Two days after losing his seven-month old daughter, Lila,
Yamaha's Jay Marmont returned to racing and won the fourth-round of the Australasian Supercross at Canberra with Daniel McCoy in second on his KTM machine and Honda's Daniel Reardon in third.
The Canberra round offered a new format for the riders deemed the "Triple Challenge". The Triple Challenge is six races total - three heats and three finals. Qualification consisted of two 10-lap races where positions one to nine in each heat moved directly to the final, while riders 10-20 battle it out in a last-chance qualifier for two more Finals spots. Once into the finals, each of the three races are separated by just five minutes from the time the first rider passes the checkered flag. The 450cc class runs three six-lap bouts and the 250cc battle it out in three five-lap matches.
Jay Marmont's win this weekend wasn't for himself; it was for his seven-month old daughter, Lila, whom he very recently lost.
With his helmet emblazoned with a pink heart with "4 Lila" on the back, Marmont took all three-holeshots before heading into the Triple Challenge races. During the first final, Marmont led part of the race with Monster Energy
Kawasaki's
Chad Reed taking the lead for the second-half crossing the line in first. The second-final saw Reedy take the win ahead of Pacific Ink Coastal KTM High Roller Energy's Daniel McCoy in second and Marmont in third.
The much anticipated third-race started with Reed rocketing off the starting line to the first corner. It was there that the Aussie and his Kawasaki separated company leaving Marmont to take-over the lead all the way to the checkers. Reed did not finish the race, but was not seriously injured and returned to congratulate Marmont on his victory and to show his support for the Marmont clan during this difficult time. “Jay Marmont is amazing and races don’t get any tougher than that. I can’t imagine how hard this is for him and his family. Our hearts are with him in this really difficult time," said Reed.
After the win, a teary-eyed Marmont said, “It’s been a really tough week and I was going to stay at home in grief and watch the race on TV, but the overwhelming support from everyone gave me the strength to come out and race. Everyone here is my second family and I just can’t thank them enough."
The 250cc class also raced the Triple Challenge format but with a shortened three eight-lap races. Current championship leader, Matt Moss, won two of the three races with Serco Yamaha's Kyle Cunningham taking the third. Jay's younger brother, Ryan Marmont took second-overall on his JDR Motorsports Yamaha with Shift Motul Suzuki's Lawson Bopping in third.
Final Race podium for the Open class - Jay Marmont, Daniel McCoy and Daniel Reardon.
1. Jay Marmont (Yamaha) 25
2. Daniel McCoy (KTM) 22
3. Daniel Reardon (Honda) 20
4. Michael Byrne (
Honda) 18
5. Tye Simmonds (KTM) 16
6. Chad Reed (Kawasaki) 15
7. Troy Carrol (Kawasaki) 14
8. Jeremy MCGrath (Honda) 13
9. Craig Anderson (Kawasaki) 12
10. Cameron Taylor (
Suzuki) 11
Open Overall Point Standings:
1. Dan Reardon (Honda) 89
2. Jay Marmont (Yamaha) 88
3. Chad Reed (Kawasaki) 82
4. Tye Simmonds (
KTM) 68
5. Daniel McCoy (KTM) 62
The 250cc class podium - Matt Moss, Ryan Marmont and Lawson Bopping.
1. Matt Moss (Suzuki) 25
2. Ryan Marmont (Yamaha) 22
3. Lawson Boping (Suzuki) 20
4. Luke Styke (Yamaha) 18
5. Brendan Harrison (Yamaha) 16
6. Kyle Cunningham (Yamaha) 15
7. Danny Anderson (KTM) 14
8. Kirk Gibbs (Yamaha) 13
9. Lewis Woods (Kawasaki) 12
10. Taylor Potter (KTM) 11
250cc Overall Point Standings:
1. Matt Moss (Suzuki) 100
2. Lawson Bopping (Suzuki) 78
3. Ryan Marmont (Yamaha) 75
4. Kyle Cunningham (Yamaha) 75
5. Brendan Harrison (Yamaha) 59
