Aussie Ryan Marmont took a solid third in his Lites heat at Phoenix.

JDR/J-Star/KTM’s Ryan Marmont showed flashes of brilliance at Phoenix’s second round of the 2010 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, proving he has what it takes to battle with the world’s best.

The former Australian champion finished an impressive third in his heat before struggling to 17th in the main event after crashing early in the race.

“I felt strong in my heat race and am looking forward to carrying the momentum to the main event,” Marmont commented. “I have been racing my race bike from the Australian Super X Series and it has been performing very well here.”

Marmont didn’t get the great start he had hoped for in the main event, but still managed to muscle his way up through the pack and into the top 10 in the first few laps.

On lap three he tried to get around a rider but ran out of room to make the pass and washed out his front end.

“The crash set me back quite a ways and when I recovered I was a little disoriented,” added Marmont. “Everyone had passed me and I didn’t know what position I was in.

“I found it hard to get back into a rhythm so I just focused on finishing the race.”

It’s now expected Marmont will contest this weekend’s LA round at Dodgers Stadium.

“The plan is to go back to Murrieta and train three days this week before heading to the third round in Los Angeles,” said Marmont.

In the Supercross class, Tye Simmonds improved upon his performance this weekend but came up a few spots short of the main event gate.

“I need to qualify from my heat races, but I have made small mistakes that have kept me from qualifying the past two weekends,” the talented 18-year-old said.

“This weekend I grabbed the holeshot in the LCQ but rode too tight and lost positions each lap and did not qualify. I know the areas that I need to work on and I will continue to train with the team each week until we get where we need to be.”

It’s expected Dan Reardon will return for the team next weekend at Los Angeles alongside Simmonds in the Supercross class.