Thirty-three-year-old Marmont, who dominated motocross in Australia from 2008 to
2011, last raced for Husqvarna in 2015 at the Manjimup 15,000, and will contest the premier class aboard a Husqvarna FC 450.
Another returning racer getting back into the groove for Jimboomba is a slightly less well-known former pro-level racer; Husqvarna Australia’s own 34-year-old Qld/NSW Brand Manager, Nathan Crawford.
Though he shares his name with the famous teenager from the MX2 ranks, Crawford was spreading his own blood sweat and tears around the tracks of Queensland a decade or so earlier, and will ride in the premier class aboard a Husqvarna FC 450, “just to see what he can do, and to support a pro-active Race Promoter trying to re-invigorate the sport of supercross.”
Husqvarna’s ‘younger’ Nathan Crawford – who went ever-so-close to winning the National MX2 crown month ago before lacerating his spleen and kidney in a practice crash – will definitely miss the first two rounds of the Australian Supercross championship.
Crawford has been out of hospital for a little over three weeks now and is back in the gym training hard, but isn’t expected to sit on a motorcycle for at least another three weeks.
The ambitious teenager has, however, already targeted round three of the Australian championship for his return, at the end of next month.
In the meantime, Husqvarna’s representation in the Lites category will be capably handled by MXD class hotshots, Connor Tierney and Kaleb Barham.
Though both certainly know how to twist a throttle, their level of Supercross experience is at opposite ends of a scale, with Tierney a complete newcomer to this brand of motorcycle sport and Barham an old hand.
For more information on Husqvarna motorcycles visit www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com
Jay Marmont – “It’s very exciting. I’ve dibbed and dabbed at non-contract races in the past, but to come back to professional racing at the highest level in Australia has been a decision I haven’t taken lightly. But it’s something that miss and that I’m passionate about.
I’ve been able to put a little program together with my brother and Husqvarna Australia, and it’s costing us money to go racing, which probably hasn’t happened since I’ve been 16 years of age.
So I’m definitely doing it out of a passion for the sport, rather than any other reason. It’s exciting times.
To be totally honest this is only my ninth outing on the bike prior to Supercross, but I feel really comfortable. I know my race fitness might not be there, but in saying that, you just never know what can happen. I feel rejuvenated, and I can just go out and take it as it comes.
With the riders who’ve come out to my track, my pace has been faring pretty well against them, having good people around me, good physios and a great bike underneath me – I’ve got all the tools to make it happen.
I love the bike. It hasn’t really taken long to adapt at all on the Supercross track, I find it really good on the whoops and it’s quite an easy bike to turn and get out of the turns, and I believe I can do some damage on it.
Nathan Crawford (Younger) – “We’re three weeks and two days since hospital now, and I’m back to what I was doing before I heard myself, as far as being in the gym and stuff like that. So I’m pushing hard on the gym and still being active. It’s feeling really good so hopefully another three weeks at the most and I can get back on the bike and start getting ready for the third round.”
Kaleb Barham – “The preparation has gone good. I’ve got a Supercross track at my own house that I’ve just finished, and I’ve just been going around in circles training on that. I’ve been lucky to have done Supercross since I was on 85s, so I’ve got my head around it. I’m only going to ride the first two rounds up here – we’ve done enough travelling for the year, and I don’t have any contractual obligations – but I will step up into the MX2 category and have some fun, and then regroup and start getting everything sorted for next year.”
Connor Tierney – “I had a bit of a late start with Supercross training, I broke my pinky pretty bad at Coolum in the first moto, and then I tore another ligament in my knee, so I’ve had a couple of weeks off and had to decide whether I was going to ride or not. But I’ve seen a heap of specialists and got the all clear so I started training probably two weeks ago. I wasn’t too sure how I would go but I’ve been feeling really good on the bike. Having a ball, I’ve never done Supercross before so I’ve been Loving the new experience. I’m just learning so much every day. I hit my first set of whoops two weeks ago so I’m going in with no expectations whatsoever.”
