July 6th 2008 Rockstar Motocross Nationals R 7

Despite suffering from a training crash in the lead up to the Lakes event, Matt Ryan dug deep to grind out a 4-4 moto score in the two points paying races to end up in fourth overall for the round. Ryan was able to produce some gritty rides at the front of the field and maintain in contention for the overall championship. He now sits in third place, only two markers back from the second placed rider and just 15 away from the lead.
"It wasn’t my best day of the series, but all things considered it wasn’t too bad. I was able to get some solid results and some good points and not let the leaders slip away. We still have 100 points up for grabs over four races and the 15 points that separates me from the red plate can change in one race. I’m going to go home, freshen up and come out swinging in these last four races," said the determined Victorian.
On paper, his 20 – 5 results for 11th on the day doesn’t look that impressive, but Ross Beaton produced his best racing for the series so far and was right up the front before some small crashes proved costly. Beaton was in the middle of a heated battle for the lead in the opening moto, before tangling with another rider and going down. He remounted and charged his way back into the top five, only to have another fall late in the race and cross the line 20th. Race two was a carbon copy, with Beaton again in the lead pack, only to fall by himself and slip several spots. He raced his way back to fifth by motos end.
"I am not happy with 11th no matter how you look at it. But the positive was I was getting great starts, I was up the front and challenging for the lead. Every round I have made some progress and I feel I did today, but at a national level I have to minimize the mistakes. I will take a lot from today and put into action at the final two rounds," Beaton said.

June 8 2008 Rockstar MX Nationals R3 U 19s. Murray Bridge SA

Thanks to click28.com for the photos.

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As the series reaches the halfway point, Moss institute trained Matt Ryan and Ross Beaton are perfectly placed to launch an attack on championship glory. Ryan now sits in second place on 107 points, just three of series leader Tye Simmonds, while Beaton jumped from sixth to fourth after the Murray Bridge round on 93 points, just 10 behind the third placed Lawson Bopping.

In moto 1 Matt Ryan  by lap 3 was in the lead going on to win race 1.   Unfortunately, his opportunity to claim the round victory was lost when he crashed in the early stages of moto two and was trapped under the bike and took some time to get back to his feet. Matt Ryan still managed to salvage a 14th place and his combined scores landed him in fourth for the round but more importantly within three points of the championship lead.
"Moto one was awesome and it’s been such a long time since I have won a moto. The bike was perfect and I just rode my own race. Moto two and I was battling for the top five when I hit a bump that tossed me into the dirt. But I still managed fourth for the day and to be only three points away from leading this thing is exactly where I need to be as we enter the final three rounds," remarked Ryan.

Ross Beaton continues to make huge strides forward and again put together a consistent day of top four finishes to come in second for the round, just one point away from the round victory. His 4 -3 moto scores were a result of smart, consistent racing and Ross is maturing as a rider every time he hits the racetrack.
No doubt the highlight for Ross was moto two when he rocketed to the first turn, cut to the inside and led the 40 rider field for the next 15 minutes. Only some late race fatigue saw him drop to third but the writing is on the wall and the Beaton’s form is on the rise.
"Every week things are getting better. My results continue to pick up and I learn a lot more about racing at every round. I’m happy with how things went today, but at the same time a little disappointed as I missed the round win by only one point. But with a month before the next round, I will work even harder and ensure my results continue to improve," said the determined Ross.

Yamaha Under 19 Championship
Rd 3 – Murray Bridge
1st Lawson Bopping
2nd Ross Beaton
3rd Luke Styke
4th Matt Ryan
5th Brenton Keep
6th Kieron Hall
7th Matt Van Slooten
8th Jake Pengelly
9th Michael Menchi
10th Tye Simmonds
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Championship Points
1st Tye Simmonds – 110
2nd Matt Ryan – 107
3rd Lawson Bopping – 103
4th Ross Beaton - 93
5th Michael Menchi – 90

June 2 2008 Rockstar MX Nationals U19s.

The sand track at Wanneroo in Perth was the location for this 2nd round for the U19s. A good day was had by Moss institute riders Matt Ryan and Ross Beaton with Matt Ryan placing 2nd for the day  and Ross Beaton taking 4th
Matt Ryan had two great starts and then remained at the front of the pack all day. His opening moto second combined with a third in the final moto left him second overall for the round and now second in the championship, just 12 points from the lead.
"There aren’t too many sand tracks in my area, although I did plenty of driving around Victoria last week trying to find some. Things started slowly in qualifying where I posted the 15th fastest time, but I knew the track would be a lot different to how it was in qualifying. In both motos I got great starts and just put my head down and worked my way around the track with as few mistakes as possible. Finishing second is my best result at a national race and is a great reward for the work I have been doing during the week,"
 Ross Beaton posted 4 – 5 results to claim fourth on the day and move him from ninth up to sixth in the championship. Race two had Ross caught up in a first turn pile up and finished the first lap  in 18th place. From then on Ross pick off the riders and was going for 4th place when he passed the chequed flag .  

Matt Ryan and Tye Simmonds - Note the cool T shirt in the crowd

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