Kawasaki Motors Australia press release:

Appin’s second round of the 2018 MX Nationals in New South Wales proved to be a relatively positive one for riders Rhys Carter and Aaron Tanti as the pair both lodged top 10 overall finishes in their respective MX1 and MX2 categories.

After qualifying a solid eighth, New Zealand contender Carter piloted his Kawasaki KX450F to seventh in both outings, earning himself seventh overall for the day, while placing him eighth in the standings.

Admittedly struggling with starts at the technical and challenging venue, Carter pushed on in the difficult times, displaying impressive speed and race-craft as he negotiated his way into the top 10.

“It was good and I was looking forward to coming back here – it’s such a technical track,” said Carter. “I qualified better than round one, so that was a positive, but I just spun off the gate. I’ve been working on my sprint speed and it’s getting better in the races, but my mindset faded off towards the end of each race, which was disappointing.

“All in all, I want to be consistent all year and I’ve finished seventh in every race so far, so I’m doing that, which is good. The Kawasaki KX450F was awesome and the team was solid – we’re going in the right direction and having three weeks now is good because we can figure out what we need to do next. I’m pretty excited to go to Wonthaggi.”

It was a mixed day for MX2 talent Tanti, who entered the weekend donning the red plate aboard his Kawasaki KX250F. Also qualifying eighth, the New South Welshman charged to fourth in the opening affair in front of a home crowd, while race two saw him encounter a rare accident, ultimately resulting in a 14th place finish.

Credited eighth overall for the round, Tanti still remains incredibly optimistic as he holds down second in the championship standings, salvaging much-needed points in a mixed weekend as he continues his bid for a maiden MX2 crown.

“Today started off pretty good,” Tanti commented. “I finished the first moto with a fourth, which is what I wanted and I was satisfied with that. Moto two, I got off to a pretty good start and moved into third, I had a little bobble and went back to fifth.

“With two laps to go I just had a freak accident on a table-top and had to eject from my bike. It took a while to get it started, I then cruised around for the last lap and got 14th, so I still got some points. It was an up and down round, but I’ve just got to keep chipping away and keep on it.”

Team manager Jess Foreman has acknowledged there are areas both riders need to work on between rounds and with a three-week break to do so, it serves as the perfect opportunity to further fine tune Carter and Tanti’s program with the newly-established Dyson Motorsports-operated outfit.

“Fourth place in the first moto for Tanti was awesome,” Foreman explained. “We told him at round one that you have to stay in the top five to win this championship – don’t push it and be consistent.

“Moto two was unfortunate, but we’ll move forward to the next one. Rhys was really consistent event though he had bad starts, so we’ll have to work on that throughout the week. Consistency is really good with him, so it was a good day.”

The MX Nationals will now head to Wonthaggi in Victoria on 19-20 May, marking rounds three and four of the series. Head to www.mxnationals.com.au for further details on the series.

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