Image: Jeff Crow.

KTM Motocross Racing Team’s Kirk Gibbs has claimed the overall honours in the Monster MX1 class at the fourth round of the 2014 Monster Energy MX Nationals at Murray Bridge.

Gibbs backed up some strong words during the week about his claim as a championship contender with a wonderful performance in the South Australian sand.

The KTM pilot finished the day with a race win in the second moto which, when paired with his opening moto result of fourth place, was enough to give him a three-point round win ahead of CDR Yamaha rider Billy Mackenzie.

Mackenzie was extremely consistent with two third-placings from his two races to finish ahead of National Pump Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Moss (sixth and second from his two races).

Round three winner Adam Monea (Monster Energy Kawasaki) finished fourth overall with an opening moto win before finishing 12th in race two, while series leader Matt Moss (Team Motul Suzuki) could only manage fifth overall with a fifth and sixth.

After winning the Super Pole hot lap for the round and qualifying fastest, Moss was looking to continue his run of hot form and holeshot in the opening moto. By the end of the opening lap with things settling down, it was Matt Moss in the lead from Cody Cooper (Penrite Honda Racing), with Monea in third.

Local favourite Gibbs settled further back into seventh place further down the field, just behind Jake Moss. It was a tense and hard fought moto, and before long Monea managed to pass Matt Moss – a lead that he did not relinquish for the remainder of the race.

Moss had problems throughout the moto, and was slowly picked off by his rivals – first Cooper, who ended the race in second and then Mackenzie, who battled his way through the field onto the podium.

Moss and Gibbs had a fierce battle for fourth place over the last two turns of the race, with Gibbs narrowly edging out the reigning champ.

While the first moto was full of mouth-watering action, the second saw little movement in race order once the opening lap was completed.

Jake Moss steamed to the front of the field taking the holeshot, while disaster struck for Cooper who went down at the opening turn ending his day prematurely.

It didn’t take long for Gibbs to stamp his authority on the race – into the lead by the end of the second lap and comfortably riding away to a memorable victory.

As Gibbs took the lead, Jake Moss was relegated to second where he eventually finished with Mackenzie back in third place.

Mackenzie rode the race in third to finish on the podium, while privateer Jacob Wright fought hard to finish in an impressive fourth, with DPH Yamaha’s Kade Mosig earning fifth place in the race.

Matt Moss rounded off a disappointing day at Murray Bridge finishing in sixth place in the second moto.

In the overall championship standings, Moss retained the outright lead but has had that whittled down to just 13 points from Gibbs. Monea is a further 22 points behind in third, with Jake Moss and Mackenzie rounding out the top-five.

Round five of the 2014 Monster Energy MX Nationals makes its way to Wanneroo in Western Australia on 25 May.

2014 Monster Energy MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship
Round four – Murray Bridge, SA

MX1 overall results:
1. Kirk Gibbs 63
2. Billy Mackenzie 60
3. Jake Moss 57
4. Adam Monea 54
5. Matt Moss 51
6. Kade Mosig 47
7. Hayden Mellross 47
8. Rhys Carter 46
9. Jacob Wright 43
10. Sam Martin 42
11. Jay Marmont 40
12. Brock Winston 40
13. James Booth Elliott 39
14. Jesse Dobson 34
15. Lewis Woods 32
16. Cody Cooper 32
17. Ross Beaton 29
18. Tim Vare 26
19. Jesse O’Farrell 25
20. Matt Ginders 24

MX1 championship standings:
1. Matt Moss 294
2. Kirk Gibbs 281
3. Adam Monea 259
4. Jake Moss 247
5. Billy Mackenzie 242
6. Kade Mosig 216
7. Rhys Carter 214
8. Hayden Mellross 206
9. Jay Marmont 196
10. Jacob Wright 185
11. Brock Winston 181
12. Sam Martin 177
13. Lewis Woods 160
14. Jesse Dobson 153
15. Brad Groombridge 96
16. Matt Ginders 94
17. Cody Cooper 81
18. James Booth Elliott 74
19. Brodie Hartin 72
20. Kieran Tisdale 66

Click here for detailed results