PJ Larsen Race Report – Australian MX Series Round 4

Larsen’s
Own Race Update

The
fourth race of the Australian Motocross Championship Series was held
in Raymond Terrace, NSW. I started the day off well during the
typical practice and qualifying sections. I rode tight in the
beginning but felt comfortable near the end to qualify 2^nd
fastest for 2^nd
gate pick for the day.

This
event was comprised of a three moto format. The first moto was a
twenty minute plus one lap race followed by two back to back 8 lap
sprints.

I got a
3^rd
place start off the line of the first moto. I made a pass on Kirk
Gibbs for 2^nd
and then made another quick pass on his teammate, Ford Dale, to take
over the lead. I pulled to an 8 second lead before the race was red
flagged.

In
Australia, when they red flag the race they take into consideration
where you placed in the red flag race and combine it with the result
of the restart race. On the restart, we had a complete repeat of the
first moto with Dale out front, Gibbs in 2^nd
and me sitting in 3^rd.
I decided to play it safe and stay in 3^rd
position knowing that I would get the moto win from the combined
times of the split motos. At the end of that race, I ended up with
the win followed by Dale and Gibbs.

I got
off to another good start at the beginning of the first 8 lap race. I
came around the first turn in 5^th
and made all of my passes in the first four turns. Now in the lead, I
pulled away creating a nice gap. When I was out front, I just tried
to maintain my lead and save energy for the final moto that I knew
was going to start five minutes after the conclusion of that moto.

The
final gate dropped for our third moto and I again found myself in the
lead after a few turns. Dale got by me on one of the fast down hills
and I allowed him to take the lead knowing that I would secure the
overall if I maintained 2^nd.

At the
end of the day, I won the race and now hold the points lead by 24
points over Gibbs. I would like to give a big shout out to my
JDR/Motorex/KTM Team for all of there support. I will spend the next
few weeks preparing for the fifth round of the series on June 6^th
where I hope to get another race win.