31 May 2010

Round five of the Rockstar MX Nationals was a frustrating day at the office for the Serco Yamaha team of Kirk Gibbs and Ford Dale who failed to capitalize on their impressive raw speed. Simple mistakes cost both riders throughout the day but both showed they are a legitimate threat to win races at each and every round.

Under clear blue skies and perfect track conditions, the Serco duo again qualified well and were well placed going into the three points paying races and the 75 points up for grabs.

Kirk Gibbs, a previous round winner at Raymond Terrace consistently put his Serco Yamaha inside the top five, but a crash in moto two cost him dearly in the overall points. His 5-11-4 finishes landed the South Australian in sixth place, yet he still maintains second place in the overall Pro Lite standings.

“It was such a frustrating day and the harder I tried, the worse it got. I still managed to salvage some reasonable points and still hold second overall, but that is not where I should finish and I need to do better at the next round,” said the determined Gibbs.

The fortunes of Ford Dale were much the same. Posting the second fastest lap in qualifying, Dale took that momentum into race one and was running in third place in the later stages of the race before crashing and damaging his bike. The damage to his throttle meant he was unable to finish in moto one.

Moto two saw him fight on for a respectable sixth place despite a bad start and then the bad luck set in again in moto three when he stalled the bike after hitting the back of another rider. He rounded out the day in a disappointing 12th place and wants redemption at the next round.

“Today was unacceptable. I wish we could go back out and race tomorrow and fix up what happened today. We have a few weeks before the next round and I will make sure that my results are back to where they should be there,” Dale states.

The frustration was also evident in the teams’ crew chief, Michael Marty.

“Both guys had the speed and got themselves into good positions in most races only to throw it away. They know they are better than that and I expect them to come out swinging at Albury and we will put this round well and truly behind us.”

Pro Lites

Pro Lites
1st PJ Larsen -282
2nd Kirk Gibbs – 227
3rd Ryan Marmont – 215
4th Cody Mackie – 213
5th Luke Styke – 184
6th Lawson Bopping – 178
7th Ford Dale- 176
8th Michael Phillips – 168
9th Luke George – 141
10th Kade Mosig - 137