Penrite Honda Racing press release:

Image: Jeff Crow.

Penrite Honda Racing made a positive start to the 2015 MX Nationals with Ford Dale topping Superpole and Cody Cooper claiming a podium finish in MX1 Moto 2 at Horsham on the weekend.

The event was the first national race meeting Dale has contested in over ten months while for Cooper it was the opportunity to hit the reset button after a horror start to the 2014 season.

Team Principal Yarrive Konsky is confident the results provide a solid foundation to build from. “We had a really solid weekend,” Konsky said. “ Ford needed to get a race under his belt and Cody needed to make it through practice without getting sidelined with injury.

Dale, who gained momentum through practice and qualifying, claimed the first GoPro Superpole for the season and finished the event sixth overall. “I really didn’t know what to expect,” Dale said. “Testing had gone well and I was comfortable on the bike but I hadn’t raced these guys for nearly a year and prior to my last race in 2014 I had only raced twice since early 2013”.

“Taking pole gave me the confidence that I had the speed, but placed extra pressure on me as I knew going into Moto 1 there would now be an expectation. “I rode tight in both motos but overall I was pleased with my results. The first race meeting is out of the way and I know what I need to work on before Round 2.”

Teammate Cody Cooper finished the two moto’s sixth and third respectively to end the round fifth overall. “Believe it or not I can’t remember when I last finished the opening round of the MX Nationals in the top five,” Cooper explained. “ I need to take the positives from this round and work forward, we have 18 races to go and nine Superpole’s so there are a lot of points up for grabs.

“I must admit I was disappointed in my first moto, I knew what went wrong and I worked with the team and Jay Marmont on the changes I needed to make before Moto 2. “In the second race I started well and I caught Kirk a couple of times but I made some mistakes throughout the race which cost me second place and you can’t afford to do that against these guys. In the end I settled for third as I was struggling with the heat and feeling lethargic,” Cooper added.

The team debriefed following Moto 2 and have made changes to their testing program going into Round 2 at Appin in a fortnights time.“The team worked well over the weekend and our Honda’s were competitive,” Konsky continued. “The changes we have made are a work in progress and we look forward to developing our program over the coming rounds.

“Jay Marmont’s input was invaluable and having him present, provided the riders with a respected insight.”