CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team rider, Luke Clout, will head west this weekend to tackle the Manjimup 15,000 event in Western Australia and is looking forward to taking up the challenge of racing one of the premier events of the year.
The Manjimup 15,000 is a long running, popular event and the biggest on the WA racing calendar that draws riders over from the East Coast to compete on one of the toughest and most demanding tracks in Australia.
The track ranges from deep whooped-out sand to hard roadbase gravel and everything in between with riders in the main event competing across four gruelling motos to determine the winner.
Clouts’ one and only appearance at the event was in 2019 where he was right in the thick of the action with the event winner only determined in the final lap of the final moto. This year, Clout feels well prepared and goes in confident of a good showing as he races the best in the west as well as a host of east coast regulars.
“I go into this years event knowing what to expect and how the track shapes up, so that will work in my favour,” Clout begins. “Learning a long track like Manjimup as well as setting the bike up for it is tough and then we have to make changes on the run as the track changes so much from lap to lap and race to race, but this year we have some data and some local knowledge so hopefully I can start the weekend in good form and take it from there.
“I also want to thank the CDR Yamaha team and the Manjimup club for making it work this year given the current Covid situation. Our team is based in Victoria so they can’t attend but they have put things in place for me to go and I look forward to getting back over there and flying the Yamaha flag at such a high profile event like the Manjimup 15000.”
Unfortunately, teammate Hayden Mellross won’t be able to attend as he is based in Victoria and must follow the Covid19 rules set down by the Victorian government. When signing on with the CDR Yamaha team in 2020, Mellross moved from his base in Young NSW to Victoria to be closer to the team but with the lockdowns over the past 12 months, he has had a rough go of it.
Mellross will stay in Victoria and remained focused on the coming rounds of the Pro MX championship with the next round set down for Maitland on June 27.
“I would love to have gone over with the team and raced the Manjimup 15,000 and it was a race I had marked on my calendar this year that I wanted to contest but the timing with the Covid out break in Victoria means I will have to sit this one out,” Mellross said.
“Hopefully things settle down here so we can get back to riding and racing and the rest of the year progresses with no issues.”
Yamaha will have a big presence over in the west with a host of bLU cRU pilots lining up for the high profile race. The Yamaha Junior Racing Team will work alongside the CDR Yamaha crew as well as several other supported riders.
