PR: australiansupercross.com.au
The Pro Lites title was looking like it would go down to the wire, with Gavin Faith, Kade Mosig and Luke Styke all determined to make it their own. What unfolded at Phillip island changed all that for two of the riders mentioned.
Heat One
The opening heat of the Lites started the way Dubbo finished Faith ripped the holeshot and quickly built a buffer for himself. Steven Clarke was right there, with youngsters Tristan Cachia and Errol Willis right in the mix. Corey Lucas rounded out the top five, with Taylor Potter right on his back wheel.
Clarke was riding with good speed and precision and at some points looked to b making inroads on Faith, but as soon as the gap closed, Faith found something extra and reinforced his position. After his shocker in Dubbo, Willis looked in much better form and after passing Cachia, he rode around by himself in third place.
The biggest mover was Nicholas Sutherland, who managed to work his way from eighth place to finish fourth. Overall, Faith again looked like the guy to beat, taking the win from Clarke and Willis.
Heat 1 - Top 5 1 Gavin Faith 2 Steven Clarke 3 Errol Willis 4 Nicolas Sutherland 5 Tristan Cachia
Heat Two
It was Luke Styke with the holeshot, but he was quickly passed by fastest qualifier Kade Mosig. Like a thief in the night, Ashkenazie once again materialised in third place, followed by Luke Clout, Scott Columb, Ryan Marmont and Geran Stapleton. Ashkan soon found himself swamped, with Clout putting a mad pass on the veteran, only to be followed by Columb and Marmont on the same lap and have Stapleton all over his back wheel!
Mosig would end up leading from gate to chequers, holding a consistent, but comfortable lead from Styke. Clout ran a strong third, about another five seconds back. Marmont and Stapleton filled fourth and fifth respectively.
Heat 2 - Top 5 1 Kade Mosig 2 Luke Styke 3 Luke Clout 4 Ryan Marmont 5 Garen Stapleton
Heat Three
Styke took the holeshot again, with Willis in second and Marmont in third. Almost surprisingly, Faith missed the holeshot, but by the first couple of corners he was running fourth, closely followed by Columb. Willis was riding well, but once Faith got close enough he put on a really aggressive block pass that resulted in too much contact. Willis was thrown from his bike and at one point looked like a freestyler in the ruler position. There was a collective sigh of relief when he got back to his feet. Although he would remount, it took a lap to get started and any chance of salvaging a decent result was dead and buried. He would finish the heat in an unhappy twelfth position.
By the fourth lap, Faith was all over the back of Marmont and applying serious pressure. The KTM rider did his best to hold off the assault, but eventually lost his second position on the final lap. With another block pass about to occur, Marmont moved high to avoid contact, which was all Faith needed to make his move. With no time left for Faith to catch up, Styke took a solid win from Faith, with Marmont holding down third.
Heat 3 - Top 5 1 Luke Styke 2 Gavin Faith 3 Ryan Marmont 4 Scott Coloumb 5 Mitchel Norris
Heat Four
The holeshot went by in a blur of bikes, which was overshadowed by the mammoth pile-up in the second corner. There were riders down all over the place, with bikes piled on top of bikes. Stapleton managed to avoid the scene and came out in front of a pack of three other privateers (Lucas, Sutherland and Potter). Luke Clout couldn’t get restarted and Mosig also took a while to get going. Clout was over a lap down and Mosig was in a similar position. Stapleton rode smart and safely to take the win, with Sutherland in second and Clarke in third.
Heat 1 - Top 5 1 Garen Stapleton 2 Nicholas Sutherland 3 Steven Clarke 4 Corey Lucas 5 Taylor Potter
Main Event
Mothers shielded their children’s eyes as carnage took place in the first corner. There was a serious domino effect, as one fallen rider brought down the next, until there were at least six or so riders on the ground. Errol Willis got absolutely hammered in the carnage that ensued and took no further part in the race. Mosig and Styke also got taken down, with Mosig having to bang his bars against a barrier in an attempt to straighten them. Meanwhile, Faith took the holeshot, showing why a great start is more of a necessity than a luxury. Marmont, Sutherland and Stapleton also got through unscathed, with Cachia, Clarke and Columb behind them.
A second crash by Styke saw him out of the race (and the title chase), while Clarke and Stapleton started to make their way forward. By lap four lappers had already started to make things tricky and the tight circuit made riders rally think about what they were doing. Sutherland was riding well until he made a crucial error, sending him back a few spots. Stapleton was impressive again, making ground on Marmont before making an excellent pass. It was another impressive ride that would definitely be gaining the attention of teams and sponsors, especially considering he has moved up to second in the championship standings.
At the end of the day, Faith once again showed he is the real deal. He took a win by a comfortable three seconds from Stapleton. Clarke challenged hard for the final podium position, but the experience of Marmont was enough to hold him off.
Main Event - Top 10 Full Results Click Here>>> 1 Gavin Faith 2 Garen Stapleton 3 Ryan Marmont 4 Steven Clarke 5 Luke Clout 6 Scott Coloumb 7 James Booth-Elliot 8 Taylor potter 9 Tristan Cachia 10 Kade Mosig
Championship SX-Lites Points 1. Gavin Faith (Honda) 50pts 2. Garen Stapleton (Honda) 37pts 3. Ryan Marmont (KTM) 36pts 4. Steven Clarke (Suzuki) 36pts 5. Kade Mosig (Kawasaki) 33pts
