That was one heck of a round, the Conondale MX Nationals, and as our Queensland-based contributor Simon Makker writes below, there was all kinds of drama/excitement on and off the track. It was just a really, really good round to be a part of this year.

The weather was exceptional and the crowd was loving the action, plus it was a nice surprise to hear longtime series compare Kam Williams back in the mix for the weekend at least alongside Todd Jarrett and Joe Stevens. Between them, it was an awesome combination of information and excitement.

We’ve done a heap of content on it already, but Jay Marmont’s form in that first moto was a real eye-opener, before sadly announcing he’s hanging up his helmet at season’s end. We’re not sure if we’ll see him for supercross or not, but either way 2014 will be his final go-around.

It’s kind of snuck beneath the radar in the mid-season break, but keen observers would have noticed that Ryan Marmont has been absent from under the Raceline Pirelli Suzuki awning since Swan Hill. He’d been planning on stopping at the end of the year anyway, but all indications are that his decision’s been fast-tracked. More on that later.

Yesterday we posted a news item detailing CDR Yamaha’s potential plans for the future, which have both Matt Moss and Luke Styke linked to the team. No doubt Craig Dack is eager to win again after a bit of a dry spell by his team’s standards, but it’ll take some serious planning to get the planets to align.

So with two new riders on the horizon (and I would say that’s exactly what will happen unless Mackenzie pulls through for the title somehow in these final three rounds), what’s next for the Scottish ex-GP racer? That remains unclear.

The mail doing the rounds last weekend was that Mackenzie and Dack aren’t on speaking terms right now and haven’t been since the Wanneroo round. We’re not sure of the finer details, but it’s no secret things aren’t great between them.

One observation we made during that final moto at Conondale was the bizarre custom-painted helmet Mackenzie was wearing (minus all sponsor signage from what we could see) – a long way removed from the usual corporate image we’ve so often seen from the CDR, Yamaha and Fox collaboration and apparently done so without the team’s pre-approval.

It sounds like a minor detail, but when you consider the efforts that a global brand such as Fox puts into their design and technology, wearing anything other than the standard models (or an approved energy drink helmet) is rare and even worse without Fox or other sponsor logos. It added to the whole saga, no doubt.

Speaking of something a little bit different than usual as well, huge props to the CDR Yamaha, Serco Yamaha and GYTR Yamaha teams, plus Penrite Oil Honda, for their trick retro liveries. They were epic, no doubt!

What I really enjoyed at Conondale though was the battle between Matt Moss and Kirk Gibbs. They’ve gone head-to-head many times over there careers for championships and it’s always been Moss who’s come out on top for the titles. Gibbsy looked particularly strong on Sunday though, so with just 18 points separating them and three rounds remaining, anything can happen.

The hard-pack nature of Green Park was more suited to the finesse of Gibbs last weekend, who tends to roll the throttle on and really flow his KTM around the track most of the time. Meanwhile, Mossy’s aggressive approach doesn’t always suit that type of terrain and many were openly critical of the dry, hard conditions compared to years past.

That’s it from me for now, I have a few other features and news stories to tackle, but here’s Makker to wrap this thing up…

Well, Conondale was nothing if not eventful. The tight racing, the big Drunk’s Hill jump, the fine weather and the big crowds all made the atmosphere top-notch and would have to make it a contender for the round of the year prize.

For me personally, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I hadn’t attended or shot a round of the MX Nationals since the opener at Broadford, and while Conondale is traditionally a surprisingly difficult round to shoot I was pretty pleased with some of my shots. It was also great to catch up with everyone that I hadn’t seen in a few months.

But the day also contained enough drama to fill a soap opera, with a couple of new rivalries sparking up, controversial penalties handed out, heartbreaking DNFs and the retirement of one of Australia’s racing greats, Jay Marmont.

So let’s quickly work through these little tidbits.

Rivalries: After Matt Moss unintentionally took out his twin brother Jake at Broadford things appeared to still be going great between the siblings. However, the relationship has become strained after a rumoured spat during the week capitulated in the first MX1 race when Matt and Jake again collided.

Jake hit the dirt hard enough to see him pull out of the day and head to hospital to get checked out, but not before pointing his finger at Matt at the end of the race as if to say “I’m coming for you”.

Things also got physical between the two MX2 series frontrunners Luke Clout and Hamish Harwood, when Clouty used the 2013 MXD champ as more of a wall to ricochet off than a berm midway through the opening race.

Harwood wasn’t impressed at how hard he was hit, but didn’t make any noise about it. However, Harwood has a good memory and if the opportunity arises to return the favour this year, you can guarantee he’ll gladly take it. As he said to me, “game on”.

Penalties: After all the hubbub of track-cutting surfaced at Swan Hill, WEM kept a keen eye out for anyone misbehaviour at Conondale. They didn’t have to wait long. At the start of the opening moto Serco’s Clout was pushed wide up the first hill and instead of joining back in the pack, he slowed down, skipped a tight right-hander, then rejoined the race. Although he slowed down before re-entering, he was handed a 10-second penalty that ultimately pushed him from second to fourth in the race standings.

MXD contender Nathan Crawford was also penalised when his muffler fell off halfway through the moto, receiving the black flag as he crossed the finishline. Under old rules that would’ve seen the obviously gutted Queenslander lose all race points, but the updated rulebook meant he only received a maximum three-position demotion, meaning, on paper, he finished the race in fifth instead of second.

DNFs: Lawson Bopping’s return to racing with the new SIC Racing Kawasaki team only lasted 15 minutes into the first 20-minute moto when a mysterious mechanical failure saw him push his bike back to the pits while he’d been holding down an impressive third place. Although gutted, Boppo took heart from his early pace and is looking forward to causing the championship front-runners a tonne of headaches over the last three rounds.

MX2 two-strokers Kayne Lamont and Luke Arbon both fell victim to the 130-foot Drunk’s Hill jump, when they mangled their wheels by knuckling the landing. Arbon though, bounced back to convincingly win the final race.

Meanwhile, Swan Hill round-winner Kade Mosig also suffered a mechanical DNF in the first MX1 race, which crushed his podium chances, despite bouncing back to a fifth and a third in the next two 20-minute races.

Jay Marmont retires: The multi-time Australian motocross and supercross champion’s announcement mightn’t have come as much of a surprise, but it doesn’t make it any easier to stomach. The departure of Jay from the start gate next year is going to leave a void that won’t be filled any time soon.

The consummate professional, fan favourite and all-round nice bloke will certainly be missed, but we’re anticipating he’ll still regularly float around the pits in yet-to-be-determined role. Thanks for all the memories, mate.

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