Image: Marc Jones (Foremost Media).

Davey Motorsport’s Husqvarna’s Caleb Ward claimed an impressive fifth overall finish on debut in the premier class at the weekend’s opening round of the Pirelli MX Nationals in Newry, Victoria.

Ward’s brief experience of racing in Europe during 2017 dismissed his nerves heading into the season-opener against the tougher and more competitive MX1 field, allowing him to comfortably charge to a 6-5 scorecard in his first race in almost 12 months, and his first event domestically since 2016.

“After going to Europe and also racing some of the Italian races where I had to line-up against Cairoli, Gasjer and guys like that while I was on a 250F, I wasn’t as nervous to line-up back over here in MX1,” Ward explained to MotoOnline.com.au. “There are obviously a lot of super fast guys like Dean and Gibbsy – the whole top 10 is pretty stacked.

“I really like riding the 450 and racing those guys – it’s a little bit different because they have a lot of experience, you just have to be smart. I wasn’t really up with them on the weekend, but I’m looking forward to getting a good start, hanging with them and learning a thing or two. My plan is to try and build throughout the year, and I think top five at the first round is a good start.”

The charismatic Queenslander is coming off two knee reconstructions and a shoulder reconstruction, and his fifth place finish to start the season is a strong indication of what’s to come from the youthful talent.