Marmont is confident he can crack the top five following a strong seventh in LA. Image: Hoppenworld.com.

Australia’s Ryan Marmont is shooting for a top five result after finishing seventh in the Los Angeles round of the West Coast Lites AMA Supercross Championship on Saturday.

The JDR/J-Star/KTM rider continues to impress for the Aussie team in a series of guest rides, now hoping to build momentum into the Oakland round this weekend.

“My goal has been to finish inside the top 10 and I was able to surpass that today by finishing seventh,” the likable Marmont said.

“I would like to continue my progress and hopefully shoot for a top five finish within the next few rounds.”

Marmont held fifth position for the majority of the race in LA, passed by Josh Hansen and Ken Roczen in the final laps.

“I tried to hold my lines and keep my speed as best I could as they began to pressure me,” he explained. “I got tight when they closed in and made some mistakes that opened up a gap for them to get around me.”

Talented 18-year-old teammate Tye Simmonds finished 15th in the 450 main, qualifying for his first ever AMA Supercross main event after tranferring directly from his heat.

Simmonds ran inside the top 10 for much of the race only to suffer a crash and mechanical dramas toward the finish, resulting in a credible 15th for the round.

“I have been so close the past two weekends and I was finally able to put it together today. It feels good to finally give back to my team by putting our bike in the main event,” remarked Simmonds.

“I had a crash with Kyle Regal at the end of the race and a few mechanical issues that sent me back in positions. I was really happy with the start of my race and am still happy that I qualified.

“I just wish I could have finished a bit better where I thought I belonged. Hopefully next week I can continue to improve and run with the top guys.”

It’s expected that Simmonds will be joined by Queenslander Dan Reardon in the next round or two, almost ready to return from injury after returning to riding last week.