HURLEY TIGHTENS GRIP ON 2ND
Team Shift Motul Suzuki rider, Daryl Hurley claimed second overall during today’s round five at Murray Bridge (SA), effectively tightening his grip on second place in the 2007 Australian Motocross Championship standings, extending the margin from 19 points to 30 points.
At the mid-point of the season, the former Australian Motocross Champion, Hurley, has the current series leader, Daniel Reardon still firmly in his sights with five rounds remaining.
Qualifying second fastest, Hurley was fifth out of the starting gates in moto one and steadily worked his way through the pack up into second spot by the halfway point of the race.
Unfortunately, due to heavy roost, Hurley was forced to remove his goggles at about the 20-minute mark of the opening 30-minute battle; this consequently allowed Matt Moss to pass by, with Hurley ending up third.
Pro Open moto two saw Hurley make a stronger start, rounding the first corner behind Jay Marmont and ahead of Reardon.
The leading pair were quickly overtaken by Reardon with Hurley passing Marmont around the ten-minute point and holding second place to the chequered flag.
Team Shift Motul Suzuki now head north as the Australian Motocross Championship series prepares for back-to-back race weekends in Toowoomba and Mackay with rounds six and seven on 24 June and 1 July, respectively.
DARYL HURLEY – TEAM SHIFT MOTUL SUZUKI
“I’m feeling really good on the bike and getting better each week.
“We’ve done a lot of testing lately – the RM-Z450 is working really well, I’m getting more comfortable again and we’re getting back to the speed I know we can run at.
“I need to focus on my starts because I think getting the holeshot is the key to being able stay with Reardon throughout the race.”
JAY FOREMAN – TEAM SHIFT MOTUL SUZUKI TEAM MANAGER
“As a new addition to the calendar this year, it was hard to know what to expect heading into this weekend at Murray Bridge – it’s a good track and it got really rough by the end of the day.
“Getting in to second place in race one, Daryl got past Matt Moss and Jay Marmont, but because there was so much roost he used up all of his roll-off on his goggles in the process.
“Coming up onto backmarkers as the race went on, Daryl’s visibility got so bad that he eventually had to take off his goggles; of course then he had to back off when coming up behind other riders and that allowed Matt Moss to get by into second spot.
“Daryl made a faster start in race two. Once he got ahead of Jay Marmont and pulled away, it was really encouraging that Daryl was able to run at a similar pace to Reardon and hold the gap to not let him clear out.
“The Toowoomba and Mackay rounds are up next. Mackay is another new event like Murray Bridge, but Toowoomba is a track that is good for Daryl and Suzuki. Although it’s Reardon’s home state so you know he’ll be strong again.”
