A selection of riders detail their day at Shepparton’s eighth round of the 2016 Motul 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: MXN.

Kade Mosig (National Pump Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team) – 4th overall:
To be honest I’m not overly pumped with my results today, but I was consistent and fourth position seems to be where I’ve landed myself throughout the year. I struggled a lot in the first moto but we made some big changes between races and I found a lot of speed and intensity in the second race and could push a bit harder. The pace of the top three riders this year is definitely fast and I’m enjoying trying to find the levels in myself and pushing those levels every week. We’ve got a bit more to find to break into the top three, but I know I can do it and I believe in myself and the team around me. We’ll keep our heads down, work hard, and hopefully we can get on the podium over the next two rounds.

Kirk Gibbs (KTM Motocross Racing Team) – 1st overall:
The day was pretty good. I qualified fastest and got Super Pole, 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 Motocross Racing Team) – 5th overall:
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, 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.

Todd Waters (Wilson’s Coolair Motul Factory Suzuki) – 2nd overall:
Today was a bit hard to swallow, especially finishing in second tied on points for the round overall. I managed to get a win in the first race which was awesome, but in the second one I got a bad start and just missed my rut and came together with another rider. So I’m a bit battered up and sore. I want to be up the front every race battling with the top two guys, so it was just a bit disappointing that I wasn’t able to do that in the second moto. I’m happy that we’re closing in on the points a little bit every weekend, and that’s what we need to do, but as a racer I want to win, so over the next two rounds hopefully we can make that happen.

Luke Wilson (Wilson’s Coolair Motul Factory Suzuki) – 12th overall:
I had the flu all week in the lead up to this round but I wouldn’t use that as an excuse, I just struggled. The track was really tough today. You have to give it up to the boys at the front who are riding as fast as they are, because it’s crazy out there. I went out and walked the track this afternoon and it’s a lot deeper than what people probably expect. I managed to get the day done in 12th overall, and got some more points on the board so we’ll move on to the next two rounds.

Jay Wilson (Crankt Protein Honda Racing) – 16th overall:
I don’t really know what to say about the weekend other than I’m disappointed. I know that we all have bad days racing but Sunday was definitely one of the toughest so far in my career. As a team, after yesterday’s results we need to go back to the drawing board, and make sure we don’t have rounds like that again. We all have to work harder, so that will be the goal from now until Toowoomba and Coolum.

Jacob Wright (DPH Motorsport Yamaha) – 6th overall:
Sixth overall this weekend is a good result. I’ll be working hard in this short break to ensure good results at the final two rounds.

Dean Ferris (CDR Yamaha) – 3rd overall:
I’m so angry with myself. I don’t know what else to say! I’m angry, disappointed and a whole heap of other emotions but I’m going to use that to drive me for the final two rounds. I’m better than what happened today and I’m going to prove it at the last two rounds.

MX2

Image: MXN.

Jed Beaton (DPH Motorsport Yamaha) – 1st overall:
Great weekend for me with consistent starts. I am feeling pretty excited going into the final two rounds with the red plate.

Dylan Wills (Raceline Pirelli KTM) – 7th overall:
Round eight at Shepparton was a tough one. I qualified sixth which I was happy about, I was right there with the times and I felt good. In moto one, I got a decent start but tipped over going into the first turn, so I started that race from the back but fought my way back to seventh, which I was pretty happy with especially with the MX2 class stacked with talent this year, so to pass that many guys was pretty cool! In moto two I started in about 10th and made my way up the field in the first two laps, but then just struggled to break free from a little four-way battle and got caught up making mistakes and a little crash. I got up and got back to eighth. All in all, it wasn’t an awesome day, but we definitely have positives to take away from it. I had fun going racing with the team and my bike is awesome! I do feel like I’m getting better and I’m looking forward to these last two rounds.

Joel Wightman (CRF Honda Racing) – 10th overall:
I qualified 12th, which is my second best performance this year, so that was a positive start to the Shepparton round. But then in the first moto I had vision issues after getting filled in with mud following a mid-pack start, but I went on and rode a consistent race and finished 11th. In the second moto I made a better start and was running up in seventh place, before a crash put me back to ninth at the finish, which gave me another 10th overall for the round and keeps me eighth overall in the championship with just two more rounds to go.

Caleb Ward (KTM Motocross Racing Team) – 2nd overall:
The first Mmoto 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 (Davey Motorsports KTM) – 5th overall:
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.

Nathan Crawford (Husqvarna) – 3rd overall:
The day was looking really good, but a few little things went wrong. I could’ve won the first moto, but I got a 15-second penalty, then in the last moto I was right there with the top boys and had a crash. So, 3-3’s not terrible, but it’s not great either. Obviously I’m still on the podium and I’d rather be sharing the lead than 20 points down. I lost the red plate, but we’ve got two Queensland rounds to go, so I’ll be there firing, for sure. The track was a challenge, but it was the same for everyone. I’m not real happy with the end result, but I’ve got three weeks to work on improving myself on the bike and hopefully these two Queensland rounds work in my favour.