Riders details their day at the Nowra round of the 2015 MX Nationals. Team and privateer competitors can submit comments to [email protected] prior to the Wednesday after events for inclusion in the post-event Quotebook feature.

MX1

Image: Jeff Crow.

Kirk Gibbs (KTM Motocross Racing Team) – 6th overall:
Just a lack of bike time and silly mistakes cost me today. It was great to get fastest Super Pole lap, but in the first moto I was sitting fourth and after the rain and just struggling a little bit with water behind my tear-offs. I had a little crash, regrouped, then had another crash so two crashes really set me back. In the second I got a good start and was sitting third and felt like I could win, but made another little mistake and went down. I was coming back through again and then stalled it! I’m looking forward to getting some good bike time in over the next couple of weeks and getting back to where I know I can be.

Luke Styke (KTM Motocross Racing Team) – 4th overall:
I went 6-3 for fourth on the day. I got taken out again at the start of the first moto and I was way back. It was a real hard track to pass on, real one-lined, and we struggled a bit in that first one. In the second we got a better start and starts were a bit key today. I felt like I was the fastest on the track most of the time, putting in good times, but it’s hard to come from behind when the track is so one-lined. It really wasn’t prepped the best – it was pretty much a case of whoever got the holeshot one.

Daniel Reardon (CDR Yamaha) – 1st overall:
Well, I’m glad to get that monkey off my back. I have really enjoyed my return to racing but some of my results have been frustrating as I knew I was capable of winning but I just wasn’t getting it done. After I won the first race, I was so determined not to let this one go, so when I got to where I needed to be I settled down, put in solid laps and made sure I secured the round win. It’s been a while coming so thank you to everyone that has helped me get this far. CDR Yamaha and all the team have been amazing and I hope this really kicks me on for the final couple of rounds.

Kade Mosig (CDR Yamaha) – 3rd overall:
All up things went pretty well. They only thing I could ask for from today was maybe some better starts as they were so important on a track like this but my speed was pretty good and I felt good on the bike. It’s good to be able to string a few rounds together now and standing up on the podium at the end of each round is always the goal so I’m glad to be finally getting that sorted.

Adam Monea (NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki) – 5th overall:
In the first race I got a really good start, I almost had a holeshot but Reardon swung around the outside and took it off me. I had a lot of digs at Reardon early on and I got close to him a few times. It took a lot of energy and made me tightened up a little bit so I dropped to finish in third. That was a little annoying because I had an opportunity to win that race, so it hurt a little bit. In the second moto I had a bad start and made some mistakes so I felt like all I was doing was eating rocks for 30 minutes and that’s not what I want.

Dylan Long (NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki) – 2nd overall:
It’s amazing! It’s one of the best feelings. I’ve been wanting to get this for so long and to finally get on the podium is awesome. The last race was perfect and I was riding as solid as I could in the last four laps, just hanging out to see the last lap board. The NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team have been amazing. They have given me all the support I have needed to win so there isn’t any reason why I shouldn’t have won today and in the next rounds.

Cody Cooper (Penrite Honda Racing) – 8th overall:
I felt better on the weekend. It is the first time I have led like that this season. The bike is great, I grabbed the holeshot but my bike fitness still isn’t where it needs to be I need to work towards lifting my intensity on the bike. I learned a lot from the weekend. One thing that is glaringly apparent is that there is no one at home riding full time but the riders here in Australia are riding together and against one another during the week which means their intensity is up all of the time.

Ben Townley (Penrite Honda Racing) – DNS:
Everything felt great, I was easing into it during practice/qualifying and as I went in to a corner rut I lent in very low and my bars were scraping the embankment. It tore my hand back and kept the throttle on and threw me off. It all happened so fast as it was unexpected. The team and I talked and I was in some serious pain so we felt there was no need to risk it as I am not racing for the championship and have some more races I am committed to at the moment, which include the final two rounds of the MX Nationals.

Kale Makeham (Team Motul Suzuki) – 9th overall:
I hit the ground pretty hard in practice and gave my shoulder and head a good knock, but was still able to post a qualifying and with some help from Racesafe was able to return to the track for both motos. That was my best result in the past four rounds, though It was still not up to my full potential. It was certainly a step in the right direction and we will keep working hard in the lead up to the final couple of rounds and aim to end the motocross season on a positive note.

