In just one short week we’ll be at Horsham for the 2015 edition of the MX Nationals, which by all indications is shaping up to be one of the hardest series to predict in recent memory across all three of the championship categories.

We had Simon Makker pen a neat Countdown feature earlier this week, outlining a variety of reasons why this year will be so hard-fought in the MX1 ranks, which flows over into MX2 and MXD. There is an assortment of talent that we can’t wait to witness at the opener next Sunday.

New MX Nationals live streaming partner NRGTV is due to launch its brand new website on Monday, 23 March, and after series promoter Kevin Williams showed me a preview of it earlier this week, I’m confident it will be a win-win for motocross fans.

Ease of use in both the live and on demand components are critical, along with broadcast quality, and it looks as though all is going according to plan. I’m actually really excited to see the steps forward Williams Event Management (WEM) has made with the live streaming of events for 2015.

But in terms of race coverage, MotoOnline will be on the ground at all 10 rounds this year in a major commitment to covering the series, and it’s well worth directing the budget that way once again. This year’s coverage, on paper at least, is on target to be our most in-depth and expansive yet!

Image: Jeff Crow.

Of course, in the lead-up it’s been confirmed that we’ve lost two of the factory riders from the start gates at Horsham in Jacob Wright (CDR Yamaha) and Jake Moss (NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki), which is a real shame for us as fans on the sidelines.

Wright was a revelation last year and was no doubt going to be a threat for the title this year, while Moss, if he could have things go his way, is always a contender for race wins at the very least. It must be devastating for each of them to be ruled out at this point.

We already knew Dan Reardon would be lining up alongside Kade Mosig at CDR Yamaha, as well as Wright if he was fit, but it looks like there will be just two factory YZ450Fs on track for now. Reardon is probably the hardest rider to predict when it comes to a form guide in the pre-season.

Reardon has been doing pre-season races in Queensland and has been solid from what we hear, finishing second behind teenager Jesse Dobson (Husqvarna) last weekend in the Sunshine State series. Ford Dale (Penrite Honda) was on the podium with third in moto two, but didn’t complete the final moto.

And yesterday it was confirmed that Kiwi John Phillips will join Adam Monea at Kawasaki in place of Moss, which is a very interesting topic in itself. After finishing third in the NZ nationals, the big question is whether Phillips (or NZ MX1 champion Cody Cooper for that matter) can replicate that type of form in Australia – something Cooper in the past has failed to do consistently.

On the topic of injuries, while we’ve known for some time that Ross Beaton won’t start the season with Lawson Bopping at DPH Yamaha, the team posted a hint on social media this week regarding his replacement. It’s tipped to be Cheyne Boyd (who rode for the team in 2012), but no official announcement has been made.

Victorian talent Dylan Long, who has stepped up to MX1 on a privateer Yamaha this year, actually won the opening round of the Victorian state titles last weekend at Broadford, in front of Bopping and another rookie in Team Motul Suzuki’s Kale Makeham.

Speaking of those state races as well, in Queensland Caleb Ward (KTM) won all three motos over Nathan Crawford (Husqvarna), while in Victoria Jack Simpson (KTM) and Jed Beaton (Serco Yamaha) went 1-2 at Victoria. Like MX1, the depth of talent in MX2 is going to be amazing to watch this year.

Yesterday Team Motul Suzuki introduced MX1 number one plate holder Matt Moss and teammate Makeham via a press release and film. There’s been a lot of uncertainty regarding the health of Moss in terms of injuries during the off-season, but we won’t know for sure where he’s at until next weekend.

Moss – and more – will actually be on track this weekend at Cessnock for round one of the New South Wales titles, which continues the trend of the top national riders racing locally in the lead-up to the outdoors.

This weekend however, taking a quick look at off-road, will be the Australian Off-Road Championship opener, currently taking place at Kilkivan in Queensland. I’m particularly interested to see how Tye Simmonds stacks up for KTM in his AORC debut, while Errol Willis will be a surprise starter on the factory Motul Pirelli Sherco Enduro Team.

But it will be hard to look past Toby Price once again this year, now back on his favoured 500 EXC and absolutely firing after his brilliant Dakar Rally performance. It really is a great time for Australian off-road racing right now.

That’s it for me today, here’s Makker…

Image: Adam Spence (Plan V).

As D-Day starts to loom for the Australian motocross season, there’ve been a number of significant developments that have arisen over the past couple of weeks, not the least of which is the devastating injuries to NPS Kawasaki’s Jake Moss and CDR Yamaha’s Jacob Wright.

Mosssy continues to battle against a broken leg sustained on the eve of the AMA Supercross opener at Anaheim and is expected to miss at least half of the MX Nationals, while Wright has suffered a serious knee injury and forcing him to the sidelines for the entire championship. It’s a devastating blow for both guys.

Wright was a real revelation in the second half of the 2014 championship. After struggling along as a privateer for the first half of the series, Craig Dack handed the Queenslander a lifeline by offering him a ride alongside Billy Mackenzie on the team. He repaid the favour with interest by putting the Yamaha at the pointy of the results.

Despite this big setback, Wright still has plenty of opportunities to shine in the future. He’s only a young kid and Dacka has already indicated they’re keen to keep him on the team beyond 2015.

As for Moss, he’s always been one of the fastest guys on the paddock, but has always struggled to lock in the consistency needed to make a viable championship threat. With Moss out, Kiwi Johnny Phillips – the younger brother of Michael Phillips who raced in Australia for a number of years – has received the call-up for the Kawasaki team.

Johnny was in great form this year in the New Zealand MX Championship and it’ll be interesting to see if the likeable bloke can carry that pace and aggression into the Australian championship.

Meanwhile, in MX2 it looks like Kiwi Rhys Carter has cemented a deal to ride for Raceline Suzuki this year. Last year’s teammate at Motul Suzuki alongside Matt Moss, Cartwheel is currently ninth in the MX1 class in the NZ Motocross Championship, but steadily improved each round passed.

Carter impressed many early in the MX1 class last year, but whether the big guy can adapt with the jockeys and lightweight racers in the MX2 class this year remains to be seen. He told me last year his six-foot plus size and build is much more suited to the MX1 competition, but at the same time, he enjoys the quarter-litre division immensely.

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