Kawasaki Australia press release:

Adam Monea of NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team remains in 3rd place overall after he bounced back from the bottom end of the field in the first lap of each moto in Coolum, QLD over the weekend.

The notorious first turn at Coolum Pines Motocross Track claimed a few victims after the gates dropped in the first race. Adam lost valuable time as he navigated around the pileup, leaving him to pick away at the field in his hunt for a notable result. Adam was able to turn an average start into a 6th place finish.

As a testament to his speed on the Kawasaki KX450F, Adam managed an astounding 4th place in the second moto after he was last in the first lap due to a fall in the first turn

Disheartened by with the lack of a podium result for the round, yet pleased with his ability to pick apart the field and manage solid results after unfortunate starts, Adam Monea said, “I managed to get into Superpole, didn’t win it but I got 3rd and landed some points. 1st moto I got caught up in a few bikes that went down in the first turn, so I had to come back through the pack.

In the second moto I actually went down in the first turn. I dug deep and rode my guts out in the 30 minutes for a 4th. A really good ride but it doesn’t matter if you’re not in 1st position. I’ve got good pace, were sitting third in the championship so we have room to move and I am catching second, ultimately I am going for first. We are in the break now and we will start fresh for the 5 remaining rounds”.

John Phillips has seen better rounds this year however he was still elated with his overall performance and the opportunity to race for a manufacturer in the MX Nationals as a substitute for team member Jake Moss. “Round 5 at Coolum was one I wasn’t looking forward to, I prefer the hard pack tracks but I was excited about the challenge nonetheless.

Qualified 16th which was pretty bad for me, my arms pumped up and I couldn’t get any quick laps in really. I was up there with the top guys in the first couple of laps in race one, but dropped off the pace a little bit. Ended up in no-mans land and had to settle with 13th. I got a 12th in the last moto. I found a few cool lines and had an awesome time so that was the highlight for me”, commented John.

Round 5 was the last for John as a substitute NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team rider, as Jake Moss has recovered after a training accident in the off-season and will make his maiden 2015 MX Nationals appearance in the next round. “It’s been an awesome and fun season so far” said John. “I will be going back to NZ and will have some time off. Stoked to be a part of NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team. We all had a good time and a good laugh with a couple of good results. I really enjoyed my time over here and hope to back here racing in OZ next year”.

Team Manager, Troy Carroll had a positive take on the weekends racing given the team has proven podium capabilities in previous rounds. “All in all I think it was a good weekend, on paper a 6 and 4 result isn’t really what we were after, with bad starts from Adam, but championship wise we are in 3rd place. We gained two points on second place so we are on the right track and we need to work on a few things in the 5 weeks off and we will be coming out swinging in the second half of the series”.

NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team chose to run Pirelli Scorpion MX32 (front) and MX Soft 410 (rear) tyres in round 5 of the MX Nationals.

Pirelli’s Australian National Product Manager, Don Nicholas said, “The team use the Scorpion MX32 front tyre at many of the rounds because of its versatility in changing conditions. At the Coolum round, the NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team chose the Scorpion MX Soft 410 for the rear. This tyre enhances performance in sand and mud as it is perfectly suited to these conditions”.

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