American Mike Alessi is in Australia to contest the entire Super X season for JDR Motorex KTM.

JDR Motorex KTM will commence its quest for the 2010 Super X, Australasian Supercross Championship, this weekend when the series fires into life at Energy Australia Stadium in Newcastle, New South Wales on Saturday, 16 September.

Spearheading the orange assault will be American factory KTM standout Mike Alessi, who will enter his maiden Super X campaign in the seven-round series that will be contested over the next eight weekends, and the 22-year-old Californian looks forward to the challenge.

“I’m excited to be out here for Super X and am looking forward to going to every race and challenging Australia’s best – I’ll definitely be trying to win,” Alessi said. “I’ve done a little bit of practice with Ryan Marmont at his track and also with Chad Reed, so it’s going good so far here in Australia. It’ll be good to get this experience.”

Joining Alessi in the Open class ranks aboard KTM’s revolutionary 350SX-F will by 18-year-old Aussie wonder kid Tye Simmonds, the talented youngster from Bourke in New South Wales embarking on his second season of Super X in the Open class.

“For the first round I just want to see where I am at and get a gauge to see how my training and riding has been going,” Simmonds commented. “I’ll just go out and ride my own race tomorrow night and see where that puts us against the competition. I just can’t wait to get out there and I’m really looking forward to a strong season.”

JDR Motorex KTM’s new Pro Lites MX Nationals Australian Motocross Champion PJ Larsen will head the team’s charge in the 250cc Lites division, the 19-year-old American enjoying a dominant season in the outdoors earlier this year. He hopes to add the Super X crown to his ever-growing trophy cabinet.

“Everything’s been going well in testing and we’ve got the bike where we need it for the race season,” Larsen, who turns 20 on race day, explained. “I’m looking forward to getting out there at Newcastle and kind of seeing where I stand and seeing what I need to work on for the rest of the series.”

Former dual Supercross champion Ryan Marmont will partner Larsen in JDR Motorex KTM’s Lites effort, the Wollongong-based rider entering the series as a title contender in his return aboard the 250SX-F.

“I’m looking forward to this year’s Super X series, we’ve done a lot of testing with the new 2011 model 250SX-F and it’s unreal – I think we have the best set-up we’ve ever had going into a series,” Marmont said. “Newcastle will be good this weekend, as well as the whole series. I’m confident we can get a good result.”

For team manager Jay Rynenberg, the opportunity to enter New South Wales-based the JDR Motorex KTM effort with four title contenders is a dream come true, hoping to add more championships alongside Larsen’s MX Nationals title during Super X.

“We’ve got a really solid line-up of riders for Super X and it shows in their pre-season preparation,” Rynenberg commented. “Tye, PJ and Mike have all been training together in the U.S. pushing each other, so they are all really confident heading into the season. Also, Ryan has been flat out testing with the team back home, probably riding the best we’ve ever seen him.

“The 2011 model KTMs are just phenomenal. The 350SX-F is a Supercross weapon, so nimble in its handling, and the boys feel like they’re on a whole new level with the latest model. Same with the 250SX-F, both PJ and Ryan are really happy with it heading into the season.”

The Super X season opener will take place this Saturday night, 16 October at Newcastle’s Energy Australia Stadium in New South Wales.