Image: Alex Gobert (Foremost Media).

Defending MX Nationals champion Kirk Gibbs remains in a neutral frame of mind despite taking over the MX1 red plate at Murray Bridge on Sunday, aware that the 2016 title’s still wide-open with six rounds remaining.

Gibbs has been ‘Mr. Consistent’ so far this season, highlighted by an overall victory at Broadford, however his first and sole race win of the season came during moto two in South Australia on Sunday.

For Gibbs it’s all about taking the championship fight one round at a time against the added competition of previous points leader Dean Ferris and Todd Waters this year – the duo returning home from MXGP in 2016.

“The red plate’s pretty irrelevant to me, it’s only one point, so one point behind or one point in front…” South Australian local Gibbs said. “It’s nice to obviously have it, but for me it was to get that race win because I haven’t had one yet this year.

“I felt like I rode really well in that first moto, just a couple of little mistakes here and there, I went backwards. I just really wanted to get a race win and that’s what I did [in moto two], just plugged away and rode smart, so I was really happy with how it panned out.”

With KTM Australia’s bi-annual local stop of the season scheduled for this weekend at Wanneroo, it’s another major round for Gibbs’ title quest, especially factoring in the European sand experience of Ferris and Waters.

“I’m looking forward to Wanneroo,” he added. “Obviously with the deep sand, the two boys [Waters and Ferris] will be really good there, so yeah, I’ve been trying to improve my sand riding and hopefully it’s good enough to take a battle to them.”

Gibbs holds the championship lead at the top of the tables on 252 points, one ahead of Ferris and a further four in front of Murray Bridge round winner Waters. Gibbs previously wore the red plate at Horsham’s opening round, coming in as last year’s champion.