Jesse Dobson (Husqvarna) – 10th overall:
The first moto I had a good start but made a little mistake, got cross-rutted and jumped off the track and ended up stalling the bike. The second moto went all pear-shaped. I was sitting in sixth and Gibbsy had just gone down and I felt like I could be a podium guy that moto, but Reardon decided to cut me in half in turn one. I kind of checked up to let him by, but he made sure I hit the ground and from then on it was pear-shaped. But oh well, it’s racing. It’s just stuff you encounter on the road to success, that’s all it is. I haven’t lost confidence, I’m just disappointed in result, I still know 100 percent that I’m a top guy, we’ve just got to put it all together in the next round and I will be up there.

Aaron Tanti (Craig Anderson Racing Husqvarna) – 13th overall:
It was a pretty good day for me, but I do have to go get some X-rays on my ankle. I didn’t get the best start, but I came out of the first two corners alright. In the second lap I ended up running in eighth, but then I just had a little crash and the bike ended up on top of me and I was stuck under my bike until a marshal came and got me, so I pretty much came from last to 15th. Then in the second moto I held tenth for most of it but ended up 11th. I didn’t have the fastest laps, but I only ended up dropping like two seconds from the start to the end of the moto, which is an improvement.

MX2

Image: Jeff Crow.

Luke Clout (Serco Yamaha) – 1st overall:
Good day, that should have been a bit better. Race one went well and we go the win and I put myself in good position for the second race but those guys were able to get by me which I’m not happy about. My arms pumped up a bit during the race as I was riding a bit tight but that’s no excuse and I need to get that out of my system for the final two rounds

Jed Beaton (Serco Yamaha) – 8th overall:
I finally got myself in a good position early in race one and I was trying to pass Simmo for 15 minutes and was getting frustrated. I was in third, but could see the guys behind us starting to gain and Clout starting to get away and I felt I had to do something. I pulled a pretty aggressive move in the first turn and we hit and both went down. I didn’t mean to take us down, I just wanted to get past and get after Clout. Race two was okay as there was a pack of us all travelling at the same speed. It was difficult to make passes out there and while I moved forward a bit, the other guys were also doing a good speed and I finished sixth. I’m looking forward to the final two tracks as I like Coolum and I hear Echo Valley has big hills and ruts, which is something that I like.

Caleb Ward (KTM) – 11th overall:
Not a good day. The track wasn’t my kind of track at all, it was like a mini-bike track, but I struggled with bad starts in both races. The first one I was back l around 20th and I was just being too nice, it was the kind of track you really needed to pretty much make people move out of your way and just get it done, but I was probably being a bit nice and just didn’t ride it very well. I felt like I rode a lot better in the second moto but still the result wasn’t overly convincing.

Dylan Wills (KTM) – 3rd overall:
A good day for me today, but I’m a little bit disappointed to go down in moto one while I was leading. I went back to 19th but made my way back up to fifth, which was good. I’m disappointed to miss out on that first moto win, but I’m happy to walk away with one, particularly ahead of the two guys are battling for the championship, for sure.

Takeshi Katsuya (Sony Action Cam Kawasaki) – 5th overall:
It could have gone better today and I wasn’t happy with my riding. After the last round I was 19 championship points away from first and now I’m about 30 away. I proved I can win against these younger guys and I’m just going to work towards getting those points and podiums in the last two rounds so that I can come out on top.

Cody Mackie (Kawasaki) – 12th overall:
I had a blast today on my KX250F. It was great to see so many familiar faces. This was a massive part of my life for 10 years. The sport is the same, but there are a lot of new riders who are doing really well, which is great for Australian motocross.

Geran Stapleton (Wilson MX Honda) – 7th overall:
It was a bit of an up and down weekend, but I’m definitely happy with my result in the first moto. The last few rounds have been a real challenge, so to put it all together in the first race was a bit of a confidence boost. The final moto was a tough one. I loved the track and the technical riding is something I really enjoy, but I got caught up at the back of the pack and there weren’t a lot of passing opportunities. All in all, it was a pretty positive weekend, and a big improvement, so we’ll just keep working hard and hopefully we can build on the results for the next two rounds.