Raceline Pirelli KTM press release:

Raceline Pirelli KTM’s Mitch Evans has notched up another two podium finishes and moved into second in the MX1 Championship after an outstanding weekend at the first double header of the season at Wonthaggi in Victoria.

Evans arrived in Melbourne with the goal to redeem himself after what was a somewhat disappointing outing at Appin, and redeem himself he did. Despite being one of the youngest in the MX1 class, rookie Evans shot up the championship leader board, and left Wonthaggi with plenty of reason to celebrate.

When Round 3 kicked off on Saturday Evans appeared in his third Raceline Performance Superpole, finishing fourth and awarding with him fourth pick of the grid. In moto one Evans steered his KTM 450-SXF to fifth place and then improved once again in moto two, charging to an impressive second position. With consistency proving crucial over the weekend, Evans’ 5-2 finishes saw him conclude day one in second overall.

With Sunday serving as the second race-day for competitors, Evans was once again determined to capitalise on the opportunity to make up crucial championship points. After finishing second in Raceline Superpole, his fourth Superpole for the year, Evans went on to record a pair of second place finishes, rewarding him and the Raceline Pirelli KTM team with second on the MX1 podium.

With two podiums at round three and four, Evans has now moved in to second in the MX1 Championship standings with six rounds of racing remaining.

“I’m really happy with the weekend. We just wanted to get starts both days and that’s what we did so I can’t complain with the result we got at all,” Evans shared.

“My starts were the one thing I knew I needed to improve on to get the results. Especially when tracks are sort of one-lined, a start and running with guys like Ferris and Gibbsy right from the start is so important. We worked on starts a lot over the last three weeks and it definitely paid off.

“Coming in to the weekend I knew the double header was crucial and that my result on Saturday would set the tone for the following day, so getting a second on day one put me in a good headspace and even though the track was rough and we had raced the previous day, on Sunday I felt good.

“We got some solid points, and a good result at the first double header of the season, so I’m happy, feeling positive and looking forward to getting to Murray Bridge.”

For the team’s MX2 rider Jayden Rykers, Rounds 3 and 4 at Wonthaggi were challenging, yet a step in the right direction. After being medically cleared to ride, Rykers showed moments of what could be, despite the results not yet showing on paper.

On Saturday Rykers showed good speed from the get go, however crashes hindered the 250cc rider when racing commenced, and a pair of tenth place finishes was what he could manage on what was a brutal day one.

On Sunday, Rykers once again showed his capabilities, qualifying in fifth which set him up for a positive opening race. However, it just wasn’t meant to be for the youngster at Wonthaggi – going down whilst in fifth during moto one, eventually finishing in 11th, while in moto two a mechanical issue forced him to DNF.

“Even though the results aren’t quite there yet we still had a really positive weekend,” Rykers explained.

“I was able to show I have the speed to run inside that top five consistently, so once I can iron out the other bits and pieces I know I can be there every weekend.

“The back to back days were a challenge but I actually felt really good on both days. If we can minimise the mistakes from this point forward I know that we can all prove what we can do.”

The team will now begin preparation for the fifth round of the 2018 Pirelli MX Nationals which will take place on May 27 at Murray Bridge in South Australia.

For more information on the Raceline Pirelli KTM, head to the teams’ official website, www.raceline.com.au

To follow Raceline Pirelli KTM’s progress this year, like ‘Raceline’ on Facebook or follow @raceline_motosport on Instagram.

For more information on the Pirelli MX Nationals head to www.mxnationals.com.au