After a huge junior day just 24 hours prior, the Bee Firm NRG/Yamaha seniors took to the Cosy Creek circuit where some of Australia’s heavy hitters in the MX1 class came from the east coast to roll the dice at winning the prestigious Manjimup 15000 event.
With a light prep overnight and a generous helping of water the track was in good condition for some action and fast racing which the circuit is known for.
Down to just two riders with Mat Fabry having surgery on his injured hip it was left to Josh Adams (Cully’s Yamaha) and Michael Mahon (Five Star Yamaha) to fly the flag for the team in the All-stars MX1 division.
It was a tough day for both riders as Michael is still nowhere near full race fitness after missing nearly eight months with the foot injury that took him out last season.
“My starts were really good and I got great drive out of the gate and we constantly made suspension changes to help improve my comfort level in every moto, but ultimately I was suffering a little with arm pump and never really felt great on the bike right from practice on Friday” Mahon stated.
“It was not from the lack of trying as after every Moto we made some kind of change while searching for the perfect set up and though not my greatest day I’m happy to come away in one piece”
A huge crash in qualifying meant team mate Josh Adams had plenty of work to do to his YZ450F as it had destroyed a radiator which needed changing before the first Moto and after a major effort to make it on time he lined up in the race only to have a smaller crash injuring his wrist and severely hindering his riding potential for the rest of the day.
“At the end of the main straight over the jump the bike was unsettled in the air and when I landed it pushed the front end out and I crashed. I must have put my hand out or something as it really tweaked my wrist pretty bad to the point I nearly pulled in”
“I strapped it and took some pain relief which helped in the remaining Moto’s but I know I could have been further up the pack if not for the unfortunate incidents today. I will let the wrist heal and look forward to some better results in Collie at the state round in a couple of weeks”
“A top ten for both boys was the best they could achieve and considering there were a lot of pro riders in the top half, it was not too bad of a result. Neither was at their full potential but sometimes that is what happens in this sport of ours” team manager Peter Strickland commented.
“Josh almost came in because he said it was hard to hang on, especially up Rock & Roll hill which is one of the most demanding and high speed parts of the circuit. He is really tough and for him to even consider coming in meant it was painful”
Along with their own riders the team hosted the CDR Yamaha duo of Kirk Gibbs and Luke Clout who had shipped their YZ450F race bikes across as the National MX series is in its midseason break allowing time for this to happen.
Gibbs is well familiar with Cosy Creek and has won the Manjimup event three times, whilst it was the first time for Clout who’s fluid style suited the lay out of the track.
Gibbs put in a sterling performance to come up short of the overall by one point to teenage sensation Regan Duffy who is proving he has all the attributes to make it to the world stage in the future.
Whilst Clout had mixed fortunes and though fast was hampered by a couple of small crashes hurting his overall position for the day. However he had some redemption by winning the shootout format feature race.
With the next major outing for the team being the State round double header in Collie at the end of the month they will regroup and come out firing on all eight.
