Yamaha Racing has rounded out the 2006 Australian Supercross Masters with both factory teams taking the runner up positions in SX Open and SX Lite, with final positions decided in Wollongong last night.

It was a tough outing at the office for the CDR/Nokia/Yamaha and Serco Yamaha teams, with both Cheyne Boyd and Cameron Taylor giving it their all to take title honours but falling painfully short.

Boyd ended the season just 3 points shy of eventual winner Daniel Reardon in Opens; Taylor was a single point away from Ryan Marmont who scraped home in the Lites class.

Each and every Yamaha Racing factory Supercross rider exerted all their efforts throughout the five round series, and the impressive finishes are a testament to their skill, the dedication of their teams and indeed the power and reliability of the YZ range.

CDR/Nokia/Yamaha

CDR/Nokia/Yamaha's Cheyne Boyd has finished a close runner-up in the championship standings at the Grand Final of the Australian Supercross Masters at Wollongong.

The round five clash saw Boyd enter the event tied on points with Daniel Reardon, with a strong finish vital to take the title.

The three race final format proved significant for Boyd, and despite getting off to a bad start in the first two races due to traffic he still managed to bring his YZ450F home in 5th.

Unfortunately, his encouraging fightback did little to halt the progress through the field of Reardon, and at the end of the night the points fell in favour of the Kawasaki rider.

It was a gallant effort from Boyd who had been at the top of his game across the course of the last few rounds, and had felt fully prepared to resume the title fight.

"While its certainly disappointing to finish second when I was within reach of the championship, the season has shown me what I need to do in order to be challenging for such a win," said Boyd.

"I now know what preparation I need to do, I've developed a strong training routine and now got even more motivation to come back next year and make this title mine," he said.

"If I start 2007 where I have finished off in 2006, I'll definitely be in contention."

"The team has rallied behind me all season and I would like to thank Craig Dack and the guys for making this possible and giving me the chance to be up there in the points."

Both Ford Dale and Troy Carroll had a night that could only be described as trying, but they certainly made their presence felt at the last event of the season.

Ford Dale sprang to action in the opening race, and took an impressive holeshot before crashing out heading into turn 1.

He was monstered by a fast flowing pack, and run over by a number of riders as they rounded the corner - he managed to circulate to be classified as a finisher.

Another good start in race 2 saw him well-placed in 4th before a clash with another rider left him severely winded.

Shaken and gasping for air, he remounted the YZ450F and limped home, never giving up despite being well out of contention.

Race 3 began in similar fashion, and the young rider found himself dead last after losing the front end at the second turn.

He wasted no time in catching back up with the field and finished in an impressive 7th place.

"This year has been a massive learning curve," said Dale after the race.

"The guidance and advice that Craig (Dack) has provided me this year really puts me in a good position for next season, I feel like I can be better prepared as a racer."

Troy Carroll showed flashes of brilliance that made him champion in 2006, and Wollongong had previously been a very happy hunting ground as he wrapped up the title here last year.

Two bad starts in a row put him well behind the eight-ball, but he pushed on and carved his way through the field - he finished 8th in races 1 and 2.

He made the perfect start in race 3, but was carelessly taken down by another rider as he went to pass.

Carroll was hit with such force that he was thrown from the bike, and was devastated to soon learn that it had been damaged far too much to ride.

"I'm pretty disappointed with how the night panned out, it's a very stark contrast for me personally having won the Supercross championship at this very place last year," said Carroll.

"I didn't get to finish the year out as I would have hoped thanks to a bad judgement error from another rider, it's a shame I couldn't have rounded out my final meeting with the team on a high."

Serco Yamaha

Serco Yamaha's Cameron Taylor has finished a commendable runner-up in the SX Lite class of the Australian Supercross Masters.

Taylor sealed his second place at Wollongong last night, a round he described as both challenging and disappointing.

He fired from the gates in the opening race and was contending for the lead, before crashing heavily after hesitating at a jump.

Taylor quickly remounted but was left to contend the remaining laps with no front brakes, finishing down the order in 18th.

Despite a lowly gate pick, he got off to another good start in race 2, but was brake tested by another rider into a corner and they became entangled.

He kept his head down to finish 10th, but it was quickly becoming apparent that his championship lead was slipping from his grasp.

Taylor gave it everything he had in race 3, and crossed the line in 3rd position.

"Although second in the championship is pretty good, its an extremely disappointing way to finish my final ride with Serco Yamaha and the Yamaha Racing division," said Taylor.

"I really felt I was in a good position to take this championship, but it just wasn't to be."

Robbie Marshall maintained the pressure on the top ranked riders and broke into a podium finish for the season, the result of hard work and dedication.

He finished on 19 points in SX Lites, and took out third overall.

Marshall had a solid night of competition at Wollongong, getting off to very good starts in two of the races to finish second, sixth and sixth respectively.

On two occasions he was forced to earn his results by carving back through the entire field after battles with backmarking riders halted his progress.

"I really felt I could have done better tonight with the way the bike was working, there was definitely the opportunity there for a better finish," said Marshall.

"In saying that though I'm very pleased to have rounded out the year in the top 3, I've felt on the top of my game over the last 3 rounds."

"In hindsight I wish I could have built this momentum much earlier, I may have been a better chance at the title then but I will regroup and look forward to 2007."

Jake Moss had a fairly successful night at the final Supercross outing for the year, only falling shy of his goal for a round podium after his bike became entangled in the track bunting after a fall.

Moss put his head down after a bad start in race 1, and worked his way back to 5th place by the time the chequered flag was waved.

A better start in the second race had him right up in contention, and he rode the entire race in second place.

After colliding with a rider mid-air in the last race, Moss quickly remounted his YZ250F but discovered the wheel had gotten snagged on bunting, forcing him to retire from the race and placing a DNF next to his name.

"I've had a good learning year with Serco," said Moss, "Gavin and the team have given me a lot of support and in return I've tried to deliver some good results."

"I've got a few things to work on but I'm confident of a very solid start to racing next year, I know what I need to do in order to be competitive straight away."

For further information:
Matt Cousins, Yamaha Racing.
matt@fluidpr.com.au
0416 015 650