from ... Mike PhillipsAfter
spending the week testing at the new Coonabarabran track it was good to
get back to civilisation. We had a good week and got to know the 3 min
long track pretty good. Coonabarabran is the 6th round in the Championship and is new to the series.
The Toowoomba track was one of my favourite tracks over the series and walking the track Saturday afternoon it looked like it was going to rut up nicely. I woke up in the morning to the sound of rain. I knew out of all the tracks this one was going to be the most difficult in the wet. Qualifying went okay after it started off pretty bad. 1st lap of Practice I was taking it easy down one of the big down hills when I hit a lump near the side of the track and went over the bars. Covered in mud I was not happy. I put in a few good laps when the green flag came out and managed to be placed 7th. Moto 1: It had stopped raining in the morning but the damage had been done. I got a bad start but stayed out of trouble and settled into 7th behind Yamaha’s Matt Phillips. I was having trouble with a few lines but wasn’t game enough to take different ones just incase I got stuck or it lead me into a drain. I managed to pass Matt on the last lap to finish in 6th Moto 2: I had a better start and got away clean but still at the back of the top 10. I tried to hold off a charge from Jay Marmont but wasn’t able to hold him off. I finished the race in 8th. Moto 3: It was much like the first two. Clean start and rode my own race in 7th. Moto 4: By this time the track was a mess and it was just hard enough to get around let alone race. I got an okay start and settled into 6th behind fellow Kiwi Josh Coppins. I tried taking some of his lines but in one of the laps I got a little stuck and he was gone. I had a little moment on lap 4 and let KTM rider Louis Calvin pass. I caught back up to him by the last lap but had Jay Marmont on my back wheel and wasn’t able to try anything to get by. Finished the race in 7th. All and all it wasn’t the best day but it wasn’t the worse either. The track was tricky and even though it dried out during the day it made it harder to ride. I still sit in 6th in the Cchampionship with 4 rounds to go. The goal is top 5 and I believe I have the speed and team to do it The next round is in a month’s time at the new Coonabarabran track. Will keep you up dated. Mike Phillips Thanks to Rice Photography for the pics
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