A selection of riders detail round four of 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.

Kyle Peters (Wilson Coolair Motul Suzuki) – Sixth overall:
The weekend was a step in the right direction – a baby step, but it was positive none the less. In moto one I got quite a good jump out of the gate but I got caught up going in to the first turn and then ended up coming off a few times. Once you went down in moto one it was next to impossible to do anything – I could barely twist the throttle with all the mud I had in my gloves, but we survived the first moto. In the second race I had a bit of trouble off the start again but I managed to get back to fifth which was much better. I was happier with the way I rode in the second moto. At the moment I’m not where I want to be, especially with how many points I’m down, but I’m going out with the goal to win every race. I’ve been working to get my strength back after being sick and we are getting there – so we’ll keep working hard, keep pushing and I’m sure a win isn’t far away.

Kade Mosig (DPH Motorsport Yamaha) – Fifth overall:
I’m disappointed for sure walking away from Horsham with the same result as Conondale. Fifth overall is not horrible by any means, and the conditions were tough, but they were the same for everyone. I was in a better position in race two sitting about fourth and feeling good but a decent crash, hurting my finger, put me back to around 12th and I used a lot of energy working my way back through to seventh.

Luke Styke (KTM Motocross Racing Team) – Third overall:
A great day! I changed my program up a little bit in the last few weeks and just set about trying to be more efficient on the bike and it helped a lot. My bike was awesome, and the changes we made going into the round improved our balance, too. Practice and qualifying were good; I was on the verge of making it into Super Pole but got pipped on the last lap, but I stayed positive and really worked on my starts, and got two, top two starts. First moto was solid – a slow start but a strong finish so that gave me some confidence. I was riding good in the second moto and holding second, but came unstuck and went down pretty hard. Then I just tried to regroup and battle all the way to the end from there. We went 3,4 for the weekend and I’m really happy.”

Kirk Gibbs (KTM Motocross Racing Team) – Second overall:
Again I’m not happy, obviously the fitness is there and it feels like the speed is there, but I’m not getting away early and it’s too hard to make it up. The first moto was really tough with lappers, with the track being wet there was only one real line and I got caught with them and went down a few times. The second moto was a lot better, but when Clouty’s bike stopped right in front of me I had a bit of a wild ride trying to miss him. The bike’s great and everything’s feeling really good at the moment, but without me getting off the line better, we aren’t getting the chance to race for wins, so we’ll go home and keep working on that and try to fight for some wins at Murray Bridge.

Dean Ferris (CDR Yamaha) – First overall:
I had a good time out on the track today. It wasn’t a track that rewarded crazy riding, you had to think your way through it and continue to make smart decisions all day and fortunately the team and I were able to get those right on the weekend. Starts also proved important as following would have made vision difficult so it was great that I got both holeshots and led the first lap in each race. I think it is the first time I actually have got two holeshots at the MX Nationals and I’m glad it was today and on this track. I can’t thank the CDR Yamaha team enough as things are going really well at the moment. Everyone did it just as tough as the riders today working in difficult conditions and again the guys did a great job. The team will have a huge amount of work to do back at the workshop this week while I will head home and continue my usual routine. After the Murray Bridge round we have a five-week break in the MX Nationals so it’s important to finish the first-half of the season on a strong note and Murray Bridge is a track I enjoy racing so I look forward to racing there next weekend.

Nathan Crawford (MEGA Bulk Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki) – 23rd overall:
We were battling for sixth place, but I had a little crash and landed on my wrist again, so opted to sit out the rest of the race. Race team manager Troy Carroll and I talked it out and decided it was best to sit out the next moto, especially as the track was so gnarly today. We’ll try to do whatever we can to get out on the track at Murray Bridge, I don’t want to let my team down, as they’ve put in so much work for me. Murray Bridge is one of my favourite tracks of the series, so hopefully we can regroup, have some fun out there, then rest my wrist for the second half of the championship.

Aleksandr Tonkov (MEGA Bulk Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Eighth overall:
The track was definitely tough today and I showed I have good speed, but my mistakes cost me a lot. In the first moto crash, my hand-guards bent into the bars and I was struggling on the uphills with the clutch being affected. In the second race I had a good start and tried to pass for third with a different line, but I had a big crash. It took a while to get going again, then I had another little crash and lost all the positions I’d regained. It was frustrating and I struggled all day, but I tried my best. Hopefully one day soon things come together and we can get on the box.

