KTM Australia press release:

KTM Motocross Racing Team rider Kirk Gibbs added another victory to his MX Nationals title defence when he won the eighth round of Australia’s premier motocross championship at Shepparton in Victoria.

Gibbs won the round ahead of Todd Waters and Dean Ferris. The reigning number one plate holder kicked off the day with the fastest qualifying time, then a victory in Superpole, before going on to take third in the opening moto after an average start.

Gibbs took the holeshot in the second and after an intense battle with championship rival Ferris, went on to win the day and the round, extending his lead over Ferris to nine points. KTM team mate Jesse Dobson again showed his uncanny ability to bounce back from injury straight into a top five position in the premier class, qualifying third fastest in the morning and finishing with 6, 5 results for fifth on the day.

Kyle Blunden, KTM Motocross Racing Team Manager – “It was one of those tracks that got very technical, and we are lucky to have three guys who, excel in that. It definitely fell into our favour and the results at the end of the day definitely showed that. We had a really good day with Kirk first overall after Dean’s tipover at the end. It was really good to have Jesse back on board and he did fantastic. He qualified third and had a really solid day, and at this stage of his recovery he’s right where we really hoped he would be, despite the fact that it definitely wasn’t the easiest track to come back on. Caleb’s ride was good overall; his bad start in the first made it difficult for him, but with his win in the second he actually gained points on the front two.”

Kirk Gibbs (KTM 450 SX-F) – “The day was pretty good. I qualified fastest and got Superpole, which is an area I’ve been lacking in the last few rounds. First race I had a really bad start but I pushed hard in the first two laps and got into third. Dean and Todd had a couple of seconds on me and I was fighting hard to stay with them but I got a bit of arm pump. From there, you’ve just got to ride within yourself without crashing. Dean went down and I was in second, but in the last two laps he found some good lines and ended up passing me. In the second I holeshot and lead for the majority of the race, but Dean passed me and he had a really good pace going as well. I just tried to stay with him and he only had a very small buffer in the last laps, but he threw it away with four turns to go and he handed me the win. I don’t like to win that way but I’ll take it. I rode a lot better in that second moto and it’s good to make some points up!”

Jesse Dobson (KTM 450 SX-F) – “For my first race in eight weeks it wasn’t too bad – it’s something to build off. First race I was disappointed with – I tried to go a little bit too hard, too fast, and found myself on the ground and pumped up really quick with my arms. That race was a struggle even though I had good speed at the start. In the second I again got off the concrete poorly, but I put myself in a good position and just rode around. I’ve got a lot of work to do to try to be up there with Gibbsy and Dean and Toddy at the moment, they are riding really good. So I’ll work hard in the next three weeks and try really hard to be on the podium in Toowoomba and at Coolum.”

MX1 Championship Positions after round 8: 1. Kirk Gibbs 538, 2. Dean Ferris 529, 3. Todd Waters 522, 4. Kade Mosig 437, 5. Matt Moss 381, 6. Dylan Long 359, 7. Jacob Wright 340, 8. Jay Wilson 320, 9. Michael Menchi 301, 10. Daniel Banks 299

In MX2 racing, KTM Motocross Racing Team rider Caleb Ward moved to within 15 points of the championship lead with a second place at Shepparton behind Jed Beaton and ahead of championship leader Nathan Crawford. Ward suffered another poor start in the first Moto but powered his KTM 250 SX-F through to fifth place, before a better start in the final Moto allowed the likeable north Queenslander to demonstrate his incredible speed with a craftsman-like victory. Davey Motorsports rider Jayden Rykers finished with a pair of fourths for fifth on the day on the KTM 250 SX, while KTM Raceline Pirelli rider Dylan Wills was the next best of the orange men, his 7-8 finishes, earning seventh on the day.

Caleb Ward (KTM 250 SX-F) – “The first Moto was not very good at all, I got a horrible start and I spun on the concrete then got pinched out of the gate, I made my way through the pack – it was just chaos out there with people getting loose and crashing – I managed to come through to fifth, but it was really disappointing after my starts at Conondale. Second Moto I spun again but I got a bit lucky in the first corner around sixth. From there I pretty-much had the mindset that I was going to win the race. I wanted it bad. I got onto the back of Nathan and Jed and managed to make the passes. The track was really technical and it was a case of just trying to maintain the lead. I’m 15 points off the championship lead and anything can happen from here. I’ve got four motos left so I will just give it my all. I’ve got nothing to lose.”

Jayden Rykers (KTM 250 SX) – “It wasn’t a good weekend, and it wasn’t a bad one. We start off qualifying pretty good in third and in the first moto I got off to a holeshot. I hadn’t been in that situation all year and I made two big mistakes on that first lap and went off track and came back to fourth, which I maintained for the rest of the race. I didn’t feel that good on the bike in either moto and I just wasn’t following the ruts. In the second Moto I finished fourth as well – but when I get a holeshot like in the first I should be able to win the moto, easy.”

MX2 Championship Points after round 8: 1. Jed Beaton 507, 2. Nathan Crawford 507, 3. Caleb Ward 492, 4. Jayden Rykers 449, 5. Wilson Todd 412, 6. Dylan Wills 381, 7. Hamish Harwood 353, 8. Joel Wightman 341, 9. Wade Hunter 324, 10. Kyle Webster 296

In the MXD class, KTM’s young up-and-coming hotshots, Raceline Pirelli KTM rider Wade Kirkland and KTM Newcastle rider Cooper Pozniak finished second and third on the day behind championship co-leader Mitch Evans. Kirkland won the opening moto before going on to finish third in the second moto, while Pozniak took 4, 4 finishes at Shepparton, both aboard KTM 250 SX-F machines.

Wade Kirkland (KTM 250 SX-F) – “Second overall is another pretty consistent result which keeps me going in the championship. I don’t really get to ride the ruts very much in Tassie so I struggled with them. They were difficult, deep, and just hard to balance because they were so long, and bumpy. It was definitely tacky, but it had those woodchips in it which was a little bit slippery in some spots, because it is so hard packed. But it’s good fun and it’s all good practice. We’re only 12 points off the lead in the championship now so anything can happen!”

MXD Championship Points after round 8: 1. Mitchell Evans 416, 2. Connor Tierney 413, 3. Wade Kirkland 404, 4. Cooper Pozniak 394, 5. Kaleb Barham 350, 6. Zak Small 324, 7. Jordan Hill 322, 8. Lochie Latimer 303, 9. Hugh McKay 268, 10. Levi McManus 245

For more information on KTM Motorcycles, visit www.ktm.com.au or www.facebook.com/KTMAustralia