Kawasaki wins at Wonthaggi

by Dave · July 23, 2007

Round Eight of the Australian Motocross Championship was held at Wonthaggi in Victoria over the weekend and Kawasaki Racing Team (KRT) was successful in achieving race wins in both the Pro Open and Pro Lites Classes.

Daniel Reardon and Mitch Hoad were successful in winning races for KRT, though both riders were forced to dig deep, as they battled to race whilst nursing the flu. Reardon, who continued to earn valuable points and build on his Pro Open Championship lead, finished Round Eight in second place overall, after a big crash in Race One saw the Championship leader finish the opening race in third place.

Recovering from his Race One crash, Reardon dug deep and came out in Race Two, dominating the race from start to finish. “It was really tough work racing this weekend,” said Reardon. “In Race One, I had a good lead over Cody Cooper in the early stages of the race, but I had a big off after getting all crossed up when landing the table top jump at the start-finish line. I hit the ground really hard and was launched over the front of my bike, but managed to get back on and salvage third place in the race.”

“I came out in Race Two and got a good start. I was out in front and riding comfortably by the third turn and had really good race pace onboard my KX450F. I had one moment in the race where I stalled my bike whilst negotiating a turn, but it restarted first kick and I held onto my lead. From there I just worked on producing good lap times by keeping a consistent pace.” “At this point in the season it is all about Championship points and I am happy that I have built on my lead and extended it out to 60 points over Daryl Hurley.”

Pro Lites pilot, Mitch Hoad, scored his second race win of the season, winning Race One in true Hoad style. Hoad rode fast and hard, chasing current Championship leader Jake Moss, when Moss’s race bike had mechanical problems and Hoad secured the race lead. Once out in front, Hoad rode a confident race and came home over three seconds in front of Michael Phillips. “I got away to a great start and was challenging for the lead through the opening turns of the race,” said Hoad. “I rode the first few laps a little unsettled and it took me a little while to find my groove. But when I did find it, I was right and I concentrated on chasing Jake Moss who was out in front.”

“I was riding well and on the pace when Moss had bike problems. My KX250F was performing at the top of its game and I took the lead. From there, I stayed out in front and crossed the finish line in first place.” “The Team and I have all been battling the flu in recent weeks and Sunday was probably the worst day for me. So to come away with a race win is great.”

“In Race Two I got away to an average start, somewhere within the top eight and was making good moves on the opening laps. Unfortunately, I had set-up issues midway into the race and I struggled to work with my settings. I just kept on trying and salvaged 14th in Race Two, taking my overall result for the weekend to sixth place.”

Pro Lites rider, Cody Mackie had a troubled weekend at Wonthaggi, with a big crash at the end of the back straight in Race One, breaking his throttle tube in the fall. “I don’t really know nor remember what happened, but Lewis Stewart told me after the race that he actually rode completely over me and I suppose that explains why I feel so sore. My bike was badly damaged in the crash and I was forced to sit out the remained of Race One, meaning I didn’t accumulate any Championship points for that race.”

“Unfortunately I didn’t get a great start in Race Two and was outside the top twenty through the opening turns. I just tried to put in consistently quick lap times and I worked my way back up to ninth.”

Team Manager, Brett Whale, was happy that both Reardon and Hoad still managed to record race wins whilst battling the flu. “I am really pleased for both Dan and Mitch who showed good race pace and came away with race wins,” said Whale. “Both the Pro Open and Pro Lites Championships are very competitive, so it is important that the riders score good results at the last two rounds, to secure podium finishes in their Championships.”

“It was a tough weekend for Cody who currently sits in fifth place in the Pro Lites Championship. His result this weekend has him by no means out of the run for a Championship podium though. There is only one point between Kyle Tobin and Cody and Danny Anderson is in third place, leading by only 26 points. As there are still two rounds left in the Title fight and 100 points up for grabs, I am confident that we can have both Mitch and Cody standing on the 2007 Pro Lites Championship podium.” ENDS