26 Jul 2011

GYTR Rockstar Yamaha young gun Luke Arbon nailed down his fifth podium finish of the year claiming third at the eighth round of the MX Nationals at Moree.

Arbon started the day in good shape taking 2-3-5 finishes in the opening three motos but a first turn pile up left him well down the field in moto four and desperate for points. Arbon put in a mad charge through the field to climb his way back to 11th and enough points to secure third spot on the podium in the Under 19 class on the day.

Unfortunately, his championship aspirations have been dashed as his main rival, Errol Willis, gained enough points to seal the championship with one round remaining. Arbon sits comfortably in second place with an 84point gap back to his team mate, Shaun Redhead in third.

“First of all, I would like to congratulate Errol on his win this year. He rode well all year and deserved to win.”

“But the Moree round was probably a good summary of how my championship has been, plenty of good races but one bad one per round that proved costly when your main rival is so consistent. You simply can’t do that and expect to win a professional championship,” Arbon reflects.

It was also a trying day for team mate Shaun Redhead who experienced the round from hell. Crashes, crash damage and a frustrating day at the office was how the Redhead script went but despite the dramas, he maintains a 41 point break over fourth place, Dylan Peterson, with one round to go.

“I’m not sure who was riding my bike out there today but it wasn’t me. That was embarrassing and not the way I race. I owe it to my team to do better that and I will restore their faith next weekend,” Redhead fumes.

The GYTR Rockstar Yamaha team has a week to bounce back with the final round of the 2011 Rockstar MX Nationals will be contested this weekend at Coolum. Both riders have vowed to come out all guns blazing for a strong finish to the season and cement their spots on the championship podium.

Round Eight Results- Moree
Under 19

Championship Standings- One Round Remaining
1st Errol Willis - 656
2nd Luke Arbon - 550
3rd Shaun Redhead - 466
4th Dylan Peterson - 425
5th Jay Wilson - 385
6th Jake Emanuelli - 380
7th Kyle McKeddie -370
8th Sam Martin - 305
9th Kyle Makeham - 280
10th Dylan Long - 270