Image: Simon Makker.

The countdown is on to the opening round of the 2014 Monster Energy MX Nationals to be held at the State Motorcycle Sports Complex in Broadford in Victoria on 30 March.

Preparations have been long-underway and the venue is primed to host the opening round of the pinnacle motorcycling championship in Australia.

Staff have been working around the clock to get the venue ready for the series’ opener, and new Broadford manager Nick Selleck believes it is the perfect opportunity to maximise exposure for the MV operated facility.

“I have only been in the role here since November, so for three months, and I am really conscious of making sure the complex presents well with its facilities for the first round,” Selleck said.

“It’s massive for us. It gives us the widest exposure out of any event that we have here, so it’s critical that the place presents really well.

“Being the first round of the series there is a lot more media attention than there would usually be so we are really excited about that to take advantage of that.”

Drilling into further detail, Selleck said that there are a number of individual improvements being made to enhance the spectacle for both riders and spectators.

“About a month ago we put a lot of topsoil and mulch onto the track surface so that’s had time to breakdown in the soil, and that’s going to make the racing surface a lot better that with the natural soil that’s here,” he added.

“After talking with Kevin [Williams] and a couple of the riders we have had some feedback with a couple of the changes to make. One of the big things is we will be putting in a couple of spectacular step-up jumps that will be giving the riders some good airtime and will make it pretty spectacular for the spectators.

“We’ve made a full revamp of the motocross start gate, so that’s going to be hydraulically lifted and hydraulically tripped, so it will be a good reliable start gate.

“We have also just been doing some work on the general property with the PA system making sure that’s up to scratch, and making good spectator areas.”

Selleck also revealed that a special memorial area is being built at the facility that will be ready for people to visit at the opening round.

“We are building a memorial down by the Speedway track with the unveiling to be done the weekend prior to the MX Nationals,” he explained. “That includes a memorial to Andrew McFarlane so will add a special touch to this year’s event.”

Visit www.mxnationals.com.au for more information on the Australian Motocross Championship.