Malkiewicz and teammate Jesse Dobson were locked in battle for the podium positions in the MX2 class with just 10 points separating the Serco pair as they entered the final round. Both familiar with the Coolum circuit, it came down to the final moto that left one rider happy and the other in the dirt.
To view the Serco Yamaha bLU cRU round review: https://youtu.be/pXRTAm5yzPM
Malkiewicz battled a knee injury earlier in the season but continued racing despite the need for some surgery at some point to get it fixed. But that pain and suffering proved worthwhile on Sunday afternoon when he clawed back the 10 points on his teammate and charged to third place in the championship. He missed one fall round of racing due to his knee but was able to race his way through the pain to land on the championship podium.
His day at Coolum was rock solid, finishing with 4-3 results to land in second place for the round and made another trip to the podium.
“I like riding sand and Coolum has always been a track that I have enjoyed riding so I wanted and expected to go well here this weekend,” Bailey announces. “My results in the past have been good here and I have been able to get some riding done in the past couple of weeks, so I was confident of a good weekend.
“It’s a shame that Jesse fell and hurt himself as that’s never a good way to beat anybody, so I hope he recovers quickly and we are battling again soon.
“Teasy did an awesome job on the weekend and the race bike was good. My starts needed to be a little better, especially in moto one where I was in the pack, but my track speed was good and even getting P1 on Saturday was a nice way to start the weekend.
“Thanks to Serco Yamaha for a great championship and we now look forward to getting set for supercross in the coming weeks.”
Unfortunately, the day was a disaster for Dobson who again experienced issues with a dodgy shoulder. Dobson was looking good in the opening moto and inside the top three when his shoulder popped and dislocated while on track. He has managed to get back to the mechanics area and then with some assistance put his shoulder back in place. He miraculously returned to the track and re-joined the race, but because he left the circuit, he was disqualified in the final results of moto one.
In the break between motos, Dobson tested the shoulder and tapped it up ready to go for race two. Again, he rocketed from the gate and was in a good position but he cross-rutted on the up ramp of one of the tabletops and was sent flying from his bike. That was the final blow and he withdrew from the race.
He was disappointed and dejected but satisfied he did everything he could to finish the day and stay in championship contention.
“I’m pretty beat up and sore right now and feel like I let the team down because everyone had worked so hard to get us both on the podium. In the first race, my shoulder popped when was going through the rollers and the pulling motion seemed to make it loose and weak. It’s the same shoulder that I hurt a few weeks ago so I think its time to get it looked at and have it repaired.
“Thanks to everyone at Serco Yamaha for a great ProMX season, I’m just sorry I couldn’t put it on the box for them this weekend,” Dobson ends.
