Tye Simmonds came to Hattah once before when he was 17, but back then he wasn't seated on one of the factory team‰Ûªs KTM 500 EXCs, and he wasn‰Ûªt the Finke Desert race vice-champion then either. Tougher, stronger and faster now, the former motocross pro is a genuine contender by anyone's measure.
‰ÛÏI've only done one Hattah before and that was in 2008 when I was 17." Simmonds said. "Testing has been good so far and the bike is feeling really good. This is really enjoyable for me, it‰Ûªs still really fast, but a little bit more motocrossy with the sand and everything so hopefully it will suit me. See how we go.
"It's good to be back on the big 500 and going fast again. I love the big girls, they are fun, that's for sure. They do feel a bit heavier with the setup and the steering damper, compared to our off-road bikes which are set up to turn on a dime, so it‰Ûªs a case of trying to find that happy medium between stability and manoeuvrability. Can‰Ûªt wait for Sunday though, it's going to be magic.‰Û