Joel Wightman (Penrite CRF Honda Racing) – 12th overall:
Conditions were really tough, especially when coming back to national racing from a shoulder injury. Rain leading up to the event left the track muddy and rutted, and in both motos I didn’t get the best of starts, and with the start straight being slop, I took on a lot of roost. In the first moto I ran the whole moto with no goggles and salvaged a 12th place finish. Then in the second moto I had a tip over on the first lap and had to stop in to get a fresh pair of goggles, which put me a long, long way back, so I just had to try and ride my way back and eventually finished 13th for the moto to give me 12th overall for the round. I was reasonably happy with the result, considering the lack of training and riding I’ve been able to do while injured, and given the tough conditions I was thrown back into. But I’m looking forward to the next round at Murray Bridge.

MX2

Image: MXN.

Jayden Rykers (Raceline Pirelli KTM) – 14th overall:
I finished with a DNF, and an eighth yesterday so it definitely wasn’t the day we were hoping for. In the first moto I was able to tuck up the inside of the first corner and come out in the top five, I made up a few positions, but with poor vision I unfortunately went down and the bike got very hot which forced me to DNF. Moto two wasn’t much better, but I managed to makes some passes on a track that was fairly single lined, so there were some positives. We have Murray Bridge in less than a week so we’ll regroup and get ready for that. Hopefully we can finish off the first-half of the season strong with good results this weekend and head in to the mid-season break with confidence.

Jackson Richardson (Serco Yamaha) – Seventh overall:
It was a frustrating day for everyone. The mud was unbelievable in the first moto and when I went down, it was impossible to get the bike out. Then in race two I just had to get a reasonable result to keep me in the championship. I’m glad it’s over with and we can move onto the next round. Murray Bridge is one of the few tracks I have raced at in the past and I have had some pretty good results there so I’m looking forward to getting stuck into it there and getting back up on the podium.

Mitch Evans (Serco Yamaha) – Fifth overall:
It was a tough weekend, no question. Starts here were so important as vision was terrible when behind other riders and my starts weren’t what they needed to be today. I made a few mistakes and it was hard to even keep it on two wheels in some sections but I was able to keep my bike running and get through the day safely and not lose too many points so that’s the positive. Hopefully it won’t be as wet at Murray Bridge next week and we can get things back on track there.

Wilson Todd (DPH Motorsport Yamaha) – First overall:
Well, I didn’t drop it this week! The conditions were pretty average, and the heavy mud through qualifying and the first race were difficult, with a lot of the field DNF’ing, it just goes to show the time and effort the team puts into my bike as well as having the best products in the industry on board pays off. Race two let me race more than just surviving like in race one, so I’m pumped to have that win and to regain the red plate, I can’t wait for Murray Bridge next weekend!

Egan Mastin (Davey Motorsport KTM) – Eighth overall:
It was definitely a rough day, but it started good. I qualified first, but they docked me three positions for jumping on the yellow flag on the first lap. They were pretty hard on me – I didn’t jump the jump, I just took my wheels off the ground. In the first moto I got off fourth and worked up to second, I was battling for the lead on the first lap and ended up going down, and then I went down another five or six times after that! The bike was just fully caked and got heavily overheated but I got it to 12th. I’d blown a gasket or a seal or something so I borrowed a KTM 250 SX and ran it to the start line without even setting the lever position for me, and stayed in sixth place. So today was rough, but for the number of times I crashed, the outcome was okay!

Kyle Webster (Penrite CRF Honda Racing) – Third overall:
It was actually a really tough event, because the track took a real beating in the muddy conditions. It was so muddy and slippery first thing in the morning and then by the time our first moto fired up, the track surface was like glue! I was happy to finish third in the first moto and just to be able to cleanly make my way around the track, it was that tough. In the second moto it wasn’t quite as bad, but conditions were still muddy and there were long, tacky ruts all the way around, so if you were forced off the main line, the surface was really heavy. I m just really happy to come away with a third overall on the podium for the round on such a full-on track.