MotoOnline.com.au pulls out the microscope and takes a closer look at some of the giant-killers and disappointments from round seven of the 2015 MX Nationals at Shepparton.

Hit

Image: Jeff Crow.

Takeshi Katsuya: After threatening to claim a win all season, Taka Katsuya finally broke through for a hard-earned victory in the opening moto at Shepparton. The Kawasaki-mounted Japanese import put his years of experience to good use when he showed the rest of the field some incredible line choices as he sliced his way past Luke Arbon and series leader Jay Wilson, then held a hungry Caleb Ward at bay on his way to a memorable win.

Kade Mosig: Mosig had a cracker of a round with his 1-3 result enough to claim his second overall victory of the season. Even though he gained both MX1 holeshots, his results didn’t come easily. He had to fight hard against his teammate Dan Reardon in both races, as well as Lawson Bopping and a great stoush with his good mate Adam Monea in the second moto. After putting his lads on notice earlier last week, team boss Craig Dack must’ve been well pleased to see his team back on top of the box.

Caleb Ward: This kid. Man, we have so many ‘what if’ questions surrounding Ward after his horror start to the season. But since his return he’s clocked up four round wins on the trot and is sky-rocketing up the leaderboards as a result (he’s now seventh overall despite missing two early rounds with injury). Normally known as a sand specialist, the Queenslander has proved he’s just as strong on technical hard-pack tracks. That’s gotta have everyone worried.

Dan McCoy’s retro effort: Shepparton saw the majority of riders embrace the retro-themed round, but none of them could hold a candle to Dan McCoy’s insane Marlboro Yamaha set-up, complete with flouro orange hubs and rims, old-school graphics kit, classic Thor riding gear and special livery helmet. DMC was the deserving winner of the retro award.

Miss

Image: Jeff Crow.

Track maintenance crew: The horrendous footage of Matt Moss plowing full-tilt into the bobcat during his Super Pole lap has gone viral and attracted plenty of mainstream attention. But there are still plenty of questions surrounding what the hell the driver was doing on the track, who instructed the driver to begin maintenance when riders were still circulating and what the outfall from this whole incident is going to be. One thing’s for sure; Mossy is lucky to be alive, even though the rest of 2015 is likely to be a write-off for him.

Sam Martin: Sam Martin usually circulates around the top 10 mark, but Victorian rider had a shocker on the weekend (DNF-DNS) in one of few appearances to date. After starting positively with a 13th in qualifying, half of his boot sole came off during the opening race and the flapping thing caught in a rut and injured his ankle. He underwent an MRI yesterday, but the results aren’t known yet.

Honda representation: It’s staggering that despite the red wing dominating dirt bike sales in Australia – the CRF250R is first and the 450R second – there were only five red machines represented across the three premier classes at Shepparton. That’s just five Hondas out of 80 starting riders. Those machines were piloted by Cody Cooper, Joel Wightman, Geran Stapleton, Sam Davie and Trent Wheatley.