JDR MOTORSPORTS:

The 2009 Australasian Super X series has dealt many harsh hands as the series ticks past the halfway point of the championship – with none feeling its effect harder than the JDR Motorsports camp.

Exciting and anticipation of the return of former Australian Supercross Champion, Andrew McFarlane turned to shock and dismay as the ‘Sharky’ made an impressive start early at round four in Canberra before coming unstuck and went down in the heats – missing his first final in his Australian SX career.

McFarlane got out to a great start and locked in the holeshot, but got kicked by a hard-packed rut, going down and breaking his scaphoid. The injury was bad enough for McFarlane to require surgery – ending his return to competition and ending his Super X championship for 2009.

“It’s almost to hard to believe right now. To be in the position we were in leading into the championship, only to have this happen is just devastating. It was just one of those freak things you don’t see coming. I got a good start and was feeling good, but in the battle for the lead I came up on the hard-packed bit of the track and saw a black, shinny lip and before I knew it, it was all over. I really feel for the whole team and the sponsors,” explained McFarlane.

The dramas continued for JDR as its second Pro Open rider, Beau Ralston, also went down hard on the night. Ralston was treated by the Racesafe Medical Team at the track before being taken to hospital where it was revealed he had suffered a broken pelvis and tailbone – also forcing an end to his season.

To add insult to injury, Pro Lites entrant Josh Cachia – who suffered a broken foot at the last round – also came to trouble, re-injuring his foot and forcing him to sit out the next round at Parramatta. Cachia put the pain aside at the last round to still manage a great sixth-place result, but feels he is best to no longer push through the pain – limiting any further injury.

Despite the extreme bad luck that has faced the team, Pro Lites contender Ryan Marmont has again pushed forward up-front – showing just why he is considered one of Australia’s best Supercross Riders and in the mean-time, will fly the flag for the entire JDR Team.

Marmont was again in the mix with series front runners in Canberra, pushing championship-leader, Matt Moss to his absolute limits and continues to build valuable points in the run to the finale in Brisbane in December.

“Things are definitely still working for us right now. I’m feeling really good and I know I have the fitness and stamina to do well – we just have to get the starts sorted out and I think we’ll be in a great position to take a round win. But second is great, it has given us some much needed points back after a disappointing round in Perth. Now we prepare for Parramatta and hopefully can gain some more ground,” said Marmont.

So, as the team heads into round three at Parramatta this weekend – the effective home race for the team – Team Manager, Jay Rynenberg is still optimistic about his depleted team and is full of confidence for his sole-remaining pilot in Marmont.

“I honestly cannot believe how it has all panned out. But that’s racing and we all know that Supercross is the hardest and most treacherous disciplines we have to contend with. The team really feels for Andrew [McFarlane], as we all know how hard he has worked to get back to full fitness and how determined he was to do well. Doctors have advised us that all went well with the surgery and Andrew will miss 8-10 weeks to make sure it has fully healed. Whilst Beau has had a rough introduction into the premier class – both MX and SX – but it was disappoint for everyone to see him go down last weekend, as we know he’d turned a big corner in recent weeks and was in a good position to score his best result so far – but again, that is racing and we wish him all the best in his recovery.

“As for Josh… he too has had a hard time of it stepping-up into the Pro Lites class, but really showed his grit and determination at the last round where, even with a broken foot, he still got up and dug deep to carry-on and finish sixth overall. However, another crash in Canberra saw him aggravate the injury. We know how tough he is and we are sure he’ll be back on-deck in no time – but we are glad he has made the right decision to get it sorted and not risk any further injury,” explained Team Manager, Jay Rynenberg.