Yamaha have success at Junior MX Nationals

The success of the state based Yamaha Junior Development Teams came to the fore at the 2007 Australian Junior Motocross Nationals at Coolum, with Yamaha riders Hamish Dobbyn and Shaun Redhead each taking a national championship and Harley Quinlan on the podium

The success of the state based Yamaha Junior Development Teams came to the fore at the 2007 Australian Junior Motocross Nationals, hosted at Coolum on the Sunshine Coast, with Yamaha riders Hamish Dobbyn and Shaun Redhead each taking a national championship and Harley Quinlan standing on the podium. After five hot days in the balmy Queensland heat, Yamaha had a massive presence not only in the pits, but on the track as well, and the success of the junior development programs Yamaha is running came home to roost.

14-year old junior motocross sensation, Hamish Dobbyn capped off a remarkable year with a sensational victory at the Australian Junior Motocross Championships held at Coolum on the Sunshine Coast over the past week. Competing in the 13 to Under 15 years 125cc class, Dobbyn dominated proceedings taking two race wins and a third from the three finals and firmly establishing himself as a star of the future with a polished performance. Despite an injury scare earlier in the week, Dobbyn shook of the effects of a broken toe and went about his business on board his YZ125. After a few hi-cups in the qualifying races, Hamish safely made it through to the final 40 before unleashing his full potential to take the dominate victory in the class and give Yamaha their second junior championship for 2007.

"As a junior, this is the most important race of the year in Australia and the one that means the most to the industry. For the past few years I have always been inside the top five, but to finally win one is awesome. I love the Coolum track and it has been in great shape all week. I also can’t thank the guys from Yamaha and Yamaha Victoria enough and hope we can continue this success into the future," an elated Dobbyn offered.

Hamish also contested the 13 to Under 15 years 250cc four-stroke class as well and again featured prominently in the results. Despite the odd fall and a little bad luck Hamish rounded out the event in fifth place with 5-4-4 placings and his weekend return of and first and fifth overall is a terrific effort.

They said the 85cc is dead. They said you can’t win on a two-stroke. They were wrong! Shaun Redhead (Pro Griffin Yamaha) and his YZ85 were in devastating form and it was blatantly obvious Redhead was on a mission all week long. His 4-1-1 moto scores gave him the 12 to Under 14 years championship win and the fourth was only due to a flat tyre and crash sustained in the opening lap of the first final. He was night and day faster than his opposition and to watch him launch a full on attack on the track and his bike was one of the highlights of the week.

"I said last year in Canberra that someone had taken something that I felt was mine. I left that track with a goal to be the fastest 85cc rider in the country for 2007 and to win the Australian Championship and I think I achieved both of them goals today. My bike ran unreal all week and we didn’t touch it and I want to thank my parents and everyone involved in the team for their efforts this year because everyone here works so hard," Redhead said.

But his week doesn’t finish there. Shaun also contested the 13 to 14 years 125cc and also the 13 to 14 years 250cc and again performed outstandingly. His fourth overall on the 125cc, with 15-2-4 finishes could have been so much better. The opening final had to be restarted because of a huge crash and at the time Redhead was in third place and challenging for the lead spots. On the restart, it was Redhead who hit the deck and could only manage 15th on the second time out. His sixth overall on the 250cc was a result of consistent top 10 moto finishes and shows he is adapting to the big bikes well.

"It has been a big week and riding three classes is tough. I am exhausted now, but so happy with how this week turned out. To win a class, finish fourth and sixth in the others is the best I have ever done at a national event and I’m pretty happy about that." Harley Quinlan (Gladstone Motorcycles) rode his heart out all week and rounded out his five-day festival with a third overall in the premiere 15 year 250cc class and a fourth in the 15 years 125cc class. Quinlan ran at the front of every race and quite often set the fastest lap times during his heat races and was right in the thick of it come finals time. His third overall on the 250 was courtesy of 3-4-3 finishes and showed he has what it takes to be a front runner at any race in the country.

"I came here to win this class, so I’m a little disappointed not to get it done. But I rode as hard as I could all week and my 250F was the best race bike I have ever had. I want to thank Michael Marty and Serco Yamaha for all their help this week and giving me the chance to ride with them," Quinlan offers. While he may not have podiumed on the 125cc and the fourth overall won’t get him massive headlines, the opening 125cc final showed just how good Quinlan is. After a third place start, he chased down his more fancied rivals, passed them and rode off to victory. Unfortunately, a crash in moto two when in third place ended any chance of a top overall finish. Quinlan returned 1-10-4 finishes to miss the podium by one point.

"The crash in second got to me a little because I was angry with myself. I put myself in a position to win a championship and then make a little mistake and lose the front end in a slow turn. But it is something I will learn from and I can tell you it will never happen again."

 2007 Australian Junior Motocross Championship Results
12 to Under 14 years
Mini Lites
1st Shaun Redhead
2nd Dylan Berwick
3rd Jake Wright
4th Tynan Hobson
===========================
13 to Under 15 years
125cc 1st Hamish Dobbyn
2nd Dylan Peterson
3rd Cameron Dillon
4th Shaun Redhead
========================
13 to Under 15 years 250cc 4T
1st Luke Arbon
2nd Dylan Peterson
3rd Josh Cachia
4th Jake Pengelly
5th Hamish Dobbyn
6th Shaun Redhead
==============================
15 Years 250cc 4T
1st Jarrod McNiel
2nd Tye Simmonds
3rd Harley Quinlan
4th Ross Beaton
========================
15 years 125cc
1st Tye Simmonds
2nd Jarrod McNiel
3rd Keiron Hall
4th Harley Quinlan.