MX Nationals press release:

In just a day’s time, the Victorian country town of Shepparton will roar to life when the Motul MX Nationals arrives for the eighth round of the 2016 Championship, and one rider who will start on Sunday with a home round advantage is Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team’s Dylan Long.

Long at 21 years of age, is currently competing in the premier Thor MX1 category, and has recently collected a handful of top five results in the class, cementing himself as one of the most promising future stars in the country.

This weekend, Long who lives in Benalla just 40 minutes from Shepparton, will have the rare opportunity of a home round, and says that with tons of family and friends planning on pouring through the gates this Sunday, that he’s feeling confident ahead of round eight.

“I’m going to have heaps of people coming out to support me at Shepparton this weekend, my girlfriend and all my best mates will be there, as well as my family,” Long said.

“Pretty much any time that I’ve got a race near home, all my friends come over and raid my drawers and throw my old racing jerseys on, so there should be a crew of them there this weekend.

“One of the best things about this round is that I get to stay at home. I’ve been a bit sick the last couple of weeks, so cutting down the travel time and not having to fly anywhere is going to be awesome.”

Long also shared that after finishing in 8th overall when the Motul MX Nationals last visited Shepparton in 2015, that he’ll be aiming for improved results when Round 8 kicks off this Sunday.

“I’m feeling really confident ahead of this weekend, even though I’ve had a thumb injury and I haven’t been too well, having all of that support there makes a difference that’s for sure,” Long said.

“I know that since I raced at Shepparton last year that my speed has improved a lot, so hopefully we can have some positive results on Sunday.

“This weekend I want to be in that top five. I’ve been pretty happy with my results lately but staying in that top five is where I want to be.

The eighth round of the 2016 Motul MX Nationals will be held in Shepparton this Sunday July 31.

For more information on the Motul MX Nationals, head to www.mxnationals.com.au