BOPPING FILLS SUZUKI MX VACANCY
Team Shift Motul Suzuki has announced young up-and-coming
star Lawson Bopping will replace injured rider, Luke Burkhart
for round six of the Australian Motocross Championship at
Toowoomba in Queensland this weekend.
The dynamic 17-year-old is set to pilot the RM-Z250 in the
Pro Lites class while Burkhart recovers from recent thumb
surgery that will see him sidelined for the remainder of the
series.
Snapped up by the factory Suzuki squad, Bopping is available
to race in the Pro Lites category this weekend because the
U19 class of the Australian Motocross Championship he usually
contests is not on the program for the Toowoomba event.
Bopping - who is expected to be a valuable asset to the Suzuki
team - already has Pro Lites experience having competed in
the class for the 2007 Australian Supercross Championship
in which he finished fifth overall.
Meanwhile, in the Pro Open class, Team Shift Motul Suzuki's
Daryl Hurley will be looking to repeat his previous dominant
performances at the Toowoomba circuit and close the gap to
series leader Daniel Reardon.
Lawson Bopping:
"I'm stoked. I've been riding the RM-Z250 as a satellite
entry with lots of support from Team Shift Motul Suzuki, but
to get to ride as part of the factory squad on a full-factory-prepared
bike is awesome.
"This will be my first time racing at Toowoomba so I've
got to get up to speed with the track pretty quickly, but
at least I'm already very comfortable on the RM-Z250 so that
should work for me this weekend."
Jay Foreman - Team Manager:
"It's great for the team to have our Pro Lites bike
back on the track in Toowoomba - great for the team, for Suzuki
and, importantly, for our sponsors.
"Lawson is only a young kid but he's already shown he's
got plenty of speed and this track should suit his riding
style. He has the advantage of having raced in the Lites class
earlier this year for the Supercross championship, so he already
knows what he's up against.
"In Pro Open, Daryl's always done really well at Toowoomba
and you'd expect him to be strong again this weekend. We've
made several changes to his RM-Z450 this past week, so we
will wait and see what gains that brings."
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