Paice Delivers Moto Win And Career best 2nd Overall At Horsham For Moto1 Motorcycles KTM
The Moto1 Motorcycles KTM Team took to the track at Horsham with a full roster of MX3 class riders, for Round 2 of the ProMX Championship on Sunday 7th April.
With Jett Williams returning from injury, the Moto1 Motorcycles KTM Team truck was back to a full house, with team mates Deacon Paice and Zac O’Loan ready for action at Round 2.
The day would start well for WA young gun Deacon Paice, who would finish his morning group qualifying session in 4th place, leading to a solid gate pick for the days Moto’s.
In Moto 1, Paice would take his time learning the Horsham track in the high speed and challenging conditions. Involved in several intense battles inside the Top 10, Paice would show great strength and the stretch, making passes to end the Moto with a 6th place Moto score.
Moto 2 would see Paice explode from the gate with a Holeshot and sprint early, establishing a comfortable lead in the first 10 minutes of the Moto. With pressure mounting in the second half of the race, Paice would drop to 2nd place before regrouping with a 5 minutes to go. The battle between Paice and Kade Kingsford had the crowd cheering on the fence lines, as the duo traded multiple passes before Paice would secure the lead with one lap to go, taking the win at the chequered flag en route to 2nd overall.
“Today was huge for my confidence”, commented Paice.
“I’ve always been known to have speed in the sand, but to push myself to win on this level of hard pack at Horsham feels great. I dug deep in the final Moto and was not going to let the win slip away. I want to thank the Moto1 Team my mechanic Josh Robinson, we are all working super hard and it showed today”, concluded Paice.
Jett Williams would return from injury for Round 2 and with limited bike time, Williams set an impressive time early in the day with 5th in his group session.
In the Moto’s, Williams early race speed and promising track position was hindered by small crashes and mistakes, leading to results on paper that did not reflect the days speed. Posting 34-DNF Moto scores, Williams will look to use this base to prepare for Round 3 in the coming weeks.
Zac O’Loan showed great improvement from Round 1 and with a goal of two consistent Moto scotes, Zac achieved just that with 17th-16th finishes on the day, gaining valuable experience and track time to build on heading into Round 3.
The Moto1 Motorcycles KTM Team will now focus on Round 3 of the ProMX Championship, taking place at Gillman, SA, on Sunday 5th May.
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Moto1 Motorcycles KTM would like to thank our sponsors KTM Australia, WP Suspension, Motorex Australia, FOX Australia, Pirelli, RK Chains and Guts Racing.