Is Supercross Back, Or Forward?

Andy Wigan

So, the Australian Supercross Championship is back… Back to the regional venues. Back to the carnival atmosphere and open pits. Back to the traditional race formats. And back to more affordable ticket prices. But will the new promoter’s philosophy for supercross help put the sport back on the map in Australia, or simply step the series back in time? Time will tell, but for now, here’s a snapshot of the talk getting around the pits after the season opener at Dubbo, October 13.

The Racing

Intense racing always helps. And that’s what spectators got all night at Dubbo. Jay Marmont looked super-solid throughout practice and qualifying, and we all knew the reigning champ’s trademark fitness would carry him the 20-lap distance in the Main. But it was his battle with a rejuvenated Daniel McCoy on the CDR Yamaha that was the real feature of the night. It was hard, clean outdoor supercross racing at its best. After poor starts in the Main, Jake Moss and Lawson Bopping sliced through the field like men possessed, indicating they’ll both be title contenders in the Pro Open class, and it was good to see that Tye Simmonds has lost none of his speed after such a long stint on the sidelines.
In the Lites class, American Gavin Faith, Kade Mosig and Luke Styke battled for all 15 laps, before climbing the podium in that order. Mosig’s clinical charge through the field after mid-pack start was something special, Ryan Marmont was as solid as ever, and both Steven Clarke and Keiron Hall showed flashes of brilliance.
And in the Under 19s, Hayden Mellross and Kale Makeham went hammer and tongs in a classic two- versus four-stroke battle for their entire 12-lap Main Event. Looking very much like a young Chad Reed, Mellross held tight for the win, but Jay Wilson, Dylan Long and Wade Hunter did enough to show they’ll be in the mix this season.

Suprise Leaders

Quietly spoken Victorian, Geran Stapleton, holeshot the Lites-class Main and kept the boys at bay for six or seven laps – long enough the have the Fox rep to later admit that, “I was worried because if Geran got on the box tonight, I would have looked like an idiot for not sorting him with 2013 gear!”
And what about Daniel McCoy, who’s signing with CDR Yamaha has seen him step it up a notch or two. No one has ever doubted DMC’s talent – he’s put passes on Chad Reed and finished third in the 450cc class title chase last year (after having the red plate for some time) – but to hold off the rampaging Jay Marmont for so many laps was a feather in Dan’s flat-brimmed cap. Even when Marmont did finally find a way past, DMC was never more than 20 metres behind all the way to the end of the 20th lap. He wasn’t content with second, either.

The Tantrum

Matt Moss has never been the most diplomatic player in pit politics, and his sudden move from KTM to Suzuki camps this week certainly polarised opinion. The former Lites-class MX and SX champ looked great in qualifying and won his heat convincingly. But when he got together with Kawasaki’s Billy Mackenzie a few turns onto the Main, went down and dislocated his shoulder, it turned into a bit of a pantomime. Moss slung his goggles at the Scotsman, screamed at anyone that’d listen, and then literally rolled around on the podium where he was convinced he’d be standing in 20 laps’ time. He was still issuing a smorgasbord of expletives on the pits half an hour after the racing was done for the night. No one ever accused the kid of lacking passion – and we all love our sport garnished with drama – but this performance went a little far.

The Crowd

Estimates put it anywhere between 5000 and 9000, but irrespective of who was on the money, the venue looked and felt full. And it’s been some time since Aussie Supercross could lay claim to that. Sure, like all speedway venues, spectators tend to be seated well back from the infield action, but few complained they didn’t get their money’s worth. Tickets were cheap and the action went from 7pm til midnight – albeit it with a few momentum-destroying breaks in proceedings.

The Track

Impressive! Big, varied and challenging for riders with two sections of whoops, several rhythm sections that could be attacked in different combos, and plenty of line choices and passing opportunities. Evidently, the track was a challenge to illuminate evenly, but the patchy light made life harder on photographers than riders. After the afternoon qualifying, commentator Lee Hogan said, “The track was so hardpack and shiny, you could do your hair in it.” But they managed to get some water and traction into it for the main events, which keep the dust to a minimum and helped create great racing.

Monster Money

Apparently, the deal between IEG and Monster Energy was only struck last Wednesday. In the ‘Monster’s-on-board’ PR, Monster’s Dave Ellis talked of his belief in IEG’s direction for the sport and the fact they planned to showcase it to fans who’d been starved of world-class racing for years. IEG’s Yarrive Konsky returned the favour with, “Monster is as much a part of supercross as dirt is.” Mutual back rubbing aside, the fact that Monster tipped in $20,000 of contingency prize money is a great thing, no matter which way you cut it.

