Kirk Gibbs took second overall at Manjimup behind his teammate Todd Waters. Image: Innesphotografix.

Currently at the mid-point of his rookie MX1 season, Kirk Gibbs feels that he is gaining momentum following his strong Manjimup 15,000 performance.

The Motorex KTM rider made his first visit to the iconic Western Australian event last weekend, alongside him was teammate and current Monster Energy MX Nationals MX1 points leader Todd Waters.

Gibbs took a liking to the Cosy Creek circuit and combined that with great starts to earn himself a moto win before continuing to battle with his more experienced teammate throughout the remaining motos.

“The track was really awesome to race on,” said Gibbs. “I got some good starts today and I’m happy with my result. With the shorter races and my starts being really good today I kept Todd on his toes.

“My start in that first one was unbelievable – I couldn’t see anyone there! By the end of the lap I had a two second lead and I could see that Todd was catching me slightly here and there.

“He put in a really hard last lap but I managed to hold him off. It’s good to get a win too, it gives me more confidence for nationals.”

Gibbs enjoys the close racing between himself and Waters, admitting that he picks up on Waters’ strong points which in turn lifts his own level of riding consistently.

“It was great to ride close with him today too and see the little things I need to do better,” he added. “I’m doing it better each time I get on the bike lately and having my starts dialled in obviously helps a lot.

“Racing this close with him is something we both enjoy and there’s no tension. Close, clean racing is what you want and there’s nothing better or more fun than that.”

Gibbs currently sits ninth overall in the 2013 Monster Energy MX Nationals standings with five rounds remaining on the schedule.