MX Nationals to blast off in Horsham

With the preliminaries all over, the moment of truth has arrived for Australia's finest motocross talent when round one of the 2010 Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals is held in Horsham (Vic) this weekend.

There is always massive anticipation heading into a new national championship but this year it's even more acute with a number of riders swapping teams, young upstarts ready to take the next step, the return of some big guns, and the injection of some quality talent from overseas. And others are determined to slay some demons after ordinary 2009 campaigns.

Just how the power-sharing arrangement will play out is anyone's guess, although it's difficult to dismiss the claims of powerhouse CDR Rockstar Yamaha duo Jay Marmont and Cheyne Boyd.

The pair stole the show in 2009. Marmont retained his title with a clinical exhibition of speed and consistency, although Boyd was the one who really came home with a wet sail.

The pair will be racing Yamaha's all-new YZ450F in 2010, which features a 'reverse' engine with the intake at the front and the header pipes at the rear - as well as a suite of other technological advances.

"We have just finished testing the new bikes and it has probably been the most extensive testing we have done since I have been with the team," said Boyd, a six-year veteran at CDR Yamaha.

"The team went over every component of the bike and personalised it to suit, and I have no problem saying this is the best race bike I have had."

Meanwhile, the line-ups from Husqvarna, Kawasaki, Honda and Suzuki are also full of class, with open class duties to be handled by Scot Billy Mackenzie, Craig Anderson, Todd Waters and Cody Cooper respectively.

Like CDR, KTM also has a two-rider equip, with the prodigiously gifted Tye Simmonds making the switch from lites to join former world No. 2 Andrew McFarlane.

Mackenzie, 25, has been a long-time Honda staple in world motocross after making his debut in 1999, winning three grands prix, five individual races, and with a best championship result of sixth (MX2) in 2005. He is also a dual British champion and a triple Japanese GP winner.

"Everything's going to plan so far," said Mackenzie. "I feel really good within myself and feel like the speed is there. I'm really looking forward to racing. The KX450F is amazing in standard form.

"We haven't done that much to it, it doesn't need a lot of changes. We're just working a bit on the suspension at the moment. I've been pushing it hard and feel very comfortable on it."

Meanwhile, Anderson, a multiple Australian motocross and supercross champion, will combine managerial duties with riding at Husqvarna.

"Running my own team has been a goal for some years now and I am really looking forward to the challenge," said Anderson.

"It's been a long time coming and it is coming together really well.

"I am really looking forward to this year's racing and we have spent the past months focusing on bike set-up to ensure that we are in the hunt from the start. Expectations are always high and the team has been working really hard and I will be giving it my best shot for the championship."

Anderson and Marmont shared victories the last time the championship was held in Horsham, in 2008.

Meanwhile, check out the video below for an introduction to Team Rockstar Motul Suzuki.

Other riders who could make life difficult for the factory personnel include Daniel McCoy (KTM) and Dean Ferris (Honda).

The open riders will compete in three 20-minute motos this weekend, as will the lites campaigners.

The lites class should be a real dog fight with the departures of defending champion Matt Moss (now in the US) and Simmonds opening things up.

Although 2008 champion Luke George (Kawasaki) is a starter after a horrific fall nearly claimed his life last year, it's probably asking too much that he'll return to his best straight out of the blocks.

Instead, Cody Mackie could be the real hard charger in the Kawasaki camp, and the pedigree also includes Ryan Marmont (KTM), Michael Addison (Honda), Kirk Gibbs (Yamaha) Lawson Bopping (Suzuki), Brendan Harrison (Yamaha), American import PJ Larsen (KTM), Ford Dale (Yamaha), Michael Phillips (Honda), Kade Mosig (KTM) and last year's under 19s champion Luke Styke (Yamaha).

And a real bolter in Horsham could be former 500cc world No. 2 and multiple Australian open champion Darryll King, who's riding a privately entered Yamaha.

The under 19s will also compete in Horsham, but their three motos will be five minutes shorter than the open and lites classes.

This year's championship will be broadcast on pay television channel Fuel TV, with the first one-hour program to go to air on June 10. That will be the start of 16 consective weeks of Aussie motocross action on Fuel TV.

The full championship calendar is as follows:

Rd1: March 28, Horsham, Vic
Rd2: April 18, Canberra ACT
Rd3: May 2, Barrabool Vic
Rd4: May 16, Toowoomba, Qld
Rd5: June 30, Raymond Terrace, NSW
Rd6: June 27, Albury, NSW
Rd7: July 18, Port Macquarie, NSW
Rd8: July 24, Coolum, Qld

Entry to the Horsham opener will be $30 for adults, children 5-15yrs $15, and a family (two adults and two children) will be $70. The track is located on Henty Highway at Dooen.

Click on the following link for more information on the 2010 Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals.

SUZUKI TEST DAY (BARRABOOL) from OYN PRODUCTIONS TERRY SCOTT on Vimeo.