Reardon Dominates - Tobin Breaks Through

Kawasaki Pro-Open superstar Daniel Reardon remains number one in the Nokia MX Nationals after soaring through two easy wins in front of a large crowd at Round 5 in Murray Bridge, South Australia, over the Queens Birthday weekend.

Reardon said although he was pleased with the day he still wasn’t totally satisfied. “Winning is great of course, but I just feel I had one of those days.  I’ve been off my program for a couple of weeks now so that may have affected my performance,” he said.

Fresh off the plane from America where he tested with numerous USA factory teams, Reardon proved once again that even on his bad days, he is currently a class above the rest of the Australian competition.

Nokia Pro-Opens

Behind Reardon, the big names of the series battled it out for podium positions.  Daryl Hurley, who has laid claim to second place so far in the Series, is starting to find the speed that saw him win the 2006 Championship.  Jay Marmont, who has carried great expectations, but so far failed to deliver to his potential, finished equal third on points with Troy Carroll from Cool Air Racing. Marmont took third overall for Round 5 due to better placing in race 2.  This is Marmont’s first podium for the Championship which should bolster his confidence for future rounds.

Daryl Hurley said even though he was feeling good and getting better each week, he was concerned about keeping control of his bike, “My bike actually has a bit too much power, which I feel when I’m taking corners.  We’re going to try and tame it down a bit for next week and see how that goes,” he said.

Hurley also wants to work on his starts.  “I’m working towards a hole shot, because I think that’s they key to being able stay with Reardon for the race,” he said.

Craig Dack from CDR/Nokia Yamaha Racing Team has had an unlucky streak this year with his team touched by injury and bad luck.  He said CDR is “officially frustrated” with the 2007 series.  “Matt Moss was riding brilliantly and you can really see that he’s back in form.  Unfortunately, the mishap in the second Moto was out of his control,” Dack said.

Honda Pro-Lites

In Pro-Lites, Murray Bridge was treated to some of the most exciting racing yet in the 2007 Series.  Jake Moss, the Serco Yamaha ‘wonderchild’, continued his winning streak in race 1.  Moss’s biggest challenge came from his battle with the flu rather than from any of the riders.  In race 2 however, Kyle Tobin stepped up and took out his first Moto on Australian soil, placing first overall in today’s rankings.  Kawasaki’s Mitch Hoad took the hole shot and led for the first three laps before stalling.  Moss had a devastating crash over the front of his handlebars, giving Cool Air Racing’s Kyle Tobin an opportunity to grab and extend a superb lead which held to the end.  Team Kawasaki’s Cody Mackie battled it out with team-mate Hoad, but to no avail. Mackie finished third to Hoad’s second.

After the race Jake Moss said his body felt lazy, “I got an average start and was sixth coming out of the first turn.  It’s harder to push yourself when you don’t have anyone to chase.  I’m chasing times at the moment rather than riders, “ he said.

Moss was quick to compliment his bike, saying it was performing extremely well.

Serco Yamaha Team Manager Gavin Eales described Jake’s riding as ‘awesome’.  “Jake has a lead at the moment which is roughly the equivalent of a three race lead. Our plan is to tie up the Championship by Round 8,” Eales said.

Moss will fly to the United States in the next month to test with factory teams.

Reflecting on Moto 1, Kyle Tobin said he felt strong but was disappointed that he didn’t get a good start, “The track is excellent – very rough and loose.  It’s similar to the tracks in America – very wide and with more than just one line. I know that if I can get a good start, I can get up there and match Jake’s speed,” he said.  In Moto 2, Tobin was as good as his word.

Mitch Hoad said that while this was his favourite kind of track, it got harder to ride as the day went on, due to softness. Explaining his stall, he said, “I pushed too hard coming into one of the ruts on lap 3.  But it was good to be back in second position overall”.

Cody Mackie was happy with his performance overall, “If I’m going to be beaten by anyone, I’d rather be beaten by my team mate, “ he said.  Mackie was optimistic about the rest of the Series, “We’re only half way through… which means there are still 250 points up for grabs,” he said.

Yamaha U/19’s

The Under 19 class was again hotly contested. Each week, U 19 throws up more young riders producing times that are competitive in the senior classes.

Motorex KTM’s Todd Waters took first in both races, earning his first number 1 in the outright standings for the Series.  Serco Yamaha’s Brendan Harrison remains in top position in the outright standings.

Standings for Round 5

Yamaha Under 19’s

1. Todd Waters
2. Dean Ferris
3. Brendan Harrison

Honda Pro-Lites

1. Kyle Tobin
2. Mitch Hoad
3. Codie Mackie

Nokia Pro-Opens

1. Dan Reardon
2. Daryl Hurley
3. Jay Marmont

Overall Championship standings

Yamaha U/19s

1. Brendan Harrison
2. Todd Waters
3. Kirk Gibbs

Honda Pro-Lites

1. Jake Moss
2. Mitch Hoad
3. Cody Mackie

Nokia Pro-Open

1. Daniel Reardon
2. Daryl Hurley
3. Cody Cooper

For more information and full results in relation to Round 5 of the 2007 Nokia MX Nationals, go to
www.ozmotox.com.au.  Click on the link to access the website.