Image: MXN.

KTM Motocross Racing Team’s Luke Styke’s run of lacklustre results continued at Shepparton’s seventh round of the Motul MX Nationals, leaving the former MX2 champion evidently frustrated.

Styke strung together 8-7 results for ninth overall at the final Victorian stop of the championship, although he still maintains an impressive fifth in the series standings in his comeback year from two achilles injuries.

The number 26 acknowledges where he needs improvement, revealing his pace in the early stages of the race, paired with a solid start, will be key in recording the results on paper that he feels he deserves.

“I’m not getting the results that I want yet,” Styke explained. “I just need to pick up the intensity early on in the race and work on putting myself in a better position at the beginning. It’s frustrating, it feels like I’ve been getting the same result all year.

“But I know it’s only going to take one race to turn it all around. It’s still a building process – from where we were last year on the couch we’ve come a long way, but I want it to speed up. I’ve just got to keep working on things, keep trying, be patient and enjoy the process.”

Team manager Jay Marmont is optimistic that Styke can finish the year in strong form, suggesting changes in his program throughout the coming weeks could play a role in improved finishes.

“We’ll probably go back and switch his program up a little bit,” said Marmont. “[We’ll] make a couple of changes in the weeks off, and hopefully we can come out swinging and finish the year off strong.”

Styke’s best result of the year came at Horsham’s fourth round, where he piloted his KTM 450 SX-F to third overall.

Just under two weeks remain until Port Macquarie’s eighth round of the 10-stop Motul MX Nationals, marking the last round in New South Wales before the series heads north to Queensland.