Crashes and a freak gear selection problem kept Billy MacKenzie off the podium at round three of the Australian Super X Championship at Campbelltown.
Showing good speed, the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider looked on track for a strong result. Another good start for the Scot in the first moto meant he was able to find the lead in little time but a small crash was to snatch that lead away, leaving him in seventh place.
Billy bagged the holeshot in the second race and led for the majority of the moto before being passed. With second looking all tied up, a final lap tangle with another rider put MacKenzie off his bike, leaving him in fifth place.
In the final moto, MacKenzie’s bike clicked into neutral on the start straight leaving him in last place. Billy fought back to take 12th place and his 7-5-12 card left him in sixth place for the round and fourth place in the championship with two rounds remaining.
“I’m feeling confident with my speed after this round. This was only my second dry Super X meet so I’m still on a learning curve. I know now what I have to work on after seeing the speed of the other guys so I have fresh goals for what I want to achieve from my first full Super X season.
“The KX450F was getting me off to the best possible starts but this track was a lot more technical than the last dry race I did at Parramatta last year so I learnt a lot and I’m confident to really go for the win now.”
In the Pro Lites class, UK import Steven Clarke again showed plenty of speed despite only limited time on his RM-Z250. In the first final Scuba Steve got as high as second on the final lap before sliding out while protecting his line. It was a costly mistake that saw him relegated to eighth. Clarke then went 6-6 to finish fifth on the night. His 16-point haul has him fourth in the championship, five points off third.
The series now heads to Maitland, NSW, this weekend for round four…
