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WA PRO ATV ROUND 3 - BRENTON WINS BUSSELTON MUD BATH16/June/2008 - By, Trevor HedgeWestern Australian ATV competitors headed to the Southern Capes Motorcycle Club's Jindong Park circuit near Busselton on the weekend to contest round three of the six round WA Pro ATV Quad Championship.The Jindong Park circuit is not a traditional WA sand circuit. In many ways it is more reminiscent of the hard packed clay and gravel mix found on the eastern seaboard.Pilbara based Yamaha rider Ryan Lancaster has proved time and again his speed on such surfaces and headed to Jindong as the hot favourite. However massive rains leading up to and during the weekend turned the event into a mud bath of epic proportions and all Lancaster was rewarded with for his 4000km round trip to the 1.85km circuit was a free mud facial. A crash early in the opening moto while battling for the lead with Chris Brenton put him behind the eight ball but he put in a determined effort to remount and try and salvage points only for his clutch to give out in the latter stages which led to a DNF. Further insult was added in the second moto when the punishing mud and gravel mix filled the belly of his YFZ450. This eventually led to the chain being dislodged and the cases being destroyed on what was a brand new mount. Add that damage to the $1000 fuel bill for the trip and it's fair to say that Lancaster was despondent after the event, especially faced with the long drive home. To travel that far and be hit with those hefty repair bills only to take no points and to slip from a strong second place in the series to fourth must be a bitter pill to swallow for Lancaster. Conditions were such however that no rider would have left Jindong without being forced to undertake a full strip and rebuild of the chassis due to the grinding paste nature of the water-logged track. Long time Yamaha rider Chad McKay debuted his brand new LT-R450 Suzuki furbished with the full compliment of Elka suspension gear. A second place in the opening moto 11 seconds behind race winner Brenton and ten seconds ahead of Josh Higson was an impressive debut for the new mount. McKay was determined to go one better in race two and arrived at turn one with an amazing amount of speed that put the Suzuki up on two wheels for an inordinate amount of time. It was about as close to being pinned under an ATV and buried in the mud that you can get without actually doing it. Check out Gallery A from the event to get an idea just how close McKay came to ingesting a cold and rancid Jindong pie. McKay recovered well but another mistake cost him a lot of ground and the Savage Suzuki rider had to battle his way from tenth place up to a hard fought fourth by the chequered flag. Esperance Suzuki youngster Josh Higson returned to the excellent form he showcased in round one to claim second overall for the round thanks to a pair of strong podium finishes. The man atop the podium on every occasion however was The Honda Shop's Christopher Brenton. As always, the Kalgoorlie raised youngster looked smooth and confident. His relaxed poise on the machine is in stark contrast to that of his pursuers. Brenton's domination of the event turned the 11 point advantage he had over Lancaster after round two, into a 47 point buffer over Anthony Yewers whose 36 point haul at Jindong promoted him into second place. Chad McKay also moved past Lancaster with his 40 point haul putting him seven points ahead of the barren Lancaster. Josh Higson's second overall for the round promoted him from seventh place into fifth place, four points ahead of David Sanders who, like Lancaster, had a troubled round that cost him dearly in the series standings. In the Intermediate category Rockingham Power Sports rider Luke Gaisford reinforced his rising star status with not only clear class wins but fifth in the first Pro bout and an outright podium in the second bout proving he has the speed to run with the established Pro ATV peerage. Gaisford is riding the new Can-Am DS450 and is doing the brand proud with his efforts. However I think we should give him a new nickname. I reckon 'Petal' would be appropriate due to the Interflora bags he wore to try and keep the mud out of his nylons. Only Kawasaki and Polaris are yet to have a good showing on WA soil but with not one rider present in either the Pro, Intermediate, Clubman or Veteran fields that is a situation not likely to change any time soon. Jessica Osborne has been campaigning a KTM in the Clubman class while Jesse Dick debuted on a KTM at Jindong. Yamaha pilot Ricky Stephens dominated the Clubman category at Jindong while Brett Petricevich (Honda) and Grant Gaisford (Honda) shared the Veteran category wins. Only two races were held in each class as the meeting was abandoned prior to the third bout due to the horrific conditions. The next State Championship round will be an ATV only event at Wanneroo Park on July 13 before the ATV Pros again join the two-wheelers for the penultimate round at Noble Falls on August 24. Between those two rounds is the rich stand alone King of the Cross event at Southern Cross on August 3 with prize money paid all the way down to tenth place and the winner taking home $800 for his trouble. The State Championship finale will be held at Coastal Park just south of Fremantle on September 27. Images from WA Pro Quad Round Three - Gallery A - Gallery B Images from WA Pro Quad Round Two - Gallery A Images from WA Pro Quad Round One - Pictorials - Gallery A - Gallery B - Gallery C - Gallery D - Gallery E - Gallery F - Gallery G - Gallery H - Gallery I - Gallery J - Gallery K
PRO POINTS - ROUND (PROVISIONAL)
PRO POINTS - SERIES (PROVISIONAL)
 Luke Gaisford is establishing himself as the latest young up and comer from WA |
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