A selection of riders detail round two of the 2017 Motul MX Nationals in New South Wales. 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) – Seventh overall:
There were lots of positives to take from today. We’re only at round two and I’ve already got my first Super Pole, which was a big step forward from Wonthaggi. Following that up with a fourth in the first moto was really good, but mother nature didn’t play to our favour and the second race was a bit of a struggle. I’m not too worried about my eighth place in that race – we’ll take the positives from here and bring them to Conondale in two weeks’ time.

Aleksandr Tonkov (MEGA Bulk Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Eighth overall:
I definitely made some progress, but it’s still tough. I had a big crash after Wonthaggi and haven’t had much time on the bike. Mentally it’s been tough too – in the GPs I was leading races and on podiums, but now I come to Australia and I’m riding around in 10th position. I think if everything comes together and I start training good, riding the tracks and we spend some long weeks practicing and setting up the bike, step by step we’re going to be there. Every time we go on the track we improve. Like today, qualifying, first moto then second moto, each time I was on the track I was getting better and better. That’s the goal – to keep that flow and see where to end up.

Kyle Peters (Wilson Coolair Motul Suzuki) – Ninth overall:
It was a bit of a weekend to put behind us to be honest. In moto one I busted my radiator in a rut and it was spraying me with coolant the whole race so I had to really nurse the bike to the finish line. In moto two, I got caught up in the start which put me back a bit and there just wasn’t a lot I could do from there – we did the best we could in that moto but if we had of known it was going to rain we would have set the bike up a bit differently. Despite the luck we had in my races there were still a lot of positives to take out of the weekend – we made it through to Superpole, and in the first moto I hole shotted and led again so it’s good to know that our speed is there. We’ll just put this round behind us and focus on working hard for the next round at Conondale.

Dean Ferris (CDR Yamaha) – First overall:
Another round win and a good day for myself and the team. We had two vastly different track conditions today, and they were much different from the opening round so it’s good to be able to perform on all surfaces and in all conditions. Moto two was tough in a lot of ways but I enjoyed the challenge of riding in ruts and the rain just added another aspect to it. We are off to a great start in the series but it’s just two of 10 rounds and we all have a long way to go. Thank you to the CDR Yamaha team for their continued support and belief and we can now prepare for the next round at Conondale which is one of my favourite tracks.

Dylan Long (CDR Yamaha) – 12th overall:
This track was always going to be hard on my hand and wrist as the ruts and heavy landings on jumps really have an impact on your body. But when I got a bit loose in the first moto and hit some ruts and bumps, it gave my wrist a pretty good hit and a jolt of pain went right through me. I did what I could for the rest of the day but it’s disappointing as its nowhere near my best or what I can do. I will get some more treatment before the next round and hopefully my body will be in much better shape for Conondale.

Kirk Gibbs (KTM Motocross Racing Team) – Second overall:
I didn’t feel like I rode very well at the first round, so to come here and ride well was great. I’m happy with my speed, but that second race was just tough. Anything that could go wrong did. I did a lot of damage control, and then gave it away at the end. I know it’s only round two but to give someone of Dean’s calibre that sort of a points lead this early makes it tough. I have a lot of confidence in myself and I knew what to work on after last round so to get a race win is awesome. I’ll never give up in a race and obviously that shows, but it is frustrating when you’ve earned a good position and then you lose it in the last two laps.

Luke Styke (KTM Motocross Racing Team) – Sixth overall:
In practice and qualifying I struggled a little bit with my set-up and I wasn’t feeling it in the conditions. For moto one we made some minor changes, which made it a little more confidence, but for moto two we made more drastic changes to help with the tricky track conditions. It rained while we were on the sight lap and continued to rain through the moto which made it really technical, but with the changes we made and my Dunlop tyres I was able to get my first podium of the year. I’m not satisfied overall with the result, but it’s steps in the right direction and I feel as a team we are moving forward.

Brett Metcalfe (SD3 Husqvarna) – Fourth overall:
I struggled a little bit in practice with some settings, but we made huge headway with chassis/suspension relation before that first moto and we got out there and were running good track speed. I worked my way up into third and unfortunately crashed and dropped a few spots, but I was able to charge back through by the end and pick up a podium. In the second we ran the same setup and didn’t have as good a start but actually salvaged it pretty good, worked through a few spots and got up to third. I had an issue with water getting into the lens of the goggles and after I finally threw them about halfway, I instantly crashed. It was just a mistake on my behalf. I lost a lot of spots, and after that I was just trying to dodge roost and not take an eye out. It was disappointing – I felt like there was another third there that I let slip away, but anyhow, we’re making gains, but we’ve still got a little bit to go. I’m happy to come away with a couple of top fives, but it isn’t what I want at all. We’re pushing to try and win some motos here.

MX2

Image: MXN.

Jayden Rykers (Raceline Pirelli KTM) -11th overall:
My weekend involved a lot of being in the wrong place at the wrong time unfortunately. In the first moto I got to a top five start but another rider ran straight into me leaving the up-ramp which caused me to high side off the jump – then I had to try and dodge the other 35 people coming around one. Three laps later I was coming through the pack and had a rider jump across the track and hit me which left me a fair way back but I was able to get to 12th. In the second moto I got to not a bad start but had another rider fall straight in front of me, forcing me to have to come from dead last back to eighth. It wasn’t the weekend we wanted, but we’ll regroup and be ready for Conondale.

Mitch Evans (Serco Yamaha) – First overall:
Man, this is so good. I made some pretty big changes to my approach to racing at the end of last year and to see it all starting to pay off is unreal and I can’t thank everyone around me who keeps encouraging me and working with me so I can achieve these results. The first race was just perfect. When I dropped back to third, I was able to see where those guys were a little better than me, learn from it and then get back to the front. It felt unreal to go over the finish line and win that race. Race two I was a bit lucky with Wilson going down right at the end but that still wouldn’t have changed the result for the round and I was also able to put myself in position to capitalise on his mistake. Thank you to the Serco Yamaha team and my mechanic Adam for his hard work. I also want to thank my family who have supported me and have put in so many hours back at home. This makes it all worth it.

Jackson Richardson (Serco Yamaha) – Fourth overall:
The weekend was just okay. It’s good that I’m consistent and racking up good points each race, but I feel I can be better and I will keep working with the team and on my riding to make improvements. The track today wasn’t easy and I probably tried to override it a bit at times and that style of riding doesn’t reward you here. My starts were great so hopefully I can keep them rolling, make a few changes before round three and start getting on the box a lot more often.

Dylan Wills (Synep Racing Husqvarna) – Sixth overall:
Ninth in the first race was definitely not what I was looking for, I felt I was a top-four guy in that race, it’s just that two mistakes cost me on a very gnarly track. In the second I just toned it down a little, rode my own race, didn’t worry about anyone, and rolled into sixth. There were a lot of positives to take. Right now, I’m just trying to get my racing right. There’s no issue when I practice, I’ve just got to bring that over to the races. I’m riding with some fast guys and I’m on the pace, so I’ve just got to keep working and keep my chin up and I’ll be there.

Kyle Webster (Penrite CRF Honda Racing) – Ninth overall:
Overall it was a rough day. Some small mistakes and bad starts really cost me and then when I went down in the first turn of the second moto, it got really tough. I was dead last but managed to fight my way back to 11th by the finish. I definitely have the speed to run with the front guys, but I just need it to all come together to get the results I know I am really capable of.