With round one of the Monster Energy MX Nationals in the books, Australian Motocross is officially go for season 2014. And because of that, we have a scope of what went down at the races. This is MX Hub, presented by Alpinestars.

Image: Simon Makker.

Talent emerges

One of the hot topics from Broadford was the sheer talent we’re witnessing amongst the MX2 and MXD ranks right now. With some of the more experienced riders stepping up across the board, the emerging youth has been a real talking point and we’re pumped to see it. Take a look at the results sheets throughout the motos and there’s likely to be a few names right there in the top 10 that you’ve not seen much (if at all before). The future is bright, that’s for sure.

Changing tyres

Look closely at the factory Kawasaki and KTMs in the MX1 class last weekend and you’ll notice that Kawasaki has taken on Pirelli tyres for 2014, while KTM has effectively traded and is now using Dunlops. Honda is again on Pirelli, as is Suzuki and Husqvarna, while Yamaha continues its ongoing relationship with Dunlop.

MX Nats galore

If you haven’t seen MotoOnline.com.au’s extensive MX Nationals coverage to kick off season 2014, you must be living under a rock! We’re stoked with the selection of stories so far, from features, to news and race reports across the weekend. The good news is that there’s more to come, largely thanks to our crew of Bret Trigg, Simon Makker and Adam Spence.

Teams step up

A noticeable advancement at the opener was the added PR being completed by some of the sport’s smaller teams, which they deserve a real pat on the back for. Whether you’re seeing reports on the web or in print about these guys or their sponsors are being directly delivered updates, it’s much needed and will be a real driving force in the sport’s growth over the next few years (as well as increased social media as long as 3G coverage allows).

Time to go…

As we mentioned in our Q&A feature yesterday afternoon, Williams Event Management (WEM) is believed to be trading its Tag Timing system in for MyLaps after troubles once again at Broadford. They’ve persevered with the Tag system for two years now, but we can expect change for Appin as team’s and promoters declared enough’s enough at Broadford. A reliable timing and scoring system is vital for a national championship with so much at stake.

Makker did what?

You won’t believe it, but from what we understand, Suzuki RACESAFE’s first patient of the new season was none other than MotoOnline photographer and senior contributor Simon Makker, who rolled his ankle strolling through the back section of the pits first thing Saturday upon arriving at the track! Thanks for keeping him in the game, guys! RACESAFE proves its worth as always.

Kiwi connection

Some late mail here this afternoon is that a Kiwi is in the frame to take the place of Cody Cooper on the Penrite Honda team at Appin. Who? That’s not confirmed, but it could potentially be Brad Groombridge if you read between the lines. His form in New Zealand was right there with the best of them, so don’t count it out. See below as Makker mentions Penrite Honda’s ongoing streak of bad luck.

That’ll do me for today as I rush on to some more news stories, here is Simon Makker for his take on last weekend and more.

Image: Simon Makker.

Honda’s horror continues

It’s impossible to not feel sorry for the Penrite Honda race team. After a disastrous 2013 season riddled with rider injuries and retirements, the team was hoping to start 2014 off strong. It wasn’t meant to be: Josh Cachia is still recovering from a nine-month-long wrist injury and their bright MX1 prospect, Cody Cooper, crashed just two laps into qualifying at Broadford and smashed his cheekbone and eye socket on an exposed fence. There’s no word on when Cooper will return, if Honda will call up replacement riders, or when Cachia will be back, although speculation over the weekend suggested he could be out for as many as four rounds, depending on doctors reports this week.

The Husky resurgence

Aside from this weekend, when was the last time you saw a Husqvarna behind the start-gate of a national motocross race (at least with a chance of running at the pointy end)? And when was the last time you saw a Husky win a round of the MX Nationals? We’re unsure if the latter has ever happened until Broadford, where current New Zealand MX2 champ Kayne Lamont tore through the field on a TC 250 to win the overall, with Husky privateer Luke Arbon coming home in 15th overall. Husqvarna Motocross Racing Team’s Nick Sutherland finished 21st in MX2 and Brock Winston 11th in MX1. Meanwhile, Husqvarna riders placed second and third in the MXD class at the hands of Egan Mastin and Nathan Crawford.

The return of Errol Willis

There were a few raised eyebrows when former Under 19s champion Errol Willis rolled up to the starting gate on a YZ250 at Broadford. There were even more raised eyebrows when he finished inside the top 10 in the opening two motos, then was holding down a solid fifth in the final race before a mechanical forced him to withdraw. For a bloke who had all but given up on his racing career after being left off the teams’ love-lists in 2013, Willis proved a serious point that he’s still got bike skill and speed to burn, and will constantly be a threat this season.

Dinsdale update

Two weeks ago GYTR Yamaha’s MXD title hope Joel Dinsdale was involved in a huge car accident on his way down to Brisbane for the team’s shoot. From what we can gather, Dinny fell asleep at the wheel, left the road and hit a tree. He was placed in an induced coma with a lengthy list of injuries. Talking to team owner Scotty Bishop on the weekend, Joel is making solid progress. He was successfully woken from his coma and is expected he’ll make a full recovery. Obviously though, he won’t return to racing in 2014.
Can’t wait to see you back, mate!

Styke’s puts points on the board

KEMEA Yamaha Racing Team’s Luke Styke looks to have kicked his illness and scored his first MX2 Grand Prix points at the Brazilian GP over the weekend. After qualifying 19th, Styke rode to 14-14 in his two motos for 13th overall. The 14 points he gained have lifted him to 22nd in the championship. We think he’ll only get stronger and faster from here!

That’s a wrap for this week’s MX Hub. As always, remember to check out all of MotoOnline.com.au’s social networking channels and be sure to Like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for even more behind the scenes insights. Just search MotoOnline.