A selection of riders detail their start to the 2017 Motul MX Nationals in Victoria. 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.

Nathan Crawford (MEGA Bulk Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Eighth overall:
Surprisingly enough, we achieved our goals and we’re not that far off the top guys. I tied for seventh and was eighth on count-back, but the points we got this weekend weren’t too bad at all. In my debut I would’ve liked to be a lot higher, but since I broke my forearm and dislocated my wrist four weeks ago, for me to even be here was a big goal in itself. I’m really happy with how the team worked together this weekend and we’ve got three weeks to get ready for round two, so we will definitely be better there.

Aleksandr Tonkov (MEGA Bulk Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki) – 10th overall:
It was great to come back racing, to be on the start-gate and to feel the emotions. It’s been a long time for me, but overall I am happy that I’m healthy and that we have more time until the second round. We will start testing now because this was only my second time on the bike, since when I arrived it started raining in Queensland and I wasn’t able to test. The track was tough actually, so I was surprised in that, but it was good and I’m really thankful that I have the opportunity to come here and race. We have plenty of time to work and from this point it should get better, for sure.

Kyle Peters (Wilson Coolair Motul Suzuki) – Seventh overall:
It was a rough day for me in some ways and qualifying didn’t go overly well, but coming into the first race I knew what I had to do. I holeshotted and led pretty much the whole race until two laps to go, but I ended up ninth. It was disappointing, but just a little bit of bad luck. In moto two and struggled with myself and the bike, so we have some work to do and we’re going to make it happen at Appin. My fitness is there and speed is there, so we will regroup from here.

Luke Wilson (Wilson Coolair Motul Suzuki) – 24th overall:
It was a pretty disappointing start for me. I don’t think I’ve ever had a day as bad as today, so it’s pretty upsetting because everything has been going really well leading up to round one. Nothing went my way today or turned out as planned, so I just have to forget about this one and move on to Appin. We have some stuff to work on, just within myself, to figure out what’s missing on race day and to bring that to round two.

Dean Ferris (CDR Yamaha) – First overall:
An awesome way to start the championship! But it’s just two out 20 races we do to earn the MX Nationals championship, so we aren’t getting too far ahead of ourselves. The level of competition is deep in MX1 this year, so each round will require the same focus and same energy to get the job done. I’m really happy with the improvements the team has made to the bike for this season and today was a great way to start the year.

Dylan Long (CDR Yamaha) – Ninth overall:
I came here for a media day just on three weeks ago and all I could do was a corner for photos as my wrist had only just healed, so to get this result today is pretty good. I’m still not even close to 100 percent, but my goal is to continue to improve at each and every round as my speed and fitness return to full strength. Thank you to the CDR Yamaha team for getting my bike dialled in with such limited testing time and their support through my injury. Round two is a few weeks away so the break in the events will give me more time to get back to where I need to be.

Kade Mosig (DPH Motorsport Yamaha) – Second overall:
I’m happy with today’s result, I feel that I prepared well and it’s a good start to a long season. I’ve raced this track a lot over the years and while it was tough, becoming rough in the second moto, it provided us with a few new lines and really made it a lot of fun out there. I’m glad I was able to provide a good result for the team and our supporters after all the work they’ve put in to get me here.

Kirk Gibbs (KTM Motocross Racing Team) – Third overall:
We’re in an alright position, I was pretty happy with the day. I haven’t raced at the intensity that the front guys are running for so long, so I need to practice getting into that speed really early. The KTM 450 SX-F was handling really well today, the boys did a great job.

Luke Styke (KTM Motocross Racing Team) – Fourth overall:
Got into Super Pole and came second, which was a PB and it was good to grab two points for that. First moto I started outside the top 20 and made it hard for myself, then just got the shovel out, had a good dig and got back to seventh. I put a lot of energy into that race but the second moto I fixed the problem and got a top-three start, then clawed it back a bit and got fourth, for fourth overall on the day. It’s a good building point and I think we can offer a lot more. I’ll go back home for a couple of weeks and do the grind, and come back to Appin full-swing.

Hamish Harwood (Davey Motorsport KTM) – 22nd overall:
It was a pretty consistent day. In MX1 I was kind of saving some energy but also struggling to pass riders, so I had a tough time and in the last one I came together with another rider on the finish line jump and had a big cartwheel. I hit my head pretty hard, but apart from that, all good. The two-strokes are quite different bikes to each other, even though it’s only 50cc. The 300 is an XC because KTM wanted to show that it’s a good motocross bike, as well as cross country bike. All we’ve done is put a 19-inch rear wheel on it. It has heaps of smooth torque, which is nice. I was expecting it to be a real weapon, but it’s actually got smooth power and lots of it.

Joel Wightman (Penrite CRF Honda Racing) – 12th overall:
Overall it was a positive first step into MX1. I didn’t get the best of starts in either race but found myself hovering around the top ten in both motos. I finished 10th in the first moto and was running 10th in the second moto when I made a silly mistake that led to a crash with only three laps to go. I remounted in 15th and finished the race in 14th. If not for that fall, I could have finished 10th, but that’s the way it goes. Overall it was a good kick-off to MX1 on a super-rough track and I was rapt with the Pro-Moto suspension and the way my bike ran all day.

