Team Rockstar Motul Suzuki back Into Pro Open Championship contention.Edited copy and photos courtesy of Suzuki Motorcycles Australia. Matt Moss had his fuel-injected RM-Z450 dialled in from the start and was unstoppable in the heats. His searing pace, particularly through the testing rhythm section – meant he was never headed in the eliminator format series, overcoming AMA regulars Hansen, Alessi and Reardon. He maintained that form in the gruelling quad format challenge – consisting of Consistently quick off the line, Moss was back to his brilliant best with a 2-3-2-2 to secure a well-deserved 86 points and his first podium finish of the season. That has lifted him to third position overall and clearly back in contention for the Pro Open title. Team Rockstar Motul Suzuki’s Cody Cooper, guest riding for the two New Zealand rounds, put in a strong performance in front of his home crowd finishing sixth overall. In the Pro Lites, defending champion Matt Moss, started the day in strong form, qualifying second fastest. He started the first leg of the triple challenge final well, riding a controlled race to maintain second position throughout behind arch rival PJ Larsen. Team-mate Lawson Bopping – coming off his first round win in his most recent outing – was unfortunately involved in a spectacular crash on the opening lap that forced him to the back of the field. Race two went horribly wrong for Moss when he came in contact with Luke Arbon and the resulting damage to his bike made it impossible for him to salvage any points. The third and final race looked to be an uphill battle for Moss, contending with a poor gate pick and unfamiliar set-up on a spare Suzuki RM-Z250. Undeterred, he proved why he is the dual and defending Pro Lites Supercross Champion by claiming a meritorious second place under challenging circumstances. Moss’s second place finish in the third final gave him 44 points for the round and meant he finished the weekend in second position overall. Despite surrendering the title lead to Larsen, he is just nine points adrift even with his worst result of the season. Bopping came back from his big crash in race one to secure 25 points and hang on to fifth position in the championship with Team Raceline Pirelli Suzuki rider Steven Clarke in sixth. Jay Foreman, Rockstar Motul Suzuki Team Manager said "Jake showed tonight that he can put the RM-Z450 on the box. He rode superbly and he is pumped for the final three rounds. In the Pro Lites the pressure is now on PJ. Matt can work on pulling those points back, so he knows what to do for these final three rounds.” The Super X carnival moves to the southern island next week at Dunedin’s Carisbrook Stadium – known as the House of Pain to rugby fans the world over.
Pro Open Championship Standings Pro Lites Pro Lites Championship Standings |
four six-lap races back to back.