Image: Alex Gobert.

A pair of Phillip Island podiums in the 2014 Penrite Australian Supercross Championship has multiple-time national champion Jay Marmont certain his gamble to exit CDR Yamaha following the MX Nationals was the right decision.

Marmont, 31, announced his retirement from the sport at the end of 2014 during the Conondale round of the nationals, however Yamaha’s decision to quit supercross until further notice would have denied him a final supercross sendoff.

After the Coolum MX Nationals finals Marmont revealed he had instead reached an agreement with Penrite Honda to contest supercross, reviving his hopes of capturing one last championship in the series managed by factory Honda team owner Yarrive Konsky.

A difficult start to the season at Bathurst had onlookers questioning Marmont’s stunning Honda switch, however third on Saturday and second on Sunday at Phillip Island have since validated his shock defection – exactly what Marmont wanted to do at the mid-point of the season.

“I took a substantial pay cut to go with Honda; I could have been sitting back on easy street getting paid, not a big wage, but a wage, and ready to start to next chapter of my life,” Marmont told MotoOnline. “Obviously I’m a racer and with this potentially being my last year of racing, I went with Honda.

“It was a big risk because the team hasn’t really got any results recently apart from Ben Townley, looking from the outside in, but I just believed in their program and I believe in myself as well. The team didn’t have a 450 rider for supercross, so it seemed to be the best fit and the gamble’s paid off.

“The team is really good, I have great people around me, and Gavin Faith is an awesome teammate to have in the truck as well. There’s no animosity, it’s been a good vibe and on the inside everything is as good as what it seems. It’s just working.”

Marmont’s move to Penrite Honda effectively ended any official association with Yamaha for a second time in his illustrious career, previously leaving CDR Yamaha as a four-time MX Nationals champion for Kawasaki in 2012. His lone title since then was that year’s supercross crown, but future plans with Honda went a long way to securing sealing his most recent switch.

“The long-term thing was what we first spoke about with Honda, especially Yarrive, and we’re progressively looking at options,” Marmont added. “I wanted to do that with Yamaha, but the offer wasn’t on the table. Basically at the end of motocross, the deal was to get paid out or race for another team, so I had to look at the best avenue for myself.

“Yarrive came to me with a package that could potentially have us keep working together in years to come, possibly doing some coaching and even helping out with the team. There’s also the potential to do some races if I want, so for me it’s worked out good. It’s nice to have a team and company that believes in your ability and experience, so it’s working well.”

It’s yet to be decided if Marmont will return for a full season of supercross in 2015, but he has effectively ruled out any fulltime MX Nationals comeback.