Multi-time Australian Motocross Champion Jay Marmont has kicked off his Supercross comeback with an eighth place at the Australian Supercross championship opener at Jimboomba.
American Justin Brayton won the premier SX1 main event, ahead of Dean Ferris and Daniel Reardon.
Husqvarna FC450-mounted Marmont ran as high as fourth after the drop of the gate, but was hit by another rider and fell heavily. “It was a good night, but the final wasn’t good. I came together with Todd Waters in the whoops and it put me over the handlebars. It was a pretty big crash actually. I went from there, and came back through the pack,” said Marmont. “I was almost a lap down at the start but I just plugged away at it and came through and got up to eighth which was good points. My speed was good, I just lacked a little bit of intensity, but this gives me a few things to go home and work on.”
Earlier in the SX2 category, Connor Tierney made a solid fist of his supercross debut, the Husqvarna FC250 rider qualifying for the main event just two weeks after hitting a set of whoops for the first time. “It was an experience. It was pretty crazy, just mayhem, there was so much carnage. But I really enjoyed it.” Tierney exclaimed.
Tierney belied his lack of experience with a fourth-place finish in the last chance qualifier granting him passage to the main event.
Unfortunately the Western Australian ran into misfortune when a rider he was following baulked at a jump, causing Tierney to go sailing over the handlebars.
Despite being hit by several following riders, he remounted to salvage 13th place, and gained valuable experience to build on in his first Supercross season. “In qualifying I had a very good start, but I came into the second turn and I came down, and started a bit of a pileup.” Tierney explained. “That meant I had progress through the LCQ, where I pulled a holeshot, and made it through to the main with a fourth placed finish. Unfortunately, during the main event, a rider in front of me appeared to have committed to the Dragon’s Back however he hesitated and I just couldn’t stop so I went over the bars. I got landed on a few times and just got back up and finished the race in 13th.”
SD3 Husqvarna rider Kaleb Barham was a disappointed spectator as the mains unfolded, having narrowly failed to qualify for the SX2 final. “I did what I could in that LCQ but it wasn’t to be. I worked my way up to fifth, got past Pozniak, and then I was catching Tierney, but got re-passed and by the time I got back in range the Chequers were out and I finished fifth” Lamented Barham. “But it’s all good, we came out of it in one piece, when a lot of guys didn’t. We’ve got three or four weeks now to train and get ready for Toowoomba and hopefully come out swinging.”
The Australian Supercross Championship will return on October 14 at Toowoomba for round 2.