Young guns wrap up Development Series

As the 2008 MOTUL Development Series wrapped up on 22 June, Australia's emerging Motocross talent took to the track in a final battle for podium places.

When the final flag fell it was Adam Parrington (Kawasaki) who won the M2R Under 19s class with Dylan Peterson (Honda) taking out the Maxxis Rookies 15 Years.

Parrington, who was ten points clear of second place coming into the round, rode well on the day and while he didn't podium for the round, consistency paid off, with two fourth places on the day allowing him to take the Series win.

With KTM rider Tye Simmonds making his first appearance in the M2R Under 19's class for the Series, he dominated the day taking two wins from two motos.

The Under 19s riders made the most of the opportunity to check out the track, with many also competing in the MX Nationals, to be held at the same circuit in two weeks time.
The first Under 19s moto got off to a quick start with Mitch Bush (Yamaha) snaring the holeshot after recording the third fastest time in qualifying.

Soon however Luke Styke (Yamaha) took the lead with Simmonds on his back and Lawson Bopping (Suzuki) catching up within the first four laps.

Styke and Simmonds battled it out before Simmonds snuck past the Yamaha rider, before the two of them became stuck in lapped traffic.

Bopping made a move to catch up but at his best he was still 16 seconds behind the front two who had lapped up to 19th place.

When they crossed the line, Simmonds had put a three second gap between himself and Styke with Bopping coming in third, nearly half a minute later.

The KTM rider was on form again in the second moto taking the holeshot and the lead.

This time it was Bopping who followed Simmonds out, with Styke hot on their heels.

As the field began to spread out, Simmonds increased his lead, flying up the steep hills, while Bopping's smooth style allowed him to gain some valuable ground on the leader.

The two front runners were locked in an epic battle in the dying laps of the moto, knocking bars at every turn and pushing hard until the chequered flag.

Simmonds took the moto and the round, with Bopping only three seconds behind and Styke rounding out the top three.

While Simmonds won the round, it was Parrington who took the Series by only four points ahead of Styke.

Parrington, who is also competing in the MX Nationals, was happy with the win and the track conditions.

"It's been a great event, especially given all the rain they've had up here," Parrington said.

When asked about the main differences between the Development Series and the Nationals he commented that it's the riders that make the difference.

"The calibre of riders between this and the National Championship is the biggest difference, I've won here but in the Nationals I placed 20th.

"It's very different and a lot harder, but I'm really looking forward to come back here in two weeks."

Riding at the Lake Macquarie Motorcycle Club, the former stomping ground of current World Champion Chad Reed (Yamaha), 12 time Australian Champion Craig Anderson (Honda) and current leader of the Pro Lites class in the MX Nationals Luke George (Kawasaki), the young riders got to experience a track with many different conditions and sections, proving to be ideal for further skill development particularly for the Maxxis Rookies 15 Years.

In the 15 Years class, Jason Reed (KTM) took out the round win, while Series victory went to young Dylan Peterson (Honda), for his consistent results throughout the last three rounds.

The young Honda rider, who qualified second fastest, had a poor first moto, only managing to make it into 11th place.

However it was his fourth place in the second moto that brought home the Series win for Peterson, a tiny two points ahead of Reed who finished in second.

Peterson was happy with the day despite a less than brilliant performance on the track.

"The competition out there was great today and the club did a great job with the track," Peterson said.

RESULTS:

M2R Under 19s Moto 1
1: Tye Simmonds (KTM)
2: Luke Styke (Yamaha)
3: Lawson Bopping (Suzuki)
4: Adam Parrington (Kawasaki)
5: James Killick (KTM)

M2R Under 19s Moto 2
1: Simmonds
2: Bopping
3: Styke
4: Parrington
5: Sam Southey (Yamaha)

M2R Under 19s Round Results
1: Simmonds 50
2: Bopping 42
3: Styke 42
4: Parrington 36
5: Southey 30

M2R Under 19s Series Results
1: Adam Parrington (Kawasaki) 96
2: Luke Styke (Yamaha) 92
3: Mitch Bush (Yamaha) 76
4: Stephen Zappelli (Suzuki) 58
5: Luke Wilson (Kawasaki) 53

Maxxis Rookies 15 years Moto 1
1: Luke Arborn (Honda)
2: Calib Best (KTM)
3: Chris Gay (Yamaha)
4: Jason Reed (KTM)
5: Kyle McKeddie (KTM)

Maxxis Rookies 15 years Moto 2
1: Dylan Peterson (Honda)
2: Reed
3: Harrison Wooding (Yamaha)
4: Best
5: Troy McNally (Yamaha)

Maxxis Rookies 15 years Round Results
1: Reed 40
2: Best 40
3: Peterson 35
4: Wooding 34
5: Gay 34

Maxxis Rookies 15 years Series Results
1: Dylan Peterson (Honda) 124
2: Jason Reed (KTM) 122
3: Chris Gay (Yamaha) 96
4: Harrison Wooding (Yamaha) 94
5: Troy McNally (Yamaha) 83

Source: Motorcycling Australia