Webmaster posted on May 28, 2009 11:25
With the drought in Western Australia finally breaking, conditions on the weekend could not have been more different for the third round of the State Championships from two weeks ago when the Wellard Yamaha riders took their biggest haul of podiums ever from the Hendley Park circuit.
The one common denominator was the results. The team took five more podiums and all riders secured valuable points that moved them up the Championship ladder.
250F mounted Craig Bolton (Causeway Yamaha) put the disappointment of a DNF in the last championship race at Wanneroo behind him. His goal was to gather as many points as possible to put him back in contention for the title chase. Craig has been working hard on his mental approach as well as his flow on the bike. The sloppy mud conditions from the week’s violent storms would prove to be a key factor in his performance.
The young gun came out with good starts and consistent riding going 3, 3, 2 in each moto. This was good enough to take second outright for the event narrowly missing top spot by just one point. With a grin from ear to ear he said “I just took each race as it came knowing that being in sixth place for the Championship I had nothing to loose. It helped keep the pressure of the day away and worked perfectly. I’m so stoked to be on the podium for the team and now only two points off third in the championship” ‘I can’t wait for the next round” he went on to add.
Fellow Pro Team rider Daniel Strickland (Five Star Yamaha) was also hoping to increase his Championship lead in the younger age 250F class. Three holeshots for two wins and a second was exactly what the hard charger was looking for. Even with the track conditions going from mud in the morning to deep rutted multi lines in the afternoon, Daniel managed to keep his YZ 250F pinned and on two wheels all day. A perfect three from three was on the cards when a small mistake cost him a spot in race two. “Craig and I had our new 94 decibel GYTR mufflers on today and they really liven up the bottom end with usable power. We both got noise tested as well and true to Yamaha’s claims Craig went 90db while mine was 91db well under Motorcycling Australia’s new noise maximum. I’m also pretty happy to have gained a few more points lead in the Championship as the conditions were pretty tough” Daniel added.
Pocket rockets Jayden Rykers (Mandurah City Yamaha) and Kyle Webster (North City Yamaha) were both on fire for this meeting. With their YZ 85’s working the hardest in the conditions, both managed to get the best out of their machines. As we have come to expect you could have thrown a blanket over the two riders in every race. Jayden did make a small mistake and crashed in race one which saw him finish in fourth. This just made him more determined, coming back with a win in the second. Team mate Kyle had racked up two seconds so far. This made the last race the most exciting of the day as both riders went into round three separated by just one point.
From the gate drop the boys battled every lap exchanging the lead and pushing as hard as they could. Even as team mates their desire to win saw some fast clean riding every lap. By the chequers, Jayden had just put a wheel in front to claim bragging rights as well as top spot on the podium. Kyle would have to settle for the second step, but was happy for a Wellard Yamaha one two never the less.
Kyle and Jayden are now tied for second in the title hunt just seven points off the leader. With three rounds to go the battle is just heating up.
125cc Satellite rider Shaun Cornick (Highway Yamaha) was the fifth team rider to make the podium. He put in three good rides on the day to go 3, 4, 2 and pick up third outright for the day. In doing so he has cemented his second place for the Championship. “The more the track dried up the better I rode, but my main goal was to keep it on two wheels to ensure some good points which is what I did” Shaun explained.
“To pick up 12 podiums in two meetings is pretty awesome, but to top it off with four riders in the top two of the Championship and one knocking on the door is the best return the boys can give our supporters and advertising partners. The team will be doing some one on one coaching with Stephen Gall before the next Championship round so we hope to continue on the winning streak all the way to the end from here” stated Team Manager, Peter Strickland.