Image: Foremost Media.

Current MX2 points leader Wilson Todd says he knew Murray Bridge’s fifth stop of the Pirelli MX Nationals last weekend was always going to be a round of survival, largely due to an unfortunate history at the circuit in previous seasons.

Acknowledging it wasn’t a venue of his liking, the Serco Yamaha rider adjusted his mindset and expectations ahead of the weekend, taking a different approach to any other round, which ultimately rewarded him with the overall after lodging a super-consistent 2-3 scorecard.

“At the start of the year I thought this round was going to be a survival round because I’ve always gone so badly at Murray Bridge,” Todd admitted to MotoOnline.com.au. “I’ve never really had a good ride there, so I went in and just said to the team that I’d be happy to land on the podium – that was my goal.

“I ended up getting two podiums for the day which gave me the overall for being consistent, so it went far better than how I thought it would go. In juniors I had lots of bike problems there and in Under 19s I had a lots of first turn crashes – there’s never been a race there where I haven’t got arm-pump – it’s really fast and you’re holding on really tight.

“I’ve never been able to last more than 10 minutes for throwing the anchor out. On the weekend I paced myself and didn’t push to the front as quick as I could at other tracks – I paced myself and I was able to hold my position.”

The number two now holds a healthy 31 point advantage in the championship standings as the MX Nationals heads into an extended break, scheduled to return on 1 July at Conondale in Queensland.