Suzuki On MX Podium At Newcastle
Team Shift Motul Suzuki’s, Daryl Hurley scored a strong podium finish to further secure second place in the 2007 Australian Motocross Championship during round four at Raymond Terrace, Newcastle (NSW).
Massive crowds turned out to the Newcastle-based team’s home event which included Aussie international racer, Chad Reed as a guest entrant. The Pro Open moto one saw Hurley round the first corner in fourth place where he became caught in a stoush with Craig Anderson and Matt Moss.
Finally extricating himself from the battle group, Hurley set out after leaders Chad Reed and Daniel Reardon, but the pair had pulled out an insurmountable lead, leaving the former Australian Champion to ride a lonely race alone in third place. In an absolute carbon copy of moto one, Hurley began moto two in fourth, battled Moss before passing him for third place, and then set off after the leading pair who were once again long gone.
Team Shift Motul Suzuki rider, Luke Burkhart was once again one of the fastest on track in the Pro Lites class, setting the second fastest qualifying time aboard his Suzuki RM-Z250. Burkhart’s fortunes quickly took a downturn in moto one.
After starting strongly in third place, the young Kiwi rider crashed while making a pass for second spot. Rejoining in 10th, Burkhart pressed on before suffering a second crash a couple of laps later which wrenched his thumb, re-injuring it and causing him to pull out of the competition for the remainder of the day.
Burkhart will now return to New Zealand to have his injury examined and assess his options for the remainder of the Australian Motocross season. Team Shift Motul Suzuki will now prepare for a new challenge in Murray Bridge (SA) for round five of the Australian Motocross Championship on Sunday 10 June.
DARYL HURLEY – TEAM SHIFT MOTUL SUZUKI
"I started off both motos in battles with Ando and Matt Moss, and by the time I got clear of them Reedy and Reardon were long gone so they were pretty lonely, boring motos with me just riding around by myself.
"I’m pleased with how I rode today. I was pretty consistent through both motos. I’m getting better each round and I know we’ve got more wins to come this season.
"The RM-Z450 was great; I’m pretty happy with our bike settings and we’ll be doing some testing this week to develop the bike even more."
JAY FOREMAN – TEAM SHIFT MOTUL SUZUKI TEAM MANAGER
"Daryl was clearly a very strong third today and he increased his points lead in second place which will allow us to just focus forward and set out after the series lead.
"There’s still room for improvement, but Daryl’s staying on in Australia for the next couple of weeks to continue testing the RM-Z450 ahead of the round five.
"Luke just can’t take a trick – it’s just one bit of bad luck after another – he really hasn’t had a chance to show his true potential.
"He needs to get the ligament damage in his thumb fixed. He’s gone to get it checked out in NZ, so now it’s just a waiting game to find out how long he’s out for.
"Heading to Murray Bridge for the next round will be a brand new challenge for all of the teams – it’s a new track that hasn’t been on the national motocross calendar before, so it will be interesting to see what that throws up for the championship."
