Marmont won the third and final moto at Horsham last weekend.

CDR Rockstar Yamaha’s Jay Marmont made a solid start to his title defense of the premier Pro Open class at the opening round of the 2010 Rockstar MX Nationals held at a damp Horsham over the weekend, despite suffering from a nasty bout of the flu on race day.

Marmont started feeling the effects of the flu late Friday afternoon and took in as much medication as possible to handle the three 20-minute races that was the format for the first round. Although not at 100 percent, Marmont battled hard in every race taking a fourth in moto one, an eighth in moto two and then a big win in the final leg to land him on the podium and well placed as the series moves on.

“The goal of the first round is always to keep yourself in contention for the championship and that is what I was able to do today. I pumped plenty of cold and flu tablets into me and was able to get through without too much damage and not loose many points on the leaders. I will rest up over the next few days to ensure I am right for round two at Canberra where there is 100 points on offer,” the 26-year-old said.

Teammate Cheyne Boyd, current number two in the country, also finds himself in the top 10 after the opening round and within striking distance of the lead group. Boyd is usually a slower starter in championships before coming home full of steam and was reasonably happy with his start to the 2010 championship.

“Seventh isn’t where I belong, but I have been in far worse positions early in a championship. I actually felt quite good on the bike, so I think the results will come in the near future. The wet conditions made it tough and if it weren’t for a fall in moto three, I might be a little bit closer to the front,” Boyd explained.

Round two of the Rockstar MX Nationals will see the grueling quad challenge where the Pro Open riders race 4 x 20 minute events back to back with only a five minute break between each race.