will sideline him for at least two months; he will now focus on his recovery and return to racing when he is fully fit.
Round two of the 2008 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals will be held in Horsham (Victoria) this Sunday, 13 April.
DARYL HURLEY – TEAM SHIFT MOTUL SUZUKI
"I can’t thank Suzuki and my team enough for their work preparing the new RM-Z450, it is easily the best bike I have ever raced, it’s unbelievably good. "I’m very disappointed with the outcome of race two, I couldn’t see my mechanic’s signals with exactly how far back [Jay] Marmont was and didn’t see him until he took the lead with a few corners to go – needless to say it’s a mistake I won’t make again. "However to leave round one leading the championship is a great result for Team Shift Motul Suzuki, we’re really looking forward to Horsham this weekend."
LUKE BURKHART – TEAM SHIFT MOTUL SUZUKI
"I’m very happy with my results; it’s a great start to the year to be place fourth after the first round. "The new Suzuki RM-Z450 is awesome, and all of the work the guys have done over the off-season has really paid dividends. "I know I have the speed to win races this year so that’s my next target – I can’t wait to get to Horsham next weekend. "I am determined to repay Suzuki Australia’s faith in signing me this year"
MATT MOSS – TEAM SHIFT MOTUL SUZUKI
"I’m gutted, just really disappointed. "I’ll be out for a couple of months, all but ending my Motocross title hopes, but I’ll work on being fully fit and fast for the Supercross championship. "The form we showed pre-season makes it even more frustrating, knowing that we were set to challenge for the Pro Lites title this year."
JAY FOREMAN – TEAM SHIFT MOTUL SUZUKI TEAM MANAGER
"We’re really happy with the new Suzuki RM-Z450, it is working incredibly well. "Daryl has started the year in the best-possible fashion, signalling his intentions to win the championship. "It was a fantastic result for Luke, as well; he’ll be someone to keep an eye on as the title chase progresses. "Unfortunately Matt had a big fall and is out injured for a couple of months, but I know he’ll come back stronger and faster than ever."
2008 ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MOTOCROSS NATIONALS – ROUND 1: PRO OPEN
1 Daryl Hurley (Suzuki RM-Z450) 47,
2 Craig Anderson 42,
3 Jay Marmont 40,
4 Luke Burkhart (Suzuki RM-Z450) 36,
5 Michael Addison 30,
6 Cameron Taylor 29,
7 Daniel McCoy 29,
8 Cheyne Boyd 27,
9 Peter Broxholme 23,
10 Nathan Crawford 20
