from ... Jay Foreman

Here in Australia we finished the Super X Australasian Supercross Championship series, with five rounds all in succession, in October and November, marking a busy period for the Motul Pirelli Suzuki team.

In the Pro Open class we had Daniel McCoy step up to the RM-Z450 for Supercross. He was very consistent all season and the highlight for all of us came when he won the second round of the series in the rain at Wollongong.

That was his first win in the Open Class on a national level and after that we ran the red plate as series leaders for the following round in Campbelltown. In the end we finished third in the series, which was a solid result after a consistent year.

We had British rider Steven Clarke come over to ride the Pro Lites class on the RM-Z250 and despite him arriving around a week before round one, he quickly adapted to the bike and team. 'Scuba' Steve got a podium at Round 2, but a frightening crash at the fourth round effectively ruled him out of the series. In the end, he finished seventh in the standings. It was a shame for him to have the accident when he did, because he was really showing promise and was leading the final at the time of his crash. The good news is that he will be back with the team full time next year in the Lites, both in Motocross and Supercross, so that's something that we look forward to as a team.

We have also signed Todd Waters to join the Motul Pirelli Suzuki team for 2012. Todd is a very talented young rider from North Queensland and we are confident he will be a great addition to the team in the Pro Open class for Motocross and Supercross.

It also looks like New Zealand's Cody Cooper will return for the outdoors once again. Cody has experience from racing all around the world and was very fast before he got injured earlier this year, so we are certain that he can be back to his best after defending his NZ title during the pre-season.

Both Cody and Daniel won outdoor rounds in their respective categories this year aboard the RM-Z450 and RM-Z250 respectively, which we are hoping will provide a great platform to work from in the New Year as we enter the season confident for success.

During this year, Suzuki had a number of top privateer and dealer-backed riders competing in the nationals and that is great for us to see and support as the factory team. With rising stars like Errol Willis part of Suzuki's rider development plan, the future is looking bright.

Suzuki privateers such as Matt Haworth, Zak Newsome, Casey Turner, Nicolas Sutherland and Corey Lucas, to name a few, also showed great promise during the year. In fact, when 'Scuba' was injured before the final round, we gave Corey the opportunity to ride our factory bike and it was a great experience for him.

The Suzuki RACESAFE crew also need to be commended on their work during this year and I am sure I can speak for everybody when I say their services are greatly appreciated. They were especially helpful when 'Scuba' suffered his arm injury last month!

RACESAFE is Australia's largest specialised motorsport safety service and the only organisation providing a full range of racetrack emergency services. We are very proud to be associated with them and are always thankful for their assistance, not only through injury, but also when a rider requires massaging or has arm pump, etc. Anything of the kind and RACESAFE are there to help.

At this time we look forward to entering Todd in the NZ Championships before the first round of the MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship, which will be held in Queensland on April 1st. We have three months to prepare and it should be another great season for the team.