Pre-Race at Phillip Island
Australian Supercross 2014
www.motoonline.com.au Image: Marc Jones. By Alex Gobert
Pre-race press day complete as Australian Grand Prix opens.
Australia’s best supercross racers got their first hit-out on the revamped Lukey Heights track at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit today.
The Penrite Australian Supercross Championship continues this weekend, with rounds three and four of the series to be contested alongside MotoGP at the Tissot Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix.
In the SX1 class Motul Suzuki’s Matt Moss is the man to beat, having dominated the opening two rounds at Bathurst Showground last weekend.
Moss won the Bathurst double-header ahead of NP Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Adam Monea and said he will take the same approach into this weekend’s rounds.
“The new track is really good,” Moss said. “It is a bit more technical and has a lot of variations. There are some tough rhythm sections, as well as fast and slow lines, it will be much better for the riders.”
Monea, who despite sitting out the past three supercross seasons due to injury, came out firing in the opening rounds. The Victorian said he knows what he needs to do to beat Moss, recognising his starts as an area he needs to improve.
“Matt is riding really well,” Monea said. “But everyone is beatable and I have beaten him before. “I need to be strong in the same areas that he is, which is his starts and the opening laps of the race.”
In the SX2 class KTM rider Brendan Harrison and Penrite Oil Honda rider Gavin Faith took one round each in Bathurst. Faith holds the championship lead by a mere two points ahead of Harrison, who hopes a suspension change will give him the edge on his rival this weekend.
“I am really looking forward to this weekend,” Harrison said. “We have made a suspension change which should make a difference on this track. Instead of heading home to Queensland I stayed in Melbourne after Bathurst and did a lot of riding at Kade Mosig’s track. I am feeling great, my aim is to leave here with the points lead.”
Rounds three and four of the Penrite Australian Supercross Championship will be held at the Tissot Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix on 18-19 October.