Brett Metcalfe aims to drop the hammer and hit the second half strong. Image: Simon Cudby.

After another solid top 10 finish finish at round five of the 2012 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, Yoshimura Suzuki’s Brett Metcalfe is planning to put the hammer down and make a big push for the second half of the season.

With a sixth overall at Budds Creek, Metcalfe saw himself jump up into fifth place overall in the 450 Class title chase, as the series hits its midway point.

“It was a tough track. In moto one, I had a bad start and I came from a long way back to get up to eighth. During the break, I worked with the Yoshimura Suzuki team and we made some changes for the second moto.

“I needed a good start but I didn’t get it and I was back in 20-plus position. But I rode hard, the Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 was brilliant and I made good passes.”

With just 12 points separating Metcalfe from fourth overall Andrew Short in the standings, the Australian is in position to make the move up closer to the top three.

“Now, we have a break and I’m going to focus on my starts to be better at RedBud,” Metcalfe added. “I want to really put the hammer down to get the results I want.”

The series now takes a two-week break, before returning at the infamous Red Bud circuit for round six on 7 July.