MXN Polaris Racing announcement
The Tri State opener was held in South Australia this past weekend, an 18hr drive from the MXN workshop this was one of a few long trips the team will endure this year.
The track was well prepared and with lap times towards the 2 min 20sec mark, this would be one of the longest tracks around. The lack of water available would also prove to be a challenge, as South Australia is in the midst of the driest decade in a long time.
The team’s preparations on the bikes had been very limited and with minimal time to test the bikes, this was a great run down for the team’s future success.
Mick Roycroft debuted the Independent Rear Suspension (IRS) Outlaw in the pro class, and Rob Booth’s weapon of choice was an internally stock Outlaw 450 MXR in the Veterans 35+ class and the Expert Class.
The Pro class field consisted of the best riders in Australia, with 3 x 20 min +1 lap motos during the day, all 3 races were dominated by Ryan Lancaster aboard his KTM. Mick Roycroft showed some good signs of speed but lacked the lap times to be up the front of the pack “I was happy out there today to finish strong, the training I have been doing has payed off, now I just need to get the lap times down to the equivalent of a straight axle, I have the power and the suspension to do the job just need to do some fine tuning and some more practice” Michael finished 6th, 6th and 7th in the 3 motos to finish 7th overall for the day.
Rob’s two classes were always going to be more exciting, with hot competition and some young guys to challenge him in the Expert class. The fence was full of spectators to watch the up and comers and the over the hill riders battle it out. Rob’s results were excellent considering his total pre-race hours on a Polaris would not have exceeded 2. Rob lacked the speed off the starts and had to work his way through the pack to gain ground. In the expert class Rob and fellow Polaris rider Ryan Noyes dominated the racing, but it was Queensland new comer Josh Dick that surprised us all with his endurance and momentum to gain a spot each lap to take 2nd overall for the day. Ryan Noyes took the win and Rob with 3rd overall for the class. Rob finished 3rd, 2nd, and 3rd in each moto.
The Vets class is a 3 lap dash for cash, with 2 races in one, with the 45+ and the 35+ riders all starting on the same gate it makes for some great racing.
With 8 of the fastest Vets in Australia all up front, sometimes it’s hard to say who is who and who is racing against each other, but as they all say this is one race not two. It was Rob Booth and Dean McMillan who were the upfront contenders in the 35+ class. Dean had the home track advantage and it showed, Dean checked out on Rob in all 3 motos with a convincing lead over last year’s Aussie champ. Rob did show that he has good momentum coming into the season on a fresh bike and is looking forward to round 2 of the Tri State in May. Rob finished with 3 x 2nd place finishes to finish 2nd overall.
Michael said after the race “I am just happy to get the first weekend of racing under our belt, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to finish all motos today and we did, we have been working around the clock to be here and to go home with 2 podiums out of three, I can’t be more pleased. The whole team has come together and to have the Luke Beechey and Polaris outfit around to help us, we will surely have a full trophy cabinet by the end of the year.
The team now has an extended break from competition with their next outing to be the Thump Pump 300 event at the end of April. This gap between races will be used to fine tune the machines and get some much needed seat time ahead of the next Tri State round on the 16th of May in Canberra.
The team would like to thank its supporting sponsors.
MotoX Nutrition, Polaris Australia, Luke Beechey Motorsports, HMF, Hardiman ATV, Rockstar, Tunit diesel performance, Fox Racing Shox, Lonestar Racing, Kenda Tyres, Precision, Quad squad, Flexx, DWT, Pro Grip, Forma Boots, Acerbis, HST Powersports, CRB Metal Designs, Tubby Signs, Ice Break, Samboy, Dickstones Quality Meats and Thumbpump.com.
