Team Motul Suzuki's Matt Moss finished fifth at Gladstone's
penultimate round of the 2014 MX Nationals, Australian Motocross
Championship, on Sunday, setting himself up to compete for
back-to-back championship victories when the series concludes this
weekend.
Moss marginally missed out on a podium position overall in a
closely-fought Gladstone round, which was staged in memory of local
legend Jono Porter.
In the opening 30-minute moto of the round Moss charged through
the field to claim third, before a comfortable fourth in moto two
sealed him fifth overall - just four points shy of the round win on
his retro-themed RM-Z450.
That result will see Moss carry a healthy 37-point lead into
Coolum's final round of the season this weekend, staged across
three title-deciding motos at the Sunshine Coast circuit - a
favourite of Moss' on the 10-round schedule.
"It feels good to get through the weekend, keep the red plate
and enter the final round with the lead," Moss said. "The first
moto was good, I got the holeshot but didn't ride as well as I
wanted to and I just maintained what I needed to do.
"And then in moto two I got a terrible start outside the top 10
and had to make some passes to get back up there. I got a stomach
cramp and backed it off, so I only lost three points in the
championship, but as long as everything goes to plan at Coolum we
should be right in there for the title."
Team Motul Suzuki manager Jay Foreman was pleased with Moss'
performance in a gruelling day of competition at Gladstone, now
setting his sights on the consecutive Coolum event following a
short six-day turnaround.
"You win your championship on your bad days, and while yesterday
wasn't particularly bad as such, we only lost three points,"
Foremost explained. "Matt wasn't really feeling it, so he was doing
what he had to do and that's what he is good at, is winning
championships.
"Coolum will suit Matt; he loves it and has always done well
there. If Matt likes the place he will go out and have a go at
winning, but apart from that he can afford to finish second or
third."
Australian motocross will now head to Coolum on the Sunshine
Coast for the 10th and final round of the 2014 MX Nationals season
on 30-31 August.
For further information on Team Motul Suzuki visit www.suzukimotorcycles.com.au
on the web; Like Suzuki Motorcycles Australia on Facebook; or
follow @suzukiaustralia on Instagram.
MX1 round nine overall results:
1. Kirk Gibbs 62
2. Billy Mackenzie 61
3. Adam Monea 60
4. Jacob Wright 60
5. Matt Moss (Team Motul Suzuki) 58
6. Hayden Mellross 46
7. Jake Moss 45
8. Sam Martin 45
9. Jesse Dobson 44
10. Brock Winston 40
MX1 championship standings:
1. Matt Moss (Team Motul Suzuki) 713
2. Kirk Gibbs 676
3. Billy Mackenzie 632
4. Adam Monea 615
5. Jake Moss 528
6. Jacob Wright 525
7. Kade Mosig 500
8. Hayden Mellross 472
9. Sam Martin 436
10. Brock Winston 415
14. Rhys Carter (Team Motul Suzuki) 351
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