Image: Jeff Crow.

MX1

Matt Moss (Team Motul Suzuki) – 13th overall:
It was a tough day! I was feeling good going into the opening race but I had a big crash in turn two that really hurt my shoulder and done some damage to my neck. I got up and tried to charge but I was in a lot of pain but ended up salvaging some points. I was not sure if I was going to be able to line up for race two. I managed to get to the line and was able to catch the lead guys and was challenging for first until another crash all but ended my day. It is only round one and there is a long way to go. We head home to Appin for round two in a couple of weeks time and we will look to get back out front.

Kale Makeham (Team Motul Suzuki) – 11th overall:
The final result today was not that great, I don’t think is represents the overall performance. The first race I was happy with, I got a good start and rode to my potential and my fitness was good, my speed was good, I just put it down on lap two and had to charge from the back of the pack. Race two I made some bad choices and it showed on track. A crash in the second race cost me a top ten result as I finished in 11th. I actually learned a lot in that second moto, it was not like or crashed out or DNF’d and though it was not the result I was chasing there were some valuable lessons I will take heading into Appin and going forward.

Kade Mosig (CDR Yamaha) – 2nd overall:
Couldn’t be happier. The CDR Yamaha team have given me exactly what I required from the bike, to the people, to the support and I feel I’m in the best place of my career. The track wasn’t easy out there but my bike was working well and I was able to get on the podium at the opening round which is the goal of every rider in this race. We now move on to Appin and again the track surface and conditions can be very similar to Horsham so the goal is to keep getting on the podium at each round and build my championship points in the early going.

Dan Reardon (CDR Yamaha) – 18th overall:
It’s good to be back at the races. It’s only been a few seasons but a lot has changed in some regards but the adrenaline of being back on the start line is something you can replace in life. The day for me was pretty good. I rode well all day and the little bike issue was no one’s fault so I can take a lot of positive things from round one. Round two is in two weeks’ time but I would race tomorrow if they let me

Kirk Gibbs (KTM Motocross Racing Team) – 1st overall:
It feels good, I was only one point off being perfect for the day. I got a good start and put myself in good positions to lead some laps and ride my own lines, which was nice. I was really comfortable today with the track and everything and my bike was awesome, so I’m really happy, but like everything there’s always next week. So I’ll just keep building it and keep getting after it. There are still a lot of rounds a lot of racing to go so anything can happen, so we’ll just keep our head down but up, and keep moving forward.

Luke Styke (KTM Motocross Racing Team) – 3rd overall:
I feel like my first 450 race in Australia went well. There were some people out there making it hard for me to get a lap in, but I put that behind me and got the holeshot in moto one, which felt great. I just tried to chip away and not do anything too stupid in the first moto. Gibbsy and I pulled a bit of a gap, and I felt it was a good race. Going into the second one I intended to get a good position again, but I had a problem with the start and came out of the first turn in 12th place or something and fought my way back to fifth. I definitely had to have a dig in that last one. It was a hard Moto but I’m looking forward to the second round and just keeping on building.

Cody Cooper (Penrite Honda) – 5th overall:
Believe it or not I can’t remember when I last finished the opening round of the MX Nationals in the top five. I need to take the positives from this round and work forward, we have 18 races to go and nine Superpole’s so there are a lot of points up for grabs. I must admit I was disappointed in my first moto, I knew what went wrong and I worked with the team and Jay Marmont on the changes I needed to make before moto two. In the second race I started well and I caught Kirk a couple of times but I made some mistakes throughout the race which cost me second place and you can’t afford to do that against these guys. In the end I settled for third as I was struggling with the heat and feeling lethargic.

Ford Dale (Penrite Honda) – 8th overall:
I really didn’t know what to expect. Testing had gone well and I was comfortable on the bike but I hadn’t raced these guys for nearly a year and prior to my last race in 2014 I had only raced twice since early 2013. Taking pole gave me the confidence that I had the speed, but placed extra pressure on me as I knew going into moto one there would now be an expectation. I rode tight in both motos but overall I was pleased with my results. The first race meeting is out of the way and I know what I need to work on before round two.

Lawson Bopping (DPH Motorsport Yamaha) – 4th overall:
Round one I am really happy with. I managed to put some really good points on the board and start the series off on the right foot. Qualifying obviously went really well. I put down the fastest lap time and then managed to get third in Super Pole, which was a good start to the day. In moto one, I was sitting in about third position and Kade Mosig just got me at the end there, but I was really happy with fourth in that race. In the second race I again had some good battles with Kade and came away with another fourth, so it was good to stay consistent and inside that top five. My goal heading into round one was just to stay in that top five. I have only rode Horsham a handful of times, but the weekend was definitely the best result that I’ve had there. I’ve made a couple of little changes to the bike, and I’ve had some good results at Appin in the past, so I’m looking forward to getting to round two now, and aiming for a podium there.

