Gray wins Womens MX Champs

Yamaha’s Tamara Gray wins Round 5 and Championship

Yamaha’s female riders have continued to dominate proceedings in the Sunshine state, wrapping up the top placings in the 2008 Queensland Women’s Natural Terrain Motocross Championships.

City Yamaha rider Tamara Gray put the finishing touches on a successful season, winning round 5 and securing another first place trophy for the cabinet. Gray is now a four-time winner of the Natural Terrain Motocross championships, and in 2008 adds the title to her previous Motocross championship. Two moto wins on the weekend sealed the victory ahead of fellow Yamaha rider Brooke Thiemann.

In the ‘best of 3 from 5 rounds’ format, Gray finished on 222 points, 25 points clear of Thiemann who rounded out the season on 197. Gray said the win was a good reward after two seasons interrupted by injury. "The last round was especially tough – the track was demanding and there was lots of lap traffic to pass in the first moto which slowed my progress," said Gray.

"I went back out in the second race with lots more motivation and made a lot more progress. This is now the fourth time I’ve won this championship but never the double until now – no victory has been as sweet."

City Yamaha/Men at Work rider Thiemann secured second place in the Natural Terrain championship with an impressive run early in the season. A number of moto wins in the opening rounds set up the second place, which complements a competitive fourth in the Women’s Motocross championship. "This last round was probably the toughest – the field was much larger and it was hard to get through the pack," said Thiemann. "The battle for the title went down to the wire between myself and Tamara but it was great that one of two Yamaha riders was certain of winning."

"It’s been a confidence building season after some big crashes in 2007 and I’ll be aiming for the top step of the podium next year."

Queensland Yamaha Off Road Team rider Jemma Wilson finished her season on a high note on the weekend, despite only competing in two rounds. Her second place on Sunday secured fifth place in the series. Wilson’s main focus in 2008 was the Yamaha Australian Off Road Championship (AORC), another class that was dominated by blue bikes from Queensland. Wilson claimed second in the women’s class, behind fellow Queensland Yamaha pilot Alison Parker who added another title to her name. Rosie Lalonde claimed third to secure a trifecta for the manufacturer.

Women’s Natural Terrain Motocross Championships – Round 5 Results

1st Tamara Gray YAMAHA 72 points
2nd Jemma Wilson YAMAHA 74 points
3rd Brooke Thiemann YAMAHA 60 points

Women’s Natural Terrain Motocross – Series Results

1st Tamara Gray YAMAHA 222 points
2nd Brooke Thiemann YAMAHA 197 points
3rd Prue Maeyke KAWASAKI 188 points
5th Jemma Wilson YAMAHA 144 points