Welcome to MotoOnline’s all-new feature where we pull out the microscope and take a closer look at some of the giant-killers and disappointments from the opening round of the 2015 MX Nationals at Horsham.

Image: Jeff Crow.

Hit

Kirk Gibbs: It doesn’t get much better than kicking a long-arduous campaign off with a 1-1 result and that’s exactly what KTM Motocross Racing Team’s Gibbs accomplished on Sunday. The pre-season favourite for many quickly proved he’s ready to make good on all his promised potential by placing second in Super Pole behind Ford Dale, then proceeded to slice up his rivals hopes with a surgeon’s precision and deliberation by winning both motos in dominant fashion. Gibbsy is going to be tough to stop this year and appears to have hit his straps at just the right time.

Serco Yamaha: The MX2-dedicated factory team is always a massive contender for championships, winning both the 2013 and 2014 titles, but still, it’s a testament to the team’s hard work that their riders Jed Beaton and Luke Clout went 1-2 on the day. Sure, we’d expect Clouty to be right up there as the defending champ, but 17-year-old Jed Beaton shook the MX2 ranks to its core by winning the overall on his first-ever pro senior appearance. Clout was looking good for the day’s honours, but officials deemed he cut the track and handed him a 10-second penalty in the second moto, which pushed him back from second to fourth and gifted the overall to his teammate Beaton.

Dan Reardon: On paper, Reardon’s 18th overall looks pretty miserable, but it doesn’t tell the full story. After years away from the sport, Reardon’s much publicized return with CDR Yamaha got off to a flyer when he qualified for Super Pole (where he placed fifth), then backed that up with an eyebrow-raising fifth in the first 30-minute stanza despite and early crash that put him way down the order – his fitness was clear to identify. The wheels fell off (figuratively speaking) in the second moto when he was forced to DNF with a mechanical misfire, but there’s little doubt that Reardo is going to be a cat among the pigeons in 2015.

Takeshi Katsuya: Japanese rider Takeshi Katsuya was at his consistent best at Horsham, with his 2-3 result showing that his second-place podium result at the 2014 MX Nationals finale at Coolum was no fluke. With successive podiums on two distinctly different tracks – both sand and harder pack – the Kawasaki could be a real surprise package this year as he fulfills his pre-season goals of finishing in the top three. And for this year, he’s once again committed to the whole season on his KX250F.

Image: Jeff Crow.

Miss

Matt Moss: After dislocating his shoulder early in the pre-season and later battling a thumb injury, two-time defending champ Matt Moss had a big question-mark over his head entering the series opener. While his rivals had enjoyed a flawless pre-season and preparation, Mossy was racing against time to get his body ready in time for Horsham. Still, even he wouldn’t have imagined that he would’ve left the track on Sunday afternoon down in 13th place. Moss went down at the in the second turn of first moto, aggravating his shoulder and tweaking his neck, and after remounting, went into damage control of salvaging as many points as he could. In the second race Mossy looked like he was on the gas and fighting for the lead with Gibbs and Cooper when he again went over the bars, effectively destroying his hopes of finishing the day on a good note. Don’t discount him though, whatever you do.

Hamish Harwood: Last year’s MX2 runner-up Hamish Harwood was noticeably off the pace all day at Horsham. After qualifying seventh, the usually consistent Kiwi could only muster a 15th in moto one, and an 11th in moto two, a whopping seven seconds a lap off the pace of the front-runners. Harwood ruptured his spleen early in the new year, but seemed to hold his own during the NZ Nationals a few weeks back. Maybe he still needs to come to grips with his new KTM 250SX-F after several years running the two-stroke?

Caleb Ward: From all accounts, far North Queenslander Caleb Ward was absolutely flying during early state races, so to see one of the favourites hanging down in eighth was a bit of a downer. In the first race Ward got mud lodged in his gear lever from what we understand and couldn’t click gears on his way to 12th, but he bounced back somewhat in the second race to fifth. Still for someone who clean-swept the Coolum finale last year and also won three rounds overall, we’d expected to see him further up the charts.

Dan McCoy: Daniel McCoy was unusually off the pace all day at Horsham. The veteran rider usually sits comfortably inside the top 10 outdoors, but he failed to fire much of a shot all day on his way to 16th overall. After qualifying in 16th, DMC finished 10th in the first race then crashed heavily in the second on his way to 23rd. With the next round at Appin being his home round, we’re hoping he can pull his socks up and get the results he’s capable of on board his impressive SFC Racing privateer YZ450F.