HQVA press release:

Husqvarna factory Support rider Zak Small has had a positive buildup before this weekend’s continuation of the MXD National Championship at Nowra, extending his lead in the premier class of Queensland’s Sunshine State series at the penultimate round in Chinchilla.

Riding his Husqvarna FC 350, Small used 1-3-1 scores to get the better of an enthralling 350 vs 450 duel against fellow Husqvarna rider, FC 450-mounted Robbie Marshall. Joel Rizzo was third overall.

The result gives Small (381) a 57-point lead in the premier class championship, ahead of Kerrod Morrissy (324) with Brodie Downes (296) third.

The news wasn’t quite as bright in the MX2 category where poor starts and a non-finish saw Small relinquish the lead in the championship after Jake Moss won the day from Ricky and Lochie Latimer.

Hot on the heels of the leading Pro trio was MXD National championship contender Kaleb Barham aboard the SD3 Husqvarna FC 250.

His growth as a rider having outpaced his grading, Barham was forced to compete for Intermediate class honours, and duly claimed honours in both the MX2 and 125cc classes.Riding in a mixed Intermediate/Pro MX2 class however, Barham was able to chase the pro riders, finishing top five in the first two motos before chasing Jake Moss home for second on the track in the final.

Husqvarna Junior Motocross Racing Team rider Bailey Malkiewicz made the long trip to Queensland well worth it, taking his Husqvarna TC 85 to a demonstrative whitewash of the Minilites 14-15 category, with Mason Rowe and Jayce Cosford rounding out the podium.

He was just as damaging in the Junior Lites 13-15 100-125 class, firing a TC125 to three consecutive victories to win from Jack Kukas and Jake Williams.

The Shell Sunshine State series is well known as a breeding ground for emerging talent, and as part of its support of this year’s series, Husqvarna Australia has been awarding Clubman Cash on a round-by-round basis.

The highest placed Husqvarna-mounted Clubman rider in either MX1 or MX2 classes takes home a $100 cash bonus each round, and at Chinchilla the Husky Clubman Cash winners were Joel Phillips (MX2), and Jayden Treasure (MX1).

Robbie Marshall, Series Coordinator – “I’ve been so busy doing freestyle I hadn’t ridden my Husky for a month and a half, so I was pretty happy with second given that. Zak Small is riding really good and the two of us got good starts so it was always us up the front. It was a good battle in the last one – it kind of came down to fitness and because I have been riding that much… It was definitely great fun. Zak’s only young, but he’s got some good race craft going on and we were neck and neck.”

Zak Small – “In the opens I got the win with 1-3-1. I had to come from dead last in that second moto. I was racing against Robbie on the 450 throughout the day and we had a good race in the last one, together the whole race. He got around me and I just followed him for a bit and learned a bit of him and then went back around him. There doesn’t seem to be much difference between my 350 and 450 – the 350 revs a little harder which suits me more, and I like the lighter feel. In the Lites I had a pretty decent sized crash and worked my way back to eighth in the first, then in the second I followed Jake for about 15 minutes until I was passed by another rider in the last two laps and finished third. In the last one I was running fourth when I was taken out by another rider. I extended my led in the Opens, but dropped my lead in the Lites, which sucks, but, we’ll see what happens in Toowoomba I guess.”

Kaleb Barham – “It’s the first round of the Shell series that I’ve done all year but it worked in well, and it’s the same kind of soil as Nowra will be. It was definitely good to see some of the national boys out there. It was a bit of a shame that I’m still graded Intermediate, so I ended up winning both the 125 and 250, but overall out of both classes I’m pretty sure I ended up fourth overall in the 250. I didn’t get the best of starts on the 250 because of the peg draw, but I did what I could do coming through the pack. I got a good start in the last one and ended up coming second behind Jake, so a second behind Mossy was a good way to end off the last race before heading into nationals. It was a good shakedown for us and now I’m definitely looking forward to Nowra this weekend.”

For more information on Husqvarna motorcycles visit www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com