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Team Shift Motul Suzuki shot back into the series lead at the penultimate round of the 2005 Maxxis Australian Motocross Championship in Gilman with Daryl Hurley taking the overall victory.
The RM-Z450 rider has set himself up for a sizzling season finale next weekend at Conondale in Queensland. In the first of two Pro Open races, Hurley made a strong start and slotted into second place behind Craig Anderson with the pair battling fiercely throughout the 30-minute moto. The second moto saw Hurley take the holeshot before being passed on the opening lap by his New Zealand compatriot, Shayne King. Hurley had the measure of the former World Champion after following for several laps to calculate his passing opportunities, the Suzuki star made his move and gained the race lead.
Hurley pulled away from his challengers, setting the fastest lap of 1.36.998 - over a second faster than his nearest rival - and stretching the gap to over 10 seconds on the penultimate lap before rolling off the throttle slightly to greet the chequered flag with a comfortable three-second margin.
"The RM-Z450 was fantastic and things went to plan out there today. It’s great to be back in the lead," said Hurley. "With a five point margin heading into the final round, we’re in a strong position to take the championship but it’s certainly not a done deal yet so it’s going to be very close."
Hurley’s Pro Open teammate, Danny Ham, retained his place as the leading Australian rider in the series behind the trio of New Zealanders.
Defending his position as the best of the Aussies, Ham was blocked by a first corner pile up in race one and dropped back towards the rear of the field where the 26-year-old began a massive charge through the pack up into sixth place before ultimately finishing seventh.
A mid-pack start in race two left Ham playing catch-up throughout the 30-minute moto, but a fast and consistent ride saw the Newcastle-based rider come through into sixth place for both the race and the round.
"I was left with nowhere to go on the opening lap of race one; the bike was performing really well and I was able to work my way through the field before Lee Ellis and I came together on the second last lap which gave him sixth place," said Ham.
"After a bit of a slow start in moto two, I had a really good race and worked my way through into sixth place. I was still making ground but the leaders had spread out too much to catch them before I ran out of laps.
Team Shift Motul Suzuki’s Pro Lites entry, Luke Burkhart increased his stranglehold on third place in the championship
After making a solid start in race one, Burkhart raced his four-stroke RM-Z250 into a strong third place before a crash dropped him well down the order. Fired up by the incident, the tenacious 21 year old charged back through the field picking riders off one by one to finish in fifth spot.
"We have improved our third place position and now I’m looking at second spot in the championship," said Burkhart. Team Shift Motul Suzuki Manager, Jay Foreman was delighted with the day’s result that handed his team victory and the series lead in the Pro Open class, but remained philosophical about their championship aspirations.
"This is obviously a very positive result for Suzuki – a race win, the round win and we’ve got the series lead back," said Foreman.
"There are still two races to go next weekend so the championship is almost over but it’s a long way from being decided. We’ll do our best. Hurley needs to go out and do exactly what he’s been doing all year – win races. "In Pro Lites, there’s quite a few points for us to catch second place, but Luke will be trying to win the final round," he added.
Team Shift Motul Suzuki will be running an intense practice and testing program throughout the week in preparation for next weekend’s series finale.
The 2005 Australian Motocross Championship series concludes in Conondale, Queensland with the eighth and final round on Sunday July 3rd.
RESULTS - ROUND SEVEN:
