Defending MX2 champion Luke Clout has been noticeably quiet in the lead-up to the 2015 MX Nationals. While others try and drum up fan support and hype as the crunch-time looms, the 20-year-old Serco Yamaha racer has deliberately kept a low profile.

“I’ve purposely tried to keep it low-key this year,” Clout admits. “I want to come into the opening round at Horsham in a few weeks as a quiet achiever, but in the background I’ve been training my butt off and spent two months in the US riding and training. It’s been a really good off-season but I can’t wait for the series to start.”

Clout burst back onto the Australian scene in 2012 when he returned from a two-year US stint with the Millsaps Training Facility (including a brace of podium results at Loretta Lynn’s) to dominate the Moree round of the MX Nationals’ MXD class.

A supercross contract from Serco quickly followed to fill the gap left by an injured Ford Dale and he impressed enough to gain a 12-month contract for the 2013 season.

Image: Grant Reynolds (FiftySix Clix).

Clout immediately made his presence felt with a number of podiums and winning a round outright at Murray Bridge ahead of his teammate and eventual champion Luke Styke. However, just before round six at Appin, Clout had a practice crash and busted his femur, effectively destroying his campaign.

“It was heartbreaking to have that happen at the end of the five-week break and just before my home round, but sitting on the couch watching everyone race was a huge motivator for me and put the fire in my belly for 2014.”

That fire burned bright all season as Clout charged to his first senior national title last year. His campaign wasn’t the prettiest, most consistent record in Australian motorsport history, but crossing the finish line at Coolum is something he’s not going to forget.

“That moment was surreal, crazy, happy and hard to explain,” he recalls. “I was glad to get it over with after such a long championship and I’m definitely looking forward to getting that feeling again, that’s for sure. Last year I also battled glandular fever, which knocked me around a bit, but I’m back to 100 percent now.”

If Clout does manage to back his 2014 championship win up with another this year, he’ll be the first rider in more than 15 years to go back-to-back. It certainly won’t be an easy task either, with a crowd of hungry rivals ready to claim the MX2 red plate this year.

Image: Jeff Crow.

“There are a lot of fast guys here now,” Clout says. “I definitely think Luke Arbon will be up there; he rode awesome last year and he’s carrying confidence now. Then there’s Jay Wilson, who’s doing well in New Zealand, Nathan Crawford, Jed Beaton, Hamish Harwood, who’s always so consistent. It’s going to be a great battle, and my aim this year is to get rid of my mistakes and ride smoothly.”

Clouty has another reason for wanting a solid 2015 season – a ride in the US with one of the leading teams is on the cards if he can prove himself this year.

“I was very close to being there this year, but they ended up signing someone else unfortunately,” he admits. “I’m in talks with one of the teams over there at the moment and if I have a good year, I’ll definitely head to the US in 2016 to race the AMA championship.

“That’s another year away still and there’s a lot to do between now and then, but I’m excited by the bigger goals that I have. It’s definitely motivating me to have a strong season.”