Brett Metcalfe (SD3 Husqvarna) – 19th overall:
It’s a mixed bag of feelings I guess, but at the end of the day I’m walking away with a handful of positives and definitely some negatives there. But we were fast all day and competitive with what was probably two good days of testing going in, and a new setup with the Husqvarna 450. We sat on top of qualifying session and had the fastest lap in both motos. Our bike was working awesome today and our track speed was good. I felt like that second race was one that got away, but I wanted to come in and gauge where we were and after arriving just three or four weeks ago it’s not bad, but there’s a lot of room to progress.

Zak Small (Mega Motorcycles Husqvarna) – 14th overall:
I had a good day. I adapted really well to the 30-minute motos and would probably rather that than the 20s. I felt really good all day on the bike – I was absolutely loving my race bike, liked the tracks and everything was good. I just need to work on my starts and the first couple of laps to get that intensity up, because, wow them guys are fast. The intensity is insane compared to my past classes of racing. It was an awesome experience and I can’t wait to do it again and improve every time.

MX2

Image: MXN.

Jayden Rykers (Raceline Pirelli KTM) – Fifth overall:
I’m somewhat happy with 3-6 results to start the season for fifth overall. We weren’t far from second, which was good since my starts lacked a bit today and I had to fight through the pack. It’s good, solid points and something to build off – there are six or seven guys who can win this championship, so the points are important at each round. I feel like these results can put the two-stroke/four-stroke debate to a halt and I’m happy to move onto the next round.

Wade Kirkland (Raceline Pirelli KTM) – 29th overall:
It was a pretty full-on weekend for me, pretty hectic in MX2 with that added intensity and a fast pace. Unfortunately I dabbed my foot, which was already sore from a couple of weeks ago, in moto one and hurt it again, so I didn’t race the second moto because of that. We have three weeks until Appin, so I will try to let it recover and go from there.

Egan Mastin (Davey Motorsports KTM) – Second overall:
I’m stoked. This was what I wanted coming in. First moto was a bit unfortunate, I ended up going down twice and one of them was fairly big, so I was lucky to walk away. I fought back to sixth and went down again unfortunately, so I ended finishing that race in ninth, so was a bit sore going into moto two. I got off to a good start and ended up getting the moto win pretty comfortably. I felt like I was pretty solid the whole moto and it was good. Bike was awesome here, I was really happy with my suspension set-up.

Wilson Todd (DPH Motorsport Yamaha) – First overall:
I feel at home on the bike with DPH and having Ben [Griffith] has really helped me focus on my riding, so I’m glad that I could repay everyone that believes in me this weekend by heading into round two with the red plate. For me, I really want that red plate at the end of the last round, that’s where it really matters and that’s what I’m focused on.

Mitch Evans (Serco Yamaha) – Third overall:
I’m extremely happy to get on the podium at my first round of MX2. Myself and the team had a more modest goal in mind so to go better is awesome and a great start to the championship. I worked really hard over the off season and now that I have the time to dedicate to ride and train I really want to improve and be the best racer I can be. This is the little confidence boost I need and it shows that I’m on the right track.

Jackson Richardson (Serco Yamaha) – Fourth overall:
I probably tried to rush that pass on the opening lap of race two. I was determined to win moto two, but that mistake ended any chance I had and I need to learn from that and ensure that I don’t make the same error again. But two great starts, good speed and my fitness is fine so there are a lot of positives to come from the round. The Serco Yamaha team did a great job and the nervous first round is out of the way and it’s time to get down to business.

Dylan Wills (Synep Racing Husqvarna) – Ninth overall:
Ninth didn’t really show what I was doing on the bike today, but I think not racing lately and being behind the eight ball to start with just caught up with me and I made a couple of mistakes. It felt like the start of my rookie year and it was all happening a little bit quick. The first race was really positive, I sat in third and when the front two went off I didn’t really try to chase them, just tried to ride my own race, but unfortunately, I was going around a pack of lappers and I changed my line and went down. I was disappointed but really happy with the ride. Straight after coming back, running top three for half the race was pretty cool. In the second race they were going crazy at the start and I just struggled with the intensity and was 11th. All in all, I got points and I’m nowhere near my potential yet, so, onward and upward.

Luke Arbon (SD3 Husqvarna) – 11th overall:
My jump was good in the first one, but I missed the gear change and got boxed in, then got clipped in the S-section, went down and got run over. I got going last and then came together with another guy while trying to pass and we both went down, so I had mud everywhere, but I just kept pushing through and did my best for 15th. Moto two I had a decent start, but rode a little bit tight, and there’s a lot of young kids going fast. I haven’t raced for 10 months so it wasn’t too bad of a start, but there’s a little bit more work to do with the bike and myself.

Kyle Webster (Penrite CRF Honda Racing) – Sixth overall:
It was a tough and challenging race day, for sure, but overall it was a good day for me. Things were tough in the first moto, as I got caught up in a first turn crash with a few other riders, but I managed to come from near last to ride through the field and finish eighth in the first moto. Thankfully I got a much better start and had a cleaner run on the first lap in the second moto, and pretty much got into third and ran there all the way to the flag, which was good to get a podium placing at the first round. The track was tough but my bike was awesome. My mechanic Mick [Lillis] and the Penrite CRF Honda Racing team have done an awesome job and I can’t wait to get to the next round.