National level riders went on a state championship tear during the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, taking it to the locals in the Queensland, Victorian and New South Wales motocross titles.
Defending triple Australian Motocross Champion Jay Marmont won the Pro Open category in the Yamaha-backed Queensland Motocross Championships at Coolum on the Sunshine Coast.
Featuring a grueling four-day format that saw competitors race a range of different length races including back-to-back motos and two 25-minute motos, Marmont took his second win in as many weekends, adding the title to the Manjimup 15,000 he won earlier this month.
CDR Rockstar Energy Yamaha’s Marmont won the Pro Open class ahead of Todd Waters (Carlton Dry Honda Thor Racing) and Waters’ teammate Michael Phillips, finishing with 1-5-1-1-2 results to clinch the state title.
Shaun Redhead from the GYTR Rockstar Yamaha Team also competed in the Pro Open event and posted a very respectable fifth place finish. Redhead earned plenty of respect from his older and more experienced rivals and he battled bravely with them and put in five strong rides.
Honda’s Jacob Wright won the Pro Lites division after finishing fourth in the Opens, with GYTR Rockstar Yamaha’s Luke Arbon second and Redhead third. Yamaha Queensland’s Sam Duncanson was third.
In New South Wales it was a rain-affected affair, with Serco Yoshimura Yamaha’s Kirk Gibbs taking out the Pro Lites and also winning a moto in the Open class before he crashed out of moto two in the second round of the state titles.
That left Yamaha local Beau Ralston to win the round at Maitland ahead of Raceline Pirelli Suzuki’s Lawson Bopping. Another Yamaha privateer in Luke Styke scored second in the Lites.
Carlton Dry Honda Thor Racing’s Cheyne Boyd won the third round of the Victorian state championship at Swan Hill, beating out former national level competitors Ross Beaton and Cameron Taylor.
The Pro Lites saw Yamaha rising star Jake Emanuelli take the round victory and extend his lead in the championship, with Matt Ryan second and Thomas Alexander rounding out the podium.