Team Shift Motul Suzuki’s Daryl Hurley won the second round of the Australian Supercross Masters at Perth’s Claremont Showground at the weekend. Newly-mounted on the RM-Z450 machine, Hurley scored its first four-stroke victory in the Pro Open class of the 2006 Supercross Masters.
Hurley’s team-mate, Luke Burkhart (pictured) was also impressive on the RM-Z450, but was given a controversial penalty for riding outside a track marker that cost the team its first-ever one-two finish in the Championship. Burkhart’s penalty also cost him vital points and dropped him from second place to fourth in the series.
Kiwi’s Hurley and Burkhart finished the evening’s three motos in fourth and eighth, fifth and second, and first and fourth respectively. However, due to the penalty applied in race two, Burkhart was awarded third place in the second moto. The Supercross Masters Series now makes way for the Australian Motocross Championship which kicks of in Perth next weekend (Sunday 2 April).
Said Hurley: “It was great to take the win on the RM-Z450 and get some good points on the board.
“I made a few mistakes early in the night. I wasn’t really comfortable on the bike to start with as I’ve never ridden a 450 in Supercross before and I was slightly out of sync. As the first race went on I settled into a rhythm, but it was only an eight-lap moto so I only just got into the groove as the race wrapped up.
“I rode pretty consistently all night and just kept getting smoother as the races went on, particularly in the last race – I really got a flow going with the new bike.
“I love the RM-Z450 for Supercross; it’s great for the starts and it gave me a real mental boost to know that I’ve got that four-stroke power like most of the other guys.”
Burkhart said: “The bike is great and I put in a good, solid performance, so I’m 99% happy - apart from the points that were taken away from me which has made the difference between second place and fourth for both the round and the championship.
“The penalty doesn’t make sense to me… the track marker was missing and we all rode around the outside of the hay bale. I followed the other riders through there and wasn’t the only guy taking that line.
“It’s a bit disappointing to have second place taken from me, but it feels good to be running up there with the top guys and to know that I’m one of them now.”
Team Shift Motul Suzuki Team Manager Jay Foreman added: “This has been a great race meeting for Team Shift Motul Suzuki with Daryl’s overall win for round two of the Supercross Masters, but Luke’s penalty has soured things a little for us.
“We should have had a Suzuki one-two here this weekend and Luke should be sitting in second overall in the championship. Instead he’s been awarded fourth place for both so we’re naturally very disappointed.
“The Supercross Masters series takes a break now as we head into the Australian Motocross Championship in Perth next Sunday. We’ve done some intensive motocross testing in New Zealand, the bikes are well prepared and obviously both Daryl and Luke are riding very well. The whole team is focussed on retaining the number one plate in motocross and I think we’re well positioned for some strong results next week.”
Race Result: 1 Daryl Hurley 8,
2 Timmy Weigand 7,
3 Danny Ham 6,
4 Luke Burkhart 5,
5 Cheyne Boyd 4,
6 Craig Anderson 3,
7 Daniel Reardon 2,
8 Shane Metcalfe 1
Championship points (after 2 rounds):1 Timmy Weigand 14,
2 Cheyne Boyd 10,
3 Daniel Reardon 10,
4 Luke Burkhart 9,
5 Daryl Hurley 8,
6 Craig Anderson 8,
7 Danny Ham 6,
8 Cody Cooper 3,
9 Daniel McCoy 2,
10 Shane Metcalfe 2.
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