ANAHEIM, Calif. – JDR/J-Star/KTM Team rider Matt Moss turned a poor start into a remarkable race when he charged from dead last to 7th overall at the fifth round of the AMA West Supercross Lites Series held at Angel Stadium.
Moss and his teammate, Ryan Marmont, were both placed in the opening Lites heat. Both riders launched off the line with great speed and were inside the top five heading into the first corner. Marmont came out in 3rd position while Moss collided with another rider and went down in the turn. Marmont kept his composure and crossed the finish line in 5th to easily qualify for the main event. Meanwhile, Moss was busy climbing through the pack from his last place start. In only six laps he was able to pass over half of the field to earn the final transfer spot to the main event.
After his successful heat Marmont returned to the pits reporting a minor problem to his mechanic in regards to the motor. It resulted in his mechanic, Richard Matchett, replacing the entire engine in the small time frame between the heat and the main event. In exchange for his hard work, he was honored with the MMI Top Tech Award for the night.
With his bike in order Marmont hurried to the line to join his teammate for the start of the main event. When the gate dropped Marmont launched off the line mid-pack. Moss had a better jump but stalled his bike in the first corner. Moss quickly fired up the bike but suffered an additional delay in the next corner when he crashed with another rider causing him to again start the race from last position.
Moss quickly set to work and began to make up time on the riders ahead of him. By the third lap he had already passed six riders and was sitting in 14th. At the halfway point he had climbed into the top ten. From there he continued to turn impressive lap times and began to reel in more riders. He made three additional passes with only a few laps to go and eventually worked his way into 7th position.
“This is definitely not where I wanted to finish tonight,” remarked Moss. “But after suffering a poor start, I am happy with how I rode through the pack and the passes I was able to make. Next week I need to improve my starts and battle in the front of the pack at the beginning of the race. “
This race was the final race for Marmont who took home 17th overall for the night. Marmont will now head back to Australia to begin to prepare for the Australian Motocross National Series but not before stopping off to get married. A special congratulation goes out to him and his new wife on behalf of the entire JDR/J-Star/KTM Team.
Next Round: San Diego, CA – February 11, 2012
Overall Results –
1) Eli Tomac
2) Cole Seely
3) Marvin Musquin – KTM
4) Dean Wilson
5) Nico Izzi
6) Michael Leib
7) Matt Moss – KTM
8) Vince Friese
9) Travis Baker
10) Martin Davalos
11) Ryan Sipes
12) Killy Rusk
13) Billy Laninovich
14) Bruce Rutherford
15) Gareth Swanepoel
16) Jean Carlo Ramos
17) Ryan Marmont – KTM
18) Topher Ingalls
19) Gavin Faith
20) Jason Anderson
Overall Point Standings –
1) Eli Tomac – 113
2) Dean Wilson – 91
3) Marvin Musquin – 84
4) Cole Seely – 79
5) Zach Osborne – 67
6) Nico Izzi – 62
7) Tyla Rattray – 60
8) Jason Anderson – 54
9) Ryan Sipes – 53
10) Matt Moss – 53
