Injured Rider To Do It Tough

Illawarra Mercury

Saturday October 29, 2005

By LUKE KEENAN

ONE spectator who will find it extremely tough watching from the sidelines tonight is injured Towradgi rider Jay Marmont.

The 22-year-old had a memorable debut season in the West Coast American Supercross Series earlier this year, finishing fifth overall.

Following a five-month lay-off due to knee surgery, he planned to make a timely return to action tonight in front of his home crowd.

But the American Red Bull KTM factory team rider's plan was ruined when, after just two weeks back on a bike, he crashed in training at Berkeley and snapped his right femur in two.

"It's pretty frustrating," Marmont admitted. "I was watching the guys ride at the press day and it gets me annoyed and frustrated when I think that three weeks ago, I was riding myself."

Hand in hand with his own return, Marmont had been helping his little brother Ryan prepare for tonight.

"I was watching Ryan ride today and he looks really good," Jay said.

"He's looking like one of the strongest riders in the field."

Ryan said his older brother had provided him with plenty of expert tips since his return to Australia.

"Even when he wasn't riding and he was just watching he could tell me certain things that other people couldn't see in my riding that really helped," he said.

"And mentally he helps out. He's a really mentally strong guy and that helped me so much at the last round. He showed me a few little things and I took the win."

But the 20-year-old conceded it had been tough to put his older brother's accident out of his mind.

"Every time I went close to that jump I thought about it," he said. "But you've got to try and put that stuff behind you.

"We've all had some pretty nasty accidents. You just try and learn from it and pray it doesn't happen again."

Two-times Australian Supercross champion Jay hopes to be back on his bike in time for the start of next year's East Coast American Supercross Series, starting in late February.