Cheyne Boyd (DPH Motorsport Yamaha) – 9th overall:
I think I went pretty well on the weekend considering I haven’t done any racing like that in a few years. I have obviously been pretty busy with the ride park, and sometimes I work 16 or 17 hour days – there are certain things that I know I can’t do as far as recovery and extra training, so its sort of a different schedule to what I am used to racing at this level. Race two for the day was great. I made passes and went forward at the start and got myself into some kind of rhythm, riding the race like I planned. I didn’t really fade either which is definitely positive. The biggest thing I felt was I hadn’t ridden a track like that in a lot of years so that’s the old man coming out of me. The plan is to do rounds one, three, five and ten this year. I have to stick to this plan, especially with school holidays where we are busy at the ride park. It has been great to have the support of DPH Motorsports for these selected rounds, and I’m really looking forward to getting back to the track at round three.

Jesse Dobson (Husqvarna) – 10th overall:
Equal ninth on the day, but it was an eventful day that’s for sure. The first one we just had a bad start and ended up going down twice, and I just made my way back through the pack. But then I kind hit of a brick wall and lost my mojo halfway through the moto and Makeham ended up getting me on the last lap. In the second one I had a first lap crash behind Monea, so after that I just tried to relax and put some clean laps down and I ended up making my way back to tenth. It is not the result that I wanted but it’s something to build on, and if we eliminate mistakes the speed and fitness is there to be a top guy.

Image: Jeff Crow.

MX2

Luke Clout (Serco Yamaha) – 2nd overall:
I’m a bit disappointed by the penalty, but it’s hard to argue it and I have to accept the officials’ decision. I felt my riding was good, as well as my speed and fitness so as long as I can continue to maintain that, then I think things will be fine. Starting the opening round in second is okay and the championship is now on. Round two is at my home track at Appin, so I’m really looking forward to racing there.

Jed Beaton (Serco Yamaha) – 1st overall:
I’m pretty pumped right now. I had put in a big off season and it’s nice to get a reward for that effort. My brother, my family and the Serco Yamaha team have all put in a huge effort and I’m so proud of what we did here today. I also really enjoyed racing the MX2 class. I have never really raced much with a lot of these guys and it was good that the top four or five of us could race real close and not do anything silly. I can’t wait to get out there and do it all again at Appin in two weeks’ time.

Caleb Ward (KTM) – 8th overall:
I think I had some nerves at the start of the first race. I didn’t get a real good start, and then I was coming through but fell twice. The second time my gear lever and foot peg filled up with sticky mud and I couldn’t change gears, so I had to do two thirds of the race in third gear! Getting 12th was frustrating, but then in the second my boot bumped the gearshift into neutral off the start and everyone shot ahead of me so I was like dead last into the first corner. But I found a few decent lines, and spent the whole race coming through the pack. I passed some pretty fast guys and managed to get back into fifth, so I felt I rode pretty good on that one, I just needed a start.

Luke Arbon (SD3 Husqvarna) – 9th overall:
Last year I was like 17th overall in the first round of the series, so I’m eight or nine spots better off than I was then, and I came close to winning the championship then so I think I just need to keep my chin up, keep working hard these next two weeks and come out swinging at round two. The bike was great, I holeshotted the last moto so it shows the bike is fast enough to get the job done, I’ve just got a little bit of work to do with my suspension setup on rough tracks, but I definitely enjoyed riding it and hopefully we can show what it’s got at Appin.

Geran Stapleton (Wilson MX Honda) – 13th overall:
The first race I got a bad start, and I think I came around the first corner in about seventh or so. After that I crashed and that put me way back, but I worked my way back to tenth which is not great, but considering I crashed is not too bad I suppose. In the last one I was in fifth and then again crashed my brains out, and managed to work my way back to 16th, so it was a pretty tough day to be honest. I wasn’t a big fan of the track, it wasn’t my style of track at all. But at the end of the day everyone had to ride it and I’m hoping Appin suits me a bit better. Probably the best part of my day was the bike. The Honda has been great from day dot, so I’m really stoked to be on board with Wilson MX this year. Hopefully I can get a better result for the team at round two.

Luke Wilson (Wilson MX Honda) – 19th overall:
My day didn’t start off how I wanted it to but I got through the day safe, so it just gives me motivation to go home and work harder. I ended up 19th for the day which isn’t a bad start and it’s a lot better than last year. We will work on that result and just take it home as motivation to work hard for round two. The track was prepared very well, and there were a few crazy lines out there that’s for sure. I thought the track would suit me but it definitely didn’t suit my riding style at all, so I’m just looking forward to the next round. The bike and the team are awesome so I can’t complain there at all. Fingers crossed we can work hard in the next two weeks and get a good result at Appin.

Rhys Carter (Raceline Pirelli Suzuki) – 11th overall:
Round one was up and down, qualifying went good and I came away with fifth gate pick which was a great way to start the series. The first moto was going well – I got a bad start but I came back to fifth and then got cleaned up and dropped back to 12th. I managed to make some passes though and finished in ninth. In the last moto I got a good start, but I again got cleaned up in the first lap, so I was pretty much in last after that, but found my way back to 10th so it was an interesting day, I’ll call it that. I didn’t really know where I was going to be at round one, because I haven’t spent much time riding on the 250 and I’ve been racing a 450 in New Zealand. Round one was my first race on a 250 since the start of last year, so it’s been a while since jumping on the smaller bike. I know where I should have been now so I’m pretty annoyed about where I finished, but it’s all alright we are healthy, we are close on points, and we will just keep ticking along.

Team and privateer competitors can submit comments to [email protected] prior to the Wednesday after events for inclusion in the post-event Quotebook feature.