CARTER BUILDING UP
Mount Maunganui’s Rhys Carter is going from strength to strength on his beefy Suzuki RM-Z450 motorcycle and it could be just a matter of time before he cracks a podium finish on the big bike class across the Tasman.
The 24-year-old Team Motul Suzuki rider – who raced earlier this season in the MX2 (250cc) class for the Bay of Plenty-based Bel Ray Pro Rider Suzuki team in New Zealand – is midway through his first full season of racing in the MX1 class in Australia and he is showing good signs that this may be where his future lies after producing solid performances against top international-class opposition.
He looked particularly at home on the sweeping hills of Green Park at Conondale, barely an hour’s drive inland from Coloundra, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, at the weekend as he contested the seventh round of 10 in the 2014 Australian Motocross Championships.
Carter finished 8-9-7 in his three races at Conondale on Sunday, even managing to pass and pull away from former New Zealand MX1 champion and former world champion Ben Townley (Penrite Honda CRF450) in the final race of the day.
Bay of Plenty’s Townley had officially retired from top level racing in March last year, before being coaxed to cross the Tasman for a fill-in role on the Penrite team, and this will explain why he faded late in the day, but there is still no taking away from Carter’s inspired riding at the weekend.
Carter is ranked ninth in the MX1 class and, with just three rounds remaining in the Monster Energy MX Nationals and just six points between Carter and the eighth-ranked rider, Hayden Mellross, he will be focussed now on continuing to make improvements.
“I rode quite tight and didn’t feel comfortable in the first race today,” said Carter. “But things improved as the day wore on. I was mentally tough today and knew that I would be fitter than Ben (Townley). He proved he’s still got it though … he’s a great rider.”
Townley’s scorecard for the weekend was 5-6-11.
“I started the day on the back foot while we tried to sort out my front fork settings, but I finished the day on the front foot and that’s got to be a good thing,” said Carter.
“I just need to finish the season with consistency. I will take it race by race.”
Carter’s Team Motul Suzuki boss Jay Foreman was also encouraged by Carter’s efforts at the weekend.
“These conditions today did not suit him but Rhys is getting better each time he rides the RM-Z450 and I believe the best is yet to come from him,” said Foreman.
Meanwhile, Queensland’s Kirk Gibbs (KTM Motocross Racing Team) was a picture of consistency at the weekend, finishing 2-2-1 in the MX1 class, enough to edge out Carter’s Motul Suzuki team-mate Matt Moss, the defending champion and series leader, who finished Sunday with a 1-3-2 score-line.
The title looks set to go down to the wire between the Moss and Gibbs as they race towards the final round in Coolum, Queensland, next month.
Former Australian champion Jay Marmont (CDR Yamaha YZ450F) announced his retirement during the lunch break on Sunday, directly following his impressive third place finish in race one after he had led the opening half of the race from Moss, Gibbs and Scotsman Billy MacKenzie (CDR Yamaha YZ450F). From there on, Marmont’s afternoon slowly deteriorated with his ongoing wrist injuries and he ended up only 14th overall for the day.
© Words and photos by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com
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Check back here on www.BikesportNZ.com during this week as we bring you more stories and photos from the weekend, including coverage of the Kiwis in the MX2 class.
RESULTS:
MX1 CLASS:
MX1 Superpole:
1) Matt Moss 2:38.944 (5 points)
2) Kirk Gibbs 2:38.998 (4 points)
3) Billy MacKenzie 2:39.277 (3 points)
4) Adam Monea 2:39.374 (2 points)
5) Jake Moss 2:40.926 (1 point)
Round Results:
1) Kirk Gibbs 99 (32, 32, 35)
2) Matt Moss 97 (35, 30, 32)
3) Billy MacKenzie 89 (28, 35, 26)
4) Adam Monea 77 (21, 28, 28)
5) Brock Winston 72 (24, 23, 25)
6) Ben Townley 71 (26, 25, 20)
7) Rhys Carter 69 (22, 23, 24)
8) Jesse Dobson 64 (25, 17, 22)
9) Hayden Mellross 63 (19, 21, 23)
10) Jacob Wright 60 (20, 19, 21)
MX1 Overall Championship Standings:
1) Matt Moss 550
2) Kirk Gibbs 532
3) Billy Mackenzie 482
4) Adam Monea 475
5) Jake Moss 420
6) Kade Mosig 386
7) Jacob Wright 364
8) Hayden Mellross 357
9) Rhys Carter (New Zealand) 351
10) Brock Winston 345
Also (other Kiwis):
15th. Ben Townley 139
19th. Brad Groombridge 96
20th. Cody Cooper 81
MX2 CLASS:
Round Results:
1) Caleb Ward 91 (35, 35, 21)
2) Errol Willis 85 (25, 28, 32)
3) Luke Clout 79 (28, 23, 28)
4) Josh Cachia 78 (23, 30, 25)
5) Hamish Harwood 77 (32, 19, 26)
6) Jay Wilson 72 (24, 24, 24)
7) Brenden Harrison 65 (30, 12, 23)
8) Dylan Long 64 (22, 22, 20)
9) Kale Makeham 63 (15, 26, 22)
10) Kayne Lamont 62 (DNF, 32, 30)
MX2 Overall Championship Standings:
1) Luke Clout 463
2) Hamish Harwood 447
3) Luke Arbon 420
4) Caleb Ward 404
5) Brenden Harrison 399
6) Kale Makeham 397
7) Kayne Lamont 395
8) Jay Wilson 392
9) Errol Willis 325
10) Josh Cachia 235