During the first half of the 2013 Monster Energy MX Nationals, Serco Yamaha teenager Luke Clout took the MX2 class by the horns and was the only rider of the season to claim a round overall from then teammate Luke Styke.

While a broken femur put a quick end to his hopes, Clouty is back and hungrier than ever to make amends and push for the MX2 title in 2014. MotoOnline.com.au caught up with the 18-year-old Sydney-sider to get his thoughts on five fast topics.

Image: Simon Makker.

Recovering from my broken femur…

Breaking my femur was a big blow last year and I had a lot of thoughts going through my head when it happened. I think the thing that gave me the motivation to come back was the thought that Luke Styke was going to Europe this year, and as I was sitting second to him in the points, I could easily be the top rider. I’m hungrier now and the recovery time made me realise how much I really want to win this year. I had five months off the bike and the leg has fully recovered. I’m fit, ready for round one, and better prepared than ever.

Pre-season testing on a completely new bike…

I’ve been riding the 2014 YZ250F since November and it’s an amazing bike. Lately I’ve been testing a lot with Michael Marty (head mechanic at Serco), and being a brand-new bike, we’ve had to test everything from the ground up. Marty started from nowhere and has built everything from starting with a stab in the dark, then modifying each piece from there.

We’ve done a lot of engine testing and it took us a while to get the suspension to a position where I was completely happy with it, but now it’s sweet. I’d say we’ve done about 90 percent of the testing so far and are now just testing little things such as holeshot buttons.

Travelling from NSW to Qld so much…

I spend a lot of time travelling between where I live in Sydney and where Serco Yamaha is based in Brisbane. While there are more tracks and testing facilities in Queensland, I like being home with my friends and family. I can get my mind off things and I find it easier to tune out from the high-pressure situation better.

When I’m in Queensland I go hard and leave nothing on the plate, and I might try and base myself in Queensland during the supercross championship at the end of the year.

Image: Fourohfour.

Taking part in pre-season races…

Last year I stayed away from them to keep myself healthy for the MX Nationals, but I think that might have hurt me a little. This year I’ll definitely be doing a lot of them, as I think they’re great for practicing starts and to help with my sprint speed.

I’ve done a couple so far, such as the Coffs Harbour Stadiumcross and an open meeting at Oakdale, and I’ll race at Appin this weekend. I’m all for pre-season races and think the more bike time you can get before the Nationals kicks off, the better.

The AMA Supercross championship so far…

This year’s championship has been awesome. I dedicate my Sundays to sitting down and watching the races and I really like what I’m seeing. I think James Stewart is the man to beat – this is the best I’ve seen him ride and he’s more consistent this year than he has been in a while.

I think all the top guys have Villopoto’s measure this year, as we’ve seen him beaten straight up a bunch of times so far. It sucks to see Reedy go down, and I hope he can come back, get some points, and fight for the championship. That’ll make my Sundays even better.