Hollis Makes It Two In A Row At Enduro X

[totalmotorcycle]

Hollis Makes It Two In A Row At #Enduro X

CDR #Yamaha Off Road's newest recruit, Chris Hollis, has made it back to back wins to start the 2014 season after claiming round two of the Australian Enduro X championship, held in Sydney over the weekend.

Hollis entered the round full of confidence after winning the opening round two weeks ago but with increased competition from US import Mike Brown, and increasingly wet and slippery conditions as constant drizzle fell during the night, Hollis still managed to put together a good nights' racing and leads the championship with one round to go.

Despite a crash in the qualifying events, Hollis regathered well and comfortably made it through to the three race final. Like round one, he again combined his years of experience to post three good results and showed impressive speed when needed.

He posted 2-1-2 results in the finals to finish on 69 points, four ahead of his nearest rival on the night, Toby Price, and 11 clear of Mike Brown who was third on the night. He now holds down a 13 point lead in the championship over Price with one round remaining.

"What a crazy night," Hollis recalls. "It had been threatening to rain all day then it starts when the shootout is lining up. The rain certainly made the course tricky and meant that all out aggression wasn't the way to get around.

"I just focused on getting good starts to keep clear vision and making no mistakes as you can never go as fast after you have crashed in the mud. I made plenty of mistakes but was able to keep it on two wheels and finish in a good place every race.

"The YZ250F was again perfect in these conditions and I really enjoy riding the 205F in these Enduro X events. We have one round to go in Melbourne at the end of the month so myself and the CDR Yamaha team will keep working as anything can happen at these races," Hollis ends.

Team Mate Daniel Milner had a rare off night and finished in sixth place with 6-5-5 finishes. He fell in each of the three legs and then pushed himself to the limit in an attempt to get back up to the front. He completed the night feeling flat, run down and muddy but vows to bounce back at the final round.

"Today didn't go so well for me as I kept crashing in the slippery conditions and then I was feeling pretty average by the final race," Milner explains. But, there are still things I can take out of the night both in regarding to riding conditions like this and also how my body is feeling.

"We have two weeks until the final round so I have time to get back to 100% and finish the championship off strongly," he said.

The final round takes place in Melbourne in a fortnight's time and is a home town race for the Victorian based CDR Yamaha team. CDR Yamaha team owner Craig Dack would like nothing more to bring home another championship in a local race for his team.

"Chris raced extremely well tonight and has put himself in a very strong position in the championship," Dack mentions. "He is a thinking man's off road rider and accesses the situation quickly and makes the best of it. It's not over yet so we will maintain the same focus for the final round and give ourselves every chance.

"Poor Dan just had a tough night. I can never question his commitment to trying to go fast and win every race but tonight just wasn't his night. A few days rest will do him good and he will back out for redemption at the final round."

Round two Results
Pro Class
1st Chris Hollis - 69 (CDR Yamaha)
2nd Toby Price - 65
3rd Mike Brown - 58
4th Beau Ralston - 53
5th Peter Boyle - 52
6th Daniel Milner - 47 (CDR Yamaha)
7th Tom McCormack -45 (Active8 Yamaha)
8th Scott Keegan - 37
9th Glenn Kearney -34
10th Lachlan Stanford - 32

Standings After Round Two
1st Chris Hollis -138 (YZ250F)
2nd Toby Price - 125
3rd Daniel Milner - 112 (YZ250F)
4th Peter Boyle -106
5th Tom McCormack -92 (YZ250F)
6th Mike Brown - 58
7th Beau Ralston - 53
8th Stefan Granquist - 48 (YZ250)
9th Brodie Waugh - 42
10th Scott Keegan - 37