Battle in Motul MX2 class heats up
Husqvarna Red Bull WIL Sport NZ Racing rider Kayne Lamont has had a great day at the third round of the 2014 Monster Energy MX Nationals, taking outright honours in the Motul MX2 class. The New Zealander proved that his opening round victory at Broadford was no fluke, registering second and first placings from his two races to take the outright honours.
Serco Yamaha rider Luke Clout added a fifth placing in the second moto to his opening race win, to take second place overall for the round. Hamish Harwood (CMR Redbull KTM) finished the round in third place overall after a consistent fourth and second from his two races.
In the opening MX2 moto on the day, it was Raceline Pirelli Suzuki rider Geran Stapleton who shot to the front to claim the holeshot on his comeback from injury. Stapleton strapped himself in and was looking good to complete a fairytale comeback, however disaster struck the Suzuki rider on the last lap of the moto. An unfortunate crash halfway through the final lap relegated him to third place, allowing Clout and Lamont to stream through and take the moto win and second place respectively. It was a great ride from series leader Clout who finished the opening lap in eighth position, and managed to negotiate his way up the field throughout the race. By lap seven of the 17 lap race, Clout had pushed up into third and was patient in his quest to take the race win, grabbing the lead on the last lap to claim the win.
Lamont finished in third after some great mid-race battles with Harwood who finished fourth and Wade Hunter taking his KTM to fifth. Series contender Kale Makeham (Tunetech Racing KTM Australia) was left to rue a poor start that had him back in 14th after the opening lap, however he did manage to climb back to ninth outright for the race.
In the second race of the class, Lamont dominated from start to end – taking the holeshot and opening a lead that no one was able to reign in. Harwood managed a clean start and despite his best efforts to catch his Kiwi counterpart, he had to settle for second place. The battle for third to fifth placings was far more competitive with SD3 Husqvarna rider Luke Arbon working hard to keep Errol Willis (Axis Motorsports), Daniel Banks (KTM) and Clout at bay. Arbon did well and managed to finish third in the race, while Willis finished in fourth. Despite finishing the opening lap in seventh place, Clout clawed his way back into fifth by the time the checkered flag was raised, which could be important for the final points tally come the end of the year.
In the overall championship standings, Clout maintained a handy break from his nearest rival – still 13 points clear of round-winner Lamont. Harwood remains in touch with the leaders a further two points behind Lamont and sitting in third outright.
MX2 CLASS:
Round Results:
1) Kayne Lamont 67 (32, 35)
2) Luke Clout 61 (35, 26)
3) Hamish Harwood 60 (28, 32)
4) Luke Arbon 51 (21, 30)
5) Errol Willis 51 (23, 38)
6) Brenden Harrison 50 (25, 25)
7) Kale Makeham 46 (22, 24)
8) Jay Wilson 45 (24, 21)
9) Geran Stapleton 44 (30, 14)
10) Jake Emanualli 42 (19, 23)
Championship Standings:
1) Luke Clout 207
2) Kayne Lamont 194
3) Hamish Harwood 192
4) Brenden Harrison 180
5) Kale Makeham 167
6) Jay Wilson 149
7) Errol Willis 140
8) Wade Hunter 140
9) Luke Arbon 137
10) Ryan Marmont 135
