Kawasaki Racing Team rider Billy Mackenzie added more precious points to his Championship campaign at the 5th round of the Australian Motocross Championship, taking 2nd for the round and progressing higher up the series ladder to 4th place overall. Cody Mackie retains his top 5 standing in the Lites class after finishing the round in 5th and Under 19s rider Luke Arbon grabbed himself a 3rd moto podium to also remain in the top 5 in the Championship.

 

With very limited bike time over the last few weeks due to a wrist injury sustained at Canberra, Billy Mackenzie found it tough in the muddy conditions to maintain his regular moto winning speed at Raymond Terrace, however he was still good enough to podium two of his three motos and take 2nd overall behind his friend and fellow UK citizen Brad Anderson. Billy looked on song in the first moto, quickly finding the lead and setting a good pace. A mid race crash after a close pass by Anderson dropped Billy back in the pack however the Kawasaki rider did well to fight back and finish in 4th place. 3rd place finishes in the following two motos and Billy’s 4-3-3 results were good enough to give him 2nd for the round and advance him even further in the Championship to 4th place. (Notably, Billy has the most amount of moto wins in the Championship but is trailing in the series as a result of three lost motos due to a crash in Canberra.)

 

Billy says, “I wasn’t really happy with how I was riding today. I was picking some horrible lines and I wasn’t as focussed as I normally am. I think it’s just lack of bike time. At Toowoomba when I won the round I had a bit of home track knowledge so that helped me through that weekend. This race, my fitness was better. My wrist is feeling good. I just wasn’t on it as I normally am with my line choice and my gear changes and my corners. There were just a lot of things that weren’t right today but the team worked their hardest.”

 

“I managed to claw some points back in the Championship and that’s the goal, to win the Championship, so to finish second to Brad isn’t a big deal today. I’ve got the Manjimup race next week in Perth to keep busy and because I need the bike time. I’ll definitely get riding the bike more and concentrate on my training so it’s easier on race day.”

 

Lites rider Cody Mackie showed good speed, especially in moto two when Cody checked out to an early lead and looked unstoppable, however the sloppy, muddy conditions at Raymond Terrace were unforgiving and Mackie had to settle for 5th overall for the day after much chopping and changing of the lead throughout the three motos. Cody finished in 5-4-6 to take 5th for the round and 4th in the Championship.

 

Cody says, “I’m very disappointed. I put myself in good positions today but I really struggled with the track and couldn’t capitalise. Starts are my most fun thing at the moment. I’m getting a buzz out of them. I know how quick my KX250F is and I think that is a huge part. I have a lot of confidence in my bike. I can miss the jump and still get a good start. I just want to back it up for the team and most importantly myself. I’ll change a few things for the next round and hopefully get back up on the box. Much thanks to the team and Kawasaki for their support.”

 

Fresh from a round win at Toowoomba two weeks ago, Under 19s rider Luke Arbon came to Raymond Terrace determined for further success. Luke showed great speed at the 5th round and found himself on the podium in the third moto, however it was not enough to make up for a big crash in the second moto. Luke fought back many places from dead last but didn’t have enough time to find his way into the points for the moto. Luke’s 7-28-3 resulted in 7th place for the round. Although the round didn’t go strictly to plan for Luke, the 18 year old still sit’s in 4th place in the Championship with numerous more motos remaining to gain more points.

 

Luke says, “It was a day of mixed emotions. I got a gate pick with a lot of slop in front of it and got a bad start in the first and ended up mid pack. There was only one real line on the track and it was really rutty so it was a really hard track to pass on. I got a good start in the second and was sitting in 3rd and then I got a bit loose down the back and went off the track and crashed into a creek. My bike was upside stuck on a rock so it took a while to get it started so I almost got lapped. That race was terrible.”

 

“In the last race I pretty much got the hole-shot and found the lead. I was leading for a while but I think my front tyre was going flat so my bike started handling a little bit funny and I ended up with 3rd. It wasn’t too bad but I would’ve preferred the win. We’ve got a month off now so I’ll train my butt off and come out swinging. I want to win!”

 

KRT Manager Troy Carroll says, “Luke had an unlucky day. I’m disappointed for him because he’s on the chase for the Championship. He’s a lot better than what he ended up being today. We’re still working really hard with Cody. In the last moto he showed some awesome speed. He’s got better race-craft than a lot of people, he just needs to pull his intensity up.”

 

“Today Billy was nowhere near his best. He wasn’t hitting his lines, he just wasn’t his normal self. Overall he gained points in the Championship. We don’t have to win every moto, just keep gaining points and he’s certainly doing that. The big picture is winning this Championship and that’s what we’re all aiming to do. After a tough day at the office, the most important thing is that all the riders are fit and healthy and ready to do battle at the next round. ”

 

With a four week gap until the next round of the series at Albury, expect Billy Mackenzie to get that much needed bike time under his belt and come out firing alongside team-mates Cody Mackie and Luke Arbon in their quest for Championship glory.