The Devil’s Taxi

Strange that the target demographic for 1500 horsepower trucks is four-year-old kids. Sure, this particular monster truck’s wheelstands were impressive, and the kiddies squealed. But aren’t monster trucks a bogan blast from the past? Given the race program was behind schedule all night, the Devil’s Taxi demos only prolonged the wait between the captivating two-wheeled races the crowd was actually there to see.

The Celebrity Race

Fox/Shift brand manager, Mick Sinclair, says it took him until the ripe old age of 30 to win his first supercross race. The fact it was on a low-powered ‘new-gen’ postie bike is something he conveniently overlooked mentioning. Then again, having lost 12 kegs in recent weeks after training himself inside out, no one was about to take the gloss off Social Sincs’ momentous victory. Though there was some conjecture over whether he’d pay himself contingency money.

The FMX Show

No one’s doubting the good intentions of the promoters to offer spectators a varied, entertaining show. After all, the rider line-up was a who’s who of the Aussie FMX scene – Jackson Strong, Cam Sinclair, Josh Sheehan, Mark Monea, and Emma McFerran. But having seen this posse strut their stuff at the X Games a few months back and then wow Sydney crowds at the X-Fighters last weekend with show-stopping new-school tricks, the Dubbo show didn’t exactly break new ground.

The Pirelli Pussy Cats

Okay, dancing girls shouldn’t really rate a mention, but these fit young fillies made their mark and wouldn’t have looked out of place on a Pirelli Calendar. Unlike pretty much all of their predecessors over the years, they could dance. In time. With each other. And, thankfully, they didn’t crowd the podium with tits, teeth and fishnets, so the media could actually focus on what the podium placegetters were saying.

The Fireworks

They went on for a good five minutes after Jay Marmont took the chequers in the Pro Open class. It was like New Year’s Eve there for a bit in Dubbo. A fitting finale, given that it was closing in on midnight by this stage.

Check out our fresh batch of images from the round, and for the full list of results, click here.

Transmoto has hooked up with leading moto eyewear brand, Arnette, to bring you a fresh perspective on the 2012 Australian Supercross Championship. Over the four-round series, stay tuned to www.transmoto.com.au for tonnes of original and exciting content, and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram @transmoto.

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Marmont wins Terex Australian Supercross Championship Opener

The Terex Australian Supercross Championship produced a thrilling opening night of racing, with epic battles, comebacks and redemption the order of the night. Defending Pro Open Champion, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jay Marmont, won the 20-lap 450 Main Event ahead of CDR Yamaha’s Daniel McCoy and Campbell Mining/Honda Racing’s Jake Moss. McCoy, who produced the ride of the night, was a late signing for the factory Yamaha team, returning to the fold after seven years racing for other marquees.?In the 250 class, Carlton Dry Honda Thor Racing’s US import, Gavin Faith, enjoyed a perfect day, topping the time-sheets in practice and qualifying before winning his heat race and the 15 lap final. Faith took the chequered flag ahead of Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Kade Mosig and Serco Yamaha’s Luke Styke, while Geran Stapleton (who won the 250 Unit Holeshot Award) was the best placed privateer.?Honda Racing’s Hayden Mellross took the spoils in the Under 19’s class with a dominating race that saw him lead from start to finish. KTM rider Kale Makeham was second with Raceline Pirelli Suzuki’s Jay Wilson third.?
Aaron Tanti led home Tim O’Brien and Joel Wightman in the Junior Lites class while the 85cc final produced the finish of the night, Blake Sola and Elias Duke duelling across the finish line. The 6000 strong crowd at Dubbo’s Morris Park Speedway were treated to an evening of world-class racing, show-stopping FMX demonstrations, Monster Trucks and a spectacular fireworks display that closed the night.??

Pro Open Results:

1. J Marmont (Kawasaki) 25pts
2. D McCoy (Yamaha) 22pts
3. J Moss (Honda) 20pts
4. L Bopping (Yamaha) 18pts
5. T Simmonds (Honda) 16pts
6. T Waters (Suzuki) 15pts
7. B MacKenzie (Kawasaki) 14pts
8. C Boyd (Honda) 13pts
9. J Wright (KTM) 12pts
10. S Duncanson (Yamaha) 11pts

Pro Lites Results:

1. G Faith (Honda) 25pts
2. K Mosig (Kawasaki) 22pts
3. L Styke (Yamaha) 20pts
4. S Clarke (Suzuki) 18pts
5. R Marmont (KTM) 16pts
6. G Stapleton (Honda) 15pts
7. K Hall (Yamaha) 14pts
8. S Coloumb (Suzuki) 13pts
9. N Sutherland (Kawasaki) 12pts
10. M Norris (Yamaha) 11pts