After wrapping up his 2012 season with a scary crash at Coolum’s Monster Energy MX Nationals season finale, Kirk Gibbs was on the mend as he inked his deal to contest the 2013 season with the revamped Motorex KTM team in the MX1 class.

The South Australian’s rookie season didn’t start off at smoothly as he may have hoped for, with niggling injuries and bad luck playing a large role in his inconsistent results.

Following his breakthrough third overall at Broadford’s round four of the 2013 MXN series, MotoOnline.com.au caught up with the Gibbs to talk about his return from injury, his team and his recent podium appearance.

Kirk Gibbs scored his first-ever podium in the MX1 class at Broadford’s round four. Image: Simon Makker/Makkreative.com.

Congratulations on your third overall at Broadford, that must feel really good to get yourself up on the podium finally after a bumpy start to your rookie season in the MX1 class?

Broadford worked out well for me. Obviously I got solid moto scores and then the Super Pole was what really helped me. I think a podium for me, it was awesome to get my first one in that class and it was such a big thing to do that.

With that class it’s obviously so stacked this year and the competition is so tough. I just want to keep trying to get good starts and ride consistently, keep it on two wheels and stay healthy. I think if I’m around the top five, that’s where I want to be.

It’s my first year and obviously there’s a lot of depth in that class and so much experience. So I just want to get more experience. I feel a lot better every time I get on my bike now and I feel like I’m getting a lot more used to the KTM with what it does and what I want it to do.

So everything’s slowly getting back to where I felt I was 12 months ago before I got injured last year when I was feeling really good on the bike. That’s where I think from now onwards I feel like I’m getting to that point.

As you mentioned, the GoPro Super Pole played a large role in your podium result. The Super Pole has received mixed reviews from riders, and obviously it worked in your favour this time around. So what are your thoughts on this all-new qualifying format?

I like the two long motos, and I think the Super Pole is a good thing – I don’t mind the Super Pole at all, but maybe the points system is a little too much. The five points is a big thing, I think maybe one or two points would be fine.

Obviously it worked in my favour, but I think the Super Pole deal is great with the GoPro’s and everyone takes off for one lap. It makes it exciting for the crowd and obviously the guys can get a bit more footage with the GoPro’s.

I think it’s really good, it shows who can pull out one quick lap and lay it all on the line.

The series will head to Conondale this weekend for round five, a track that you won on last year in the MX2 class and seem to enjoy. Does that boost your confidence even more coming off a career best finish then heading straight to a track you feel strong racing on?

Yeah definitely, at Broadford I obviously felt like I was riding a lot better from the previous rounds. I had been doing little races in between and felt like I was getting better on the bike.

So going into Broadford I didn’t know how I would go because I sort of had mixed bag results there before, it was just one of those days where I put a solid effort in and got good results.

Heading into Conondale, I’ve always seemed to ride well there and I like the track. I think it sort of suits my style, it’s a bit more open and fast flowing. It should be good, I’m definitely looking forward to it and coming off Broadford is definitely a massive boost.

But like I said, I just want to aim for those top fives and if I think I can sit around those top fives then I’ll be happy.

Gibbs feels right at home with the Motorex KTM team headed up by Rob Twyerould. Image: Simon Makker/Makkreative.com.

Heading into the mid-point of the season you sit eighth overall in points. Did you expect to be earning these podium spots earlier and sitting higher in the points right now, or are you happy with where you are currently?

I’m happy with where I’m at, obviously the first round I wasn’t 100 percent and I came in with a little bit of an injury. So the first round didn’t go so well. At Murray Bridge I also got a flat tyre, so that put a little dampener on it.

Since then I feel like I’ve been riding well. It’s my first season obviously, we’ve got Todd [Waters] on the team and they want more of Todd to be the main man and go out to win – which he has been doing. So it relaxes the pressure on me.

The team just expects me to go out and ride the best I can, and that’s all I’ve been doing. I think I’ve been getting better and better. Like I said, that’s what I keep wanting to do and it’s good being around the podium. I always think I can be close to that, I think that’s where I should be.

Looking into next year and the year after is when I want to be on the podium every week and chasing for that championship. So that’s where I want to be.

Following your gnarly crash at Coolum last year, it looked like it was going to be a tough road getting back to that level you were at. Do you think joining the Motorex KTM team and surrounding yourself with such experienced people has made that journey easier as you’re finally getting back to that level again?

Yeah exactly, like you said the team with the experience, having Todd and people that are just so switched on with everything they do. It’s great how much support they have and how much they give you, all they want you do is to go out and ride your bike the best you can do.

That and my family being behind me 100 percent, they’ve been coming to most of the races and stuff like that. Just the build up, it’s taken me a while to adjust to the bike and I sort of felt like I adjusted to the bike pretty well.

But I sort of got to a spot when I didn’t move forward with where I was going with my riding and my setup with the bike. In the last month or so I’ve felt like I’m getting back again, moving forward and making progress to where I want to be. I feel like all these little races in between are helping out a lot, being on the gate and started next to all the good guys like the Moss boys, Toddy Waters and Billy Mackenzie.

Guys like that, when you line up against them they’re always on their a-game, so if you can run with those guys or be close, it gives you confidence to keep lining up next to those guys and keep thinking just keep at it and you’ll keep moving forward. So obviously that’s starting to work for me.