Congratulations to the 2013 Monster Energy MX Nationals champions, Matt Moss, Luke Styke and of course Hamish Harwood. 10 rounds was the journey and in the end we see three deserving winners following an incredible season.

I mentioned this to Jay Foreman, plus Bernie and Joel Ryan from C&R Imports, on Sunday night – season 2013 for me was the most entertaining yet since MotoOnline.com.au was launched in 2009.

There have been plenty of epic battles over the past five years, however at the beginning of this year interest seemed to be waning. By the time Moss and Todd Waters started getting right into it around the halfway point, we experienced record numbers to bring the season home.

The fact is right now in Australia we’re witnessing a very special time in the sport. Dean Ferris is already killing it on the world stage, Waters has landed a factory MX1 gig and Styke is on the verge of securing a fulltime seat in MX2 next season.

Talent on a domestic level is ultra high at the moment and while 2013 seemed to be a transition period of sorts, the future is looking immensely strong. You only have to look at the likes of Kale Makeham, Jay Wilson, Jack Simpson (to name a few of many) to recognise the sort of riders we have on the rise.

Coolum again turned it on with a spectacular season finale, complete with a fresh new track layout that made the action not only safer, but I believe more exciting to watch as well. The way those guys were wrestling their bikes throughout the course was something to see on Sunday.

The close battle between Todd Waters (pictured) and Matt Moss re-ignited interest in the MX Nationals this year. Image: Simon Makker/Makkreative.com.

Sunday night’s presentation was a neat way to reward those who achieved great success during the season, but the real standout for me was Makeham – he is the ultimate professional when it comes to public speaking and dealing with the media. No doubt his supporters can be very proud.

Needless to say though, as usual post-Coolum there would have been some very sore heads come Monday morning!

On Monday there was an industry conference to speak about the current state of the sport and it involved a large array of people from manufacturers, factory team managers, privateer team owners, Motorcycling Australia staff, media representatives and more.

I won’t go into too much detail here, however many items were discussed including formats, Super Pole, the need for more exciting obstacles on courses, gate numbers, entry fees, ticket pricing, public relations and lots more over the course of two and a half hours.

The communication from Williams Event Management is key in this department and in my opinion Kevin Williams has done a very good job at steering the sport as the series promoter. Like many businesses things can be polished, but there’s a reason that Australian Motocross is regarded as one of the premier domestic series on the planet.

Right now though we turn our attention to the Australian Supercross Championship and I can honestly say this season is one of the hardest to pick a title favourite in recent memory. There are many unanswered questions which will gain plenty of interest when Darwin opens the series.

With a tough Motocross campaign behind him, can Jay Marmont bounce back and defend his Supercross crown? Image: Simon Makker/Makkreative.com.

Can Jay Marmont bounce back from MX? Will Matt Moss continue his current form? Is Daniel McCoy’s KTM switch enough to boost him into the title hunt? How will Josh Hill fare at DPH? What will Weston Peick do on a factory Honda? Does Kade Mosig have what it takes to shine at CDR Yamaha in the premier class?

That’s all from me for this week, for now here’s Makker…

And just like that, another Australian Motocross Championship is in the record books. It was a season that certainly lived up to its billing as a tantalising affair, but almost as much for what happened off the track as what took place on it.

And now, with all teams and riders rapidly switching their focus to the fast-impending Supercross season, there has been a significant amount of industry movement. In fact, the pits at Coolum were ablaze with speculation and gossip as the largest population of industry players this year swaggered and tongue-wagged their way through the crowds.

So what did we learn at Coolum?

• Kade Mosig and CDR Yamaha: Craig Dack has given the former Zero Seven Troy Lee Designs Motorsports Kawasaki rider a hell of a break by signing him for Supercross. With both Lawson Bopping and Billy Mackenzie’s contracts up at the end of the year, Mozzi has more than a little incentive to get some great Supercross results; a 2014 contract could follow.
  

  Impressive rookie Kale Makeham is proving the complete package as a rider. Image: Simon Makker/Makkreative.com.

• Geran Stapleton is out for Supercross this year. His shoulder injury sustained from a spectacular Hervey Bay get-off pans out to be worse than first thought. Raceline Suzuki is said to be looking at one of the MXD Top 10 riders to fill in this spot for the SX championship.
• Honda will have a full team of riders for Supercross. As well as Hayden Melross and 2012 Lites champion Gavin Faith, word is another American, Weston Peick, will also be under the red awning.
• With Cody Cooper’s Motul Pirelli Suzuki deal being for motocross only, will we see another rider pit alongside Matt Moss for Supercross?
• Just before Coolum MX2 runner-up Kale Makeham announced on Facebook that he’s already signed a big deal for 2014 and would announce it after the final round. Many teams would’ve been chasing his signature, but I’ll be very, very surprised if KTM would let this promising young ripper go, especially when KTM boss Jeff Leisk was among the first to congratulate Makeham after the final moto.

All these questions and speculations mean two things. One silly season is just around the corner, and two, you’ll have to keep checking in at Motoonline for how all of these stories develop!

That’s all from me this week. Remember to check out all of MotoOnline.com.au’s social networking channels and be sure to Like/Follow us for even more behind the scenes insights. across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Just search MotoOnline.