Yamaha Motor Australia press release:

Image: Supplied.

The past two weeks has seen plenty of on track action with around Australia with the Yamaha riders and teams enjoying being back at the track and in the thick of the action.
On track action has come thick and fast with events staged in Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia as well as Queensland in both motocross and off road.

Tasmania
Last weekend saw action pick up after a long break with round two of the Tasmanian Motocross Championship. The YJR team of Angus Pearce and Jay Jennings were again primed to get behind the gate and get back to doing what they love.

Jay Jennings had a good day, taking second in both the 10-12 years 65cc class and the 9-11 years 85cc class. Jennings was thereabouts all day and if nothing else proved extremely consistent but just couldn’t crack it for a race win no mater how hard he tried. Jennings now sits second on both classes after two rounds.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go so well for Angus Pearce. After dominating the first 85cc race, Pearce crashed in the first turn of his 125cc event and was airlifted from the track. Since then he has been in the care of doctors, but we are happy to say things are progressing well and he is on the road to recovery.

“Bittersweet day for the team down here with Jay riding well and finishing second but really sad to see Angus getting hurt and requiring to be hospitalised. Thankfully, things seem to be ok with him and he is recovering well but he has had a tough run with injuries the last 12 months so I hope he can come back fitter and faster when he is ready,” explains team manager, Brody Jennings.

South Australia
Wet conditions greeted the SA YJR team at their second round of the South Australian Motocross Championships at Murray Bridge. But with plenty of hard work from the riders and the families, both riders were rewarded with podium finishes in a strong performance.

New recruit, Ryder Woodrow walked on the podium twice, taking second in the 10-12 years 65cc with 4-1-2 results in the three motos contested and he claimed third on his YZ85 in the 9-11years division with 2-4-6 finishes. The mud made life hard on the young charger, but he was still able to post some good results and keep his championship aspirations alive.

Wil Carpenter also took a trip to the podium after he finished second in the 12-16 years 85cc class. Carpenter finished with 2-4-2 results in a very consistent day that has him well placed moving forward.

“Racing in the mud is always a challenge and we were kept on our toes all weekend turning bikes around and keeping everyone on track. But, we made it through with good results and everyone in one piece and now can look forward to the next round of the championship,” states Shane Metcalfe.

Western Australia
WA kicked off their 2020 season at one of the toughest tracks in the country and with the ugly weather in the lead up to the event, it made the Wanneroo circuit as tough and technical as it had been in some time. No easing it in in the WA sand, it was elbows deep from race one, but the WA YJR team were up for the fight.

Jake Turner sand blasted his way to a podium finish in the 13-15 years 125 and 250cc classes. Turner claimed second on his YZ125 with 2-4 results with the final race cancelled due to poor light and managed 4-4-2 results on his YZ250F to take third in a strong showing.

Teammate Jake Rumens suffered a hand injury in the closing stages of race one on his YZ85 and will be sidelined for some time. Rumens was leading the field only to get cross rutted and go down injuring his hand. He was unable to compete for the rest of the day.

“Jake Turner rode well and maybe the highlight of the day was his come from behind ride on the 250 after he fell on the opening lap. It was as good I have seen him ride and it showed just how fast he can go. For Jake Rumens, it was one of those things in racing where he had things under control, but a small mistake cost him dearly. But, he will be back as he is a fighter,” comments state mentor, Peter Strickland.

Queensland
The fourth and final round of the Sunshine State Motocross series was held at the Echo Valley circuit in Toowoomba but heavy rain overnight and in the morning of day one caused organisers headaches. The rain made the track very difficult for the junior riders to get around on Saturday and as a result, the day was cancelled just after practice. With the weather predicted to clear, Sunday’s senior program went ahead as per normal, despite a heavy, muddy track.

AS a result of the cancelation on Saturday, Jake Cannon kept his 26 point lead of the 12-15 years 85cc class intact and was crowned the series winner. Cannon was disappointed with the event being stopped as Echo Valley is his favourite track but was happy to win the series after his consistent performances at the opening three rounds.

Sunday provided a track that gave the pro riders plenty to think about with its long ruts and tacky surface. The MX2 Pro field saw Yamaha stack the deck with Jay Wilson, Aaron Tanti, Jesse Dobson, Levi Rogers and Kota Toriyabe all on hand to battle it out.

Dobson took the round victory on a count back with Jay Wilson as his 3-3-1 results just got the better of Wilson’s 1-1-6 finishes. In third place was Tanti who finished with 6-2-2 moto scores. These three were a class above the rest of the field and provided some closing racing with each rider making mistakes due to the intensity of racing.

Rogers finished with 5-DNF-7 results and continues to develop his riding as he mixes it with the best MX2 pros in Australia. Toriyabe was again consistent and finished in seventh for the day.

But it was Jay Wilson who took the series win by a comfortable 29 point margin.

“First of all, I think its important that on behalf of all the riders, we acknowledge the effort that Anne Polsoni and the MQ team have put in to hold these races. We are very fortunate to live in Queensland and get to do what we have done over the past few weeks and return to racing. They have done an amazing job of hosting three good events in trying conditions and we thank them for all the time and energy they have put into it,” Wilson said.

Queensland also hosted a round of the QORC (Queensland Off Road Championships) on the weekend and it was a familiar name at the top of the time sheets in the junior 65cc division. In fact, you aren’t seeing double vision, there are two of them, as Haley and Drake Hutton took a family and Yamaha 1-2 after a tough day on what mean of the seniors felt was a hard course.

The name Hutton isn’t uncommon with state off road championships with father, Kirk having countless wins during his career, but he was a proud Dad on hand to watch his boys follow in Dad’s footsteps.

“Its awesome to see my two sons loving the sport that gave me so much satisfaction during my career,” comments King Kirk. “Of course because I’m Dad, they don’t listen to a word I say but lucky they are both determined and dedicated kids who just love riding and that’s fine by me.”