HQVA press release:

Image: Adam Spence (Plan V).

Husqvarna Australia has chosen to invest further in the future of Australian motocross by adding two more riders to its factory backing program for this year’s Australian MX Nationals championship, which kicks off this weekend at Horsham in Victoria.

Current factory supported Husqvarna riders Jesse Dobson, Luke Arbon and Nathan Crawford will be joined by the Craig Anderson-managed pairing of Aaron Tanti and Connor Tierney, to give the pioneers of motocross an exciting and youthful five-pronged assault.

Husqvarna finished first and second in last year’s MXD championship chase, with Egan Mastin winning the title ahead of Crawford. This year, West Australian Connor Tierney will step up into the category aboard a Husqvarna TC 250.

Tierney is young at 16, but with 10 WA championships behind him is no stranger to high level competition, and Anderson is keen to have a shot at replicating last year’s success in developing junior champions into senior ones.

In the MX2 division, Husqvarna will have two FC 250-mounted competitors, starting with SD3 Husqvarna rider Luke Arbon, the 22-year-old who took the challenge right up to the championship favourites in 2014 with six race and three round wins.

He’ll be joined by Under-19 Vice Champion Nathan Crawford, the 17-year-old who showed his devastating turn of speed on numerous occasions last year, including in his second MX2 cameo where he narrowly pipped Arbon to win the round.

In MX1, Husqvarna is backing 17-year-old Sunshine Coast ace Jesse Dobson, who turns 18 tomorrow! He earned his seat on the Husqvarna FC 450 after a highly successful late season guest ride on the KTM factory team in the Australian Supercross championships, where he netted himself fifth in the premier class.

Ninteen-year-old Aaron Tanti will join Dobson in the premier class on an FC350 Husqvarna, having made the jump from MXD to MX1 – coincidentally the same one Dobson made last year!

Jesse Dobson, MX1: “Everything has come together awesome. The bike’s really good and I think I’m probably in one of the best positions that I’ve ever been in, so I’m really excited just to get out there. I’ve trained to be a top guy and I definitely want to be on the top step, so if we don’t get there we’ll just keep working at it. As for the 450, I’ve been doing a lot of stuff with Danny Apro doing my suspension and the boys doing my engines, and everything’s been going awesome. We’ve done some pretty good testing although we haven’t changed a heck of a lot – and I’m really happy with the setup we’ve got. I’m the most confident I’ve ever been with my bike and set up for sure, and if I can ride to my full potential on the weekend there’s no reason why I can’t be the top guy.”

Luke Arbon, MX2: “I haven’t actually done a race since the last round of the supercross because my off-season has been up and down with a few injuries. But I’m ready to go now, and definitely happy with the move to the four-stroke, where I have Ryan and Andy at MX Rad doing an amazing job of my bikes and SD3 still looking after me. I’d be happy with a podium finish in the first round because it’s a long season, and as they say you can’t win the championship at the first round but you can definitely lose it there. I’m definitely a lot further ahead in the program than I was at this time last year, and last year ended up a good year where we got a lot of wins and a few round wins and came pretty close to the championship. This year we’ll just take it race by race and look to try to have the number one by the end of the year. That’s the ultimate goal.”

Nathan Crawford, MX2: “I’ve had a pretty good pre-season and lead-up to round one. I did a wildcard entry into MX2 last year and had heaps of fun and had some success. I just want to bring that into this year, and put down solid results every weekend, and not make mistakes or put myself in bad situations. Hopefully then I can come out on the podium each weekend, if not top five, and then be there at the end of the season and hopefully fight for a championship. I’m about ready as I can be, so I can’t wait for the gate to drop. The switch to four-stroke has been a pretty good change for me, the two-stroke had pros and cons, but the four- stroke is working out great, I’m having heaps of fun riding it. Husky has put together a great package for me this year so I can’t thank them enough, and my Dad is obviously helping me out heaps this year as well. I love the bike, so hopefully me and it can gel well on the day at each race and I can put it on the podium.”

Craig Anderson – Craig Anderson Racing team manager: “We’ve got two riders this year. Connor Tierney will be riding for me for his fourth consecutive year, and making the jump to seniors. He’s won 10 WA state titles and he’s got the talent and the speed to do some damage. Aaron Tanti is a young 19-year-old guy who rode MXD last year, and is stepping up to MX1 this year on the Husqvarna FC350. It’s a bike that I think suits him down to the ground, and he rides it pretty well exactly the way it’s meant to be ridden. He’s got good speed, and he doesn’t stress out when he gets out front, so time will tell with both of them and we’ll just keep on working on their weaknesses and making them into strengths.”

Connor Tierney, MXD – “It’s awesome, I couldn’t hope for a better team. Ando’s a really good mentor and he’s been helping heaps. I’m really happy with the setup of the bike, which is awesome. I’m not in perfect shape physically, but this will just be a starting point and somewhere to work from for the next few rounds. I’m super excited about my first year in seniors, to see how I go against all the big boys. That’s what you look at going all the way through juniors, racing against the older guys.
I’m riding the 250 2-stroke this year. I rode it a little bit as a practice bike last year and really liked it. They look pretty sick, and they handle real good and have strong power. As an all round bike I love them.”

Aaron Tanti – “It’s a big step for me, but Ando’s given me the right tips in the sport to help me. I was going to be doing it by myself this year in the Pro Lites, but Ando gave me the call around the end of January with this idea and we went from there. I love the 350, it’s got more than enough power. I’ve raced against the 450s a few times this year and pulled holeshots easy. It’s got a really good bottom and mid-power, but you can rev it heaps as well, which is good for me because I’m used to riding a 250. You can ride it like a 250 – not like a 450 where you have to change your riding style.
It’s going to be interesting. It’s a bit nerve-wracking, but it’s also exciting at the same time, seeing where I can fit in.”

For more information on Husqvarna motorcycles visit www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com.