Australian Motocross Champion Daryl Hurley will contest the 2006 Supercross Masters Series aboard a four-stroke Suzuki RM-Z450 for the first time at Perth’s Claremont Showground this weekend. Supercross has traditionally been the domain of two-stroke machines, but Hurley joins the ranks of Pro Open riders who have traded their two-stroke machines for new four-strokes.
After a stellar performance from Hurley’s team-mate, Luke Burkhart, aboard the RM-Z450 in the opening round at Adelaide, Hurley has made the transition that will see the pair race on identical equipment. Hurley and Burkhart are both confident of stronger results at the West Australian outdoor Supercross meeting following the extensive test program that Team Shift Motul Suzuki recently conducted in New Zealand.
This intensive effort has already proven successful with both riders already reaping the benefits on the race track. Racking up more miles on his machine since his 2005-season-ending injury, Hurley has returned to his winning form, recently claiming victory in the Auckland Motocross Championships at Pukekohe.
Near Plymouth, New Zealand last weekend, Hurley blitzed the field with his Suzuki RM-Z450 to win the King of the Mountain motocross title for the second consecutive year.
Said Hurley: “We’ve had a great build-up for the Australian titles. It’s good to get the intensity going here in New Zealand before I head over there. I’ll be going out for the win in the Perth Supercross. Every time I line up I want to win… that’s the way I race."
Burkhart is also in very strong form having finished third and second respectively in the Auckland Motocross Championships and the King of the Mountain event and the 21-year-old New Zealander is well placed to improve on his Supercross points haul from round one.
“The testing we’ve done has been awesome – we have made some big gains and I’m really happy with the way the bike is performing: The RM-Z450 is a brilliant race bike,” said Burkhart.
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