Dual and defending Pro Lites Supercross Champion Matt Moss put Team Rockstar Motul Suzuki back on top with a clean sweep of the second round of the Australasian Supercross Championship at Canberra on Saturday night.
Moss spent the week on his Suzuki RM-Z250 working on his starts after the first round at Newcastle and the time was well spent: After qualifying second fastest, Moss grabbed the holeshot in race one of the triple challenge and quickly built up a four-second lead.
From that point he was never seriously challenged and rode a beautifully-controlled race to win by 3.2 seconds from series leader PJ Larsen.
Team-mate Lawson Bopping - keen to put in a strong showing in front of his home crowd - started superbly but was involved in a huge crash at the end of the opening lap, putting him out of contention.
Moss started strongly in race two, narrowly missing the holeshot. Arch rival Larsen started in similar fashion and from that point the pair put on the best Pro Lites race of the season so far.
Larsen - the 2010 National Motocross Pro Lites Champion - pushed Moss to the limit, but Moss maintained his lead throughout and ultimately won race two by 1.7 seconds from Larsen, with Team Raceline Pirelli Suzuki's Steven Clarke putting another RM-Z250 on the box.
Bopping showed true grit by coming back from his spectacular first race spill to finish in the top 10 in race two.
The third and final race proved a procession for Moss, who grabbed his second holeshot of the night and quickly built up a two second lead.
Fatigue from the gruelling triple challenge format - which limited time between each race to just five minutes - started taking its toll in the final race. Larsen suffered a big crash on lap three and fell to the back of the field, easing the pressure on Moss who rode another controlled race to lead from wire to wire.
Clarke grabbed second position in the final race while Bopping managed to salvage his night with a gutsy eighth place.
Moss's maximum points haul has given him a commanding lead in the championship, now 18 points clear of Larsen. Clarke's excellent round has promoted him to fifth, while Bopping is in sixth position.
In addition to the Pro Lites Rider's Championship, Suzuki also leads the Pro Lites Manufacturer's Championship.
Moss' twin brother Jake, inspired by his brother Matt, started well in the Pro Open event and showed he will be a contender on the Suzuki RM-Z450 by taking fourth position. He was the first Aussie home behind the US invasion led by Kevin Windham. Unfortunately that was to be his best result of the night, finishing 16th in the second race after suffering two crashes and then having to withdraw from the final race of the evening. His 23 point haul keeps him in the top 10 of the Pro Open championship.
Jay Foreman, Rockstar Motul Suzuki Team Manager said: "We are really happy with the way Matt went about the weekend, putting in a dominant racing display. He just needs to keep on doing what he is doing.
"Both Lawson and Jake both showed how capable they are. If they start well and get some luck they will run up front."
Round 2 2010 Australasian Supercross Championship Results:
Pro Open:
1. Kevin WINDHAM 2. Josh HANSEN 3. Justin BRAYTON 4. Jay MARMONT 5. Mike ALESSI 6. Tye SIMMONDS 7. Daniel REARDON 8. Todd WATERS 9. Daniel McCOY 10. Lewis WOODS
Pro Open Championship Standings:
1. Josh HANSEN 108 2. Justin BRAYTON 98 3. Jay MARMONT 88 4. Daniel REARDON 77 5. Kevin WINDHAM 75 6. Tye SIMMONDS 68 7. Todd WATERS 65 8. Daniel McCOY 65 9. Lewis WOODS 56 10. Jake MOSS (Suzuki) 50
Pro Lites:
1. Matt MOSS (Team Rockstar Motul Suzuki) 2. Steven Clarke (Team Raceline Pirelli Suzuki) 3. Ryan MARMONT 4. PJ LARSEN 5. Cody MACKIE 6. Ford DALE 7. Kirk GIBBS 8. Luke STYKE 9. Josh CACHIA 10. Harley QUINLAN
Pro Lites Championship Standings:
1. Matt MOSS 115 2. P J LARSEN 97 3. Ryan MARMONT 87 4. Cody MACKIE 74 5. Steven CLARKE 63 6. Lawson BOPPING 58 7. Harley QUINLAN 58 8. Kirk GIBBS 56 9. Kade MOSIG 54 10. Luke STYKE 53
