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By - Andy McGechan.
FOR the first two rounds of the Australian championships, nobody could beat the Kiwis.
But, at round three of the Mister Motocross series in Queensland, at least one of the Kiwi frontrunners, New Plymouth’s Shayne King, finally met his match … though it wasn’t another rider that conquered him, but a virus.
Bedridden all week, the 33-year-old former 500cc world champion struggled to complete each of his two Pro Open class races (for 250cc two-stroke and 450cc four-stroke bikes). However, by coming home in seventh and 12th, he still good enough to finish eighth overall on the day.
However, even with a virus weakening King, there was still elder brother Darryll King for the Aussie hoards to contend with.
Hamilton-based Darryll snatching the overall lead thanks to back-to-back wins at the sandy Coolum track, relegating Shayne to second in the overall standings.
The racing at Coolum took all of Shayne King’s strength to hold onto his Honda CRF450 and he was even lapped by Darryll (Yamaha) in the second outing.
“Actually, holding on to the bike wasn’t as hard as trying to get my brain to function, to turn the throttle. I was wiped out. I couldn’t take anything to combat the virus … they test for drugs at the track … so I was pretty weak.
“To go from being seven points in the lead to 20 points behind is a real blow but I’ve been in these positions before and I’ll bounce back.
“At least the Kiwi dominance continues across the Tasman,” Shayne King said. “There’s still a long way to go and I know I’ll be back and fighting to retake the lead,” he said.
Defending champion Darryll King was in imperious form at Coolum, finishing 12 seconds clear of Honda’s Lee Ellis in the first race and 16 seconds ahead of KTM’S Cheyne Boyd in the second leg.
Other Kiwis to shine at Queensland included Featherston’s Corrie Sargent (Honda) and Gisborne’s Shaun Fogarty (KTM). Sargent went 9-5 in the two Pro Open races and moved up from ninth to eighth overall, while Fogarty finished 8-8 to place himself 14th in the series standings, up from 25th after round two.
Opotiki’s Cody Cooper continues to lead the Pro Lites class (for 125cc two-strokes and 250cc four-strokes). The 20-year-old Honda rider was entangled in a first-turn pile-up but remounted to battle back through the field and finish third in the first of his two races, the first time he has been beaten this season.
He retook his accustomed position on the top of the podium when he won the second leg and still leads the overall standings by 22 points from Australian Yamaha rider Cameron Taylor.
Taupo’s Nick Saunders (KTM) finished 11-14 in his two Pro Lites races and he settles at 13th in the overall analysis.
Meanwhile, though Cooper may have extracted himself from the early carnage of race one, young Australian Jono Porter was not so lucky.
The 23-year-old Suzuki star was caught at the bottom of the first-turn smash. He was airlifted to hospital and hooked up to life-support equipment but he died three days later (Wednesday morning).
“I was sitting in the commentary box, doing an interview, when the accident happened,” said Shayne King. “It happened right in front of me. I’m devastated by what’s happened. He’s such a likeable bloke.
“It’s a dangerous sport but this crash wasn’t even particularly big. I’ve walked away from crashes that looked worst than that. My heart goes out to his family.”
LEADING standings after round three of Australia’s Mister Motocross national championships at Coolum, Queensland:
Pro Open: 1. Darryll King (Yamaha, NZ) 137 points; 2. Shayne King (Honda, NZ) 117; 3. Cheyne Boyd (KTM) 109; 4. Jay Marmont (KTM) 89; 5. Lee Ellis (Honda) 87; 6. Danny Ham (Suzuki) 87; 7. Troy Carroll (Yamaha) 79; 8. Corrie Sargent (Honda, NZ) 74; 9. Mick Cook (Kawasaki) 64; 10. Shane Metcalfe (Honda) 62.
Pro Lites: 1. Cody Cooper (Honda, NZ) 145 points; 2. Cameron Taylor (Yamaha) 123; 3. Troy Dorron (Honda) 100; 4. Daniel McCoy (Yamaha) 94; 5. Daniel Reardon (Kawasaki) 74; 6. Jye Harvey (Honda) 69; 7. Adam Cini (Yamaha) 68; 8. Mitch Hoad (Suzuki) 58; 9. Barry Morris (Honda, Scotland) 52; 10. Warren Smart (Honda) 47.
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