INJURY DOESN''T SLOW BURKHART
18 September 2006 - Suzuki Racing

Team Shift Motul Suzuki rider Luke Burkhart made up ground in the Australian Supercross Masters Championship despite being injured in round four at Sydney’s Acer Arena on Saturday night.

Burkhart suffered a wrist injury during practice and battled valiantly through the evening’s proceedings to climb from fifth into fourth place in the overall championship standings.

Even in his reduced capacity, he piloted his Suzuki RM-Z450 to victory in his semi-final to secure a berth in the 20-lap Main Event.

The final saw the tenacious New Zealander push through his pain and charge hard to the very end, passing Daniel McCoy in the closing stages of the race to clinch fifth place.

Again standing in for injured Daryl Hurley, Suzuki’s highly credentialed American import, Greg Schnell, also began as one of the top contenders with several strong performances including a heat win.

Despite his considerable efforts, the Californian had to contest the Last Chance Qualifier where he crossed the finish line third, narrowly missing a place in the Main Event.

Within striking distance of third place in the 2006 Supercross Masters Championship with only one round remaining, Burkhart will be doing everything possible to mend his wrist and return to peak fitness in preparation for the final round at WIN Stadium in Wollongong, New South Wales on Saturday October 14.

Luke Burkhart:

“My racing got off to a rough start after I hurt my wrist in practice. I made a tentative start in the heats and came third in my first race. I had the last and worst gate pick in the semi final and got the best start and took the holeshot and was able to pull clear of the other guys and won the semi.

“To make it into final with my bad wrist was more than I expected… I made a reasonable start in final and at the end of the race I was still lapping at similar pace to front runners.

“The RM-Z450 was in top form as usual… it had great performance and handled like a dream.”

Jay Foreman – Team Shift Motul Suzuki Team Manager:

“For the most part, Luke’s wrist injury was manageable but one section of the track gave him a really hard time and he did a very good job to make it into the final and improve his position in the championship.

“Greg was also riding very well and looked really comfortable on the RM-Z450 after the practice he’s been doing on the four-stroke at home. Greg had winning pace and took victory in one of his heats, but unfortunately he was forced to run in the Last Chance Qualifier to earn a spot in the final which he missed by one place.

“We’re really looking forward to the round in Wollongong; the track should really suit our riders and the Suzuki RM-Z450’s.”

2006 Australian Supercross Masters Championship: Craig Anderson 8, Cheyne Boyd 7, Jason Thomas 6, Daniel Reardon 5, Luke Burkhart 4, Daniel McCoy 3, Brent Landman 2, Ford Dale 1.

Championship Points (after round 4): Cheyne Boyd 23, Daniel Reardon 23, Craig Anderson 21, Luke Burkhart 15, Timmy Weigand 14, Shane Metcalfe 9, Daryl Hurley 8, Cody Cooper 6, Danny Ham 6, Jason Thomas 6.

www.suzuki-racing.com

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