The CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team had a rare off weekend at round three of the ProMX championship at Albury, over the weekend, with both riders unable to reach the podium across both races but have vowed to quickly right the ship before round four.
With overnight rain turning the usually fun and flowing Albury track into a massive mud bog, both Luke Clout and Aaron Tanti struggled in the conditions and unable to capitalise on the gains made at round two in Appin.For a CDR Yamaha bLU cRU round review: https://youtu.be/Ouqvy0GaZfM
The CDR team came into round three confident of a good result after a couple of test days in the lead up proved fruitful for both riders. Some motor and suspension were found the team wanted to cash in on the improved performance of the bikes.
But when the heavens opened on Saturday night and it become obvious that survival was the name of the game and not speed, the riders and team needed to adjust their way of thinking to deal with the difficult conditions. Both riders experienced a challenging day of racing with Luke Clout finishing in 12th for the day while Aaron Tanti was in 15th.
Clout experienced problems right from the get go in moto one and found himself well down the field on the opening lap. He slowly moved his way forward and eventually crossed the finish line in 15th place to at least salvage some points.
Race two and things were looking better has parts of the track began to dry, leaving axle deep ruts in many of the turns and straights. Clout fought his way into sixth place but on the final lap made a mistake and went down. He lost three positions as he remounted and come across the finish line in ninth place. His 15-9 saw him finish a disappointing 12th for the round and Luke currently sits in eighth place on the MX1 points table.
The weekend also saw the reigning champion, Aaron Tanti, experience some hardship as he battled the Albury circuit. Tanti worked hard in the opening stages of race one to move himself into a top five position. While he may not of had the speed of the leader, he was able to manage the race as best he could until three laps to go when he slid sideways of a jump and fell heavily.
Fortunately, he was ok but the bike received extensive damage, especially to the handlebar region and he was unable to finish the race. The no result was a bitter blow to his championship defence and as a result, he was instantly on the back foot for moto two and desperate to secure any points available.
With the track now destroyed, race two needed a calm approach and Tanti did his best to stay out of the chaos and carnage if the opening laps to finish in seventh place and at least get some points for the round and no physical damage. His DNF-7 were good for 15th for the round while Aaron holds down sixth in the championship after three rounds.
“It certainly was a tough day for the team and one as a whole we are disappointed in,” explains team owner, Craig Dack. “We had a discussion on the day about what areas as riders and what areas we need to improve on in conditions like this because regardless we need to be better as rounds like this can and will occur again.
“It is often said you can learn more from your failures than your victories, so the riders need to take on board the short comings of today and ensure they are better next time they are faced with conditions like this. They have our full support and the team will back them in to rebound strongly at the next round and redeem themselves.
“Both Aaron and Luke are past champions and I’m sure that this weekend was a hit to the pride of two very capable and confident young men and they will respond appropriately at Maitland,” Dack ends.
Round four of the championship will be conducted at the Maitland circuit in the Hunter Valley and ran over a two day format on May 6 and 7. The missing race from the opening round will be conducted on the Saturday, while the Sunday will be the usual ProMX schedule.
ProMX Results
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ProMx Results
Round Three – Albury
MX1.
1st Jed Beaton – 47
2nd Todd Waters – 40
3rd Kirk Gibbs – 36
4th Hamish Harwood – 35
5th Maximus Purvis – 28 (Yamaha)
12th Luke Clout – 18 (Yamaha)
15th Aaron Tanti – 14 (Yamaha)
MX1 Championship Standings
1st Jed Beaton – 87
2nd Kirk Gibbs- 73
3rd Dean Ferris – 70 (Yamaha)
4th Todd Waters – 69
5th Hamish Harwood – 62
6th Aaron Tanti – 59 (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team)
7th Brett Metcalfe – 52
8th Luke Clout – 48 (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team)
9th Kyle Webster – 43
10th Jai Walker - 35