JDR MOTORSPORTS:

Round seven of the 2009 MX Nationals at Lakes, NSW  was penciled in to be the round of the year for the MXRAD/JDR Motorsports Team. Not only was the round a return to the team’s effective home track, but it also saw the return of injured team member Ryan Marmont.

Marmont had missed the last two rounds after suffering a broken leg, sustained whilst practicing before the South Australian round of the series, but was ready to jump back into the mix at Lakes. As too were the rest of the team who  have upped-the-ante in preparation of turning on some great riding in front of family and friends on home soil…. and things looked good early with all of the boys running fast lap times in practice and subsequently finding themselves in good positions come end of qualifying.

The Lakes round of the series also saw the U/19s class takes a rest and made way for the introduction of the Women’s class, this left Josh Cachia out of the loop. Not wanting to miss out on the action, Cachia scored himself a Wildcard entry in the Pro Lites class and  made the step-up into the big league for the round and let everyone know that these U/19s boys are coming and will shake up the ranks in the next few years.

With next to no bike time under his belt, Marmont got out to a great start in moto one of the Pro Lites, followed by his team-mates, Cachia and Danny Anderson a little further behind,  as the trio tried to stay with the top three, who’d already broke open a big lead by lap two.

Looking to consolidate points, all three boys settled into a rhythm with Cachia and Anderson picking their way forward from mid-pack, whilst Marmont made a charge toward the top-five. Unfortunately for Anderson, he started to fall off the pace slightly and moved outside of the top-ten whilst Cachia was making the most of his widcard and moved into the top ten, with Marmont slotting into fourth – which he held to the flag – an incredible return to racing given his lack of preparation.
Cachia ended the moto in a barn-storming eighth with Anderson following him home in 15th.

Moto one of the Pro Open class and it was a less-than-perfect start for both Andrew McFarlane and Beau Ralston. As the pack raced into turn one, both 450 pilots found themselves down the order in the mid-pack.  However, It didn’t take long for both boys to start making their moves as ‘Sharky’ went on the hunt, trying everything to pick-off riders early, whilst Ralston found a smooth rhythm and began to battle with Suzuki’s Cameron Taylor.

As the 30 minute moto started to take its toll on riders, McFarlane started to put the pressure on fourth place – unfortunately for McFarlane, time ran out, finishing a very creditable fifth. Ralston would end the moto in ninth.

Race two for the Lites and Marmont was all over it once again, just missing the holeshot before settling into second place, whilst team-mates Cachia and Anderson faced the task of working through the pack once-more. However, the lack of bike time took its toll on Marmont as he started to secomb to riders inside the 10. He fought on valiantly and would eventually round out the moto  in eighth place. Anderson managed to hold to 12th at the flag with Cachia making his way back to 18th.

Moto two in the Pro Opens got underway in similar fashion to race one with McFarlane fighting hard early, rounding turn one in fourth place and Ralston mid-pack. However, It all turned pear-shaped for the number 7 just a few corners later as McFarlane pulled back towards the pits. After mixing it up for the first few turn, McFarlane came together with another rider and busted a rear pin, leaving him with no rear brakes and no choice but to leave Ralston with the sole Open duties.
Fighting hard yet again, Ralston made his way inside the top ten and managed to hold his position to the flag – finishing in ninth.

The team will now re-group and head north to Coolum, Qld for the final round of the series next weekend. With 75 points on offer, there is still plenty to ride for, especially for McFarlane who still sits in third place in the championship following his moto two DNF.