KTM Australia press release:

It was a spirited effort from the KTM Motocross Racing Team at Conondale’s sixth round of the 2018 MX Nationals in Queensland, marking the return of the championship following a lengthy mid-season break.

It was a promising start to day when both premier class contenders Kirk Gibbs and Luke Clout qualified for the Super Pole session, in which Gibbs posted a blistering lap of 2m10.037s to claim the number one spot as Clout wound up in P4 with a 2m10.872s time.

Clout piloted his KTM 450 SX-F to the hole-shot in race one and controlled the moto for the opening laps of the 30-minute plus one affair before settling into position. The talented number four maintained a top three placing until the closing stages, where a mistake pushed him back to fifth.

While showing incredible pace, it just wasn’t meant to be for former champion Gibbs, who was forced to pull in during the final half of race one after a heavy fall with another rider, calling for a premature end to his weekend as he was later taken to hospital for further evaluation.

Another strong start from Clout in the final outing saw him negotiate his way into lead in just a matter of corners. The New South Welshman then came under fire, forcing him down the order, however a whole-hearted charge in the closing laps while being challenged allowed him to capture third for fourth overall.

In MX2, defending champion Egan Mastin charged through an enduring round, showcasing plenty of promise that earned him the number one plate emblazoned in his KTM 250 SX-F. Race one saw him grit his way into ninth position, prompting him to seek redemption in moto two, where he fought his way to sixth place and crediting him eighth for the weekend.

Clout is now positioned third in the MX1 championship standings followed by Gibbs in sixth, while Mastin holds down fourth in the MX2 class as the series heads to Raymond Terrace in New South Wales on 14-15 July for rounds seven and eight.

Jay Marmont – KTM Motocross Racing Team manager: “It was a challenging weekend for us results-wise. Egan had a difficult day, he didn’t quite have the pace to start with, but he was able to get a better result in the last moto. It’s his home round next, so we’ll work as a team to pick him back up and get a good result there. Unfortunately for Gibbsy, he crashed twice – the second one with another rider that impacted on his back really hard. He was taken to hospital for scans, just to make sure everything is okay. Luke rode really well and he’s now third in the championship. He went really well today and managed to lead some laps, so it was a good sign from him.”

Luke Clout – KTM 450 SX-F: “I started the day well with a fourth in Super Pole, it was really close and I just missed out on the top spot. I went out and got the hole-shot in the first race and led for a while, I got passed and was stuck in third for much of the race, but I went down with a lap to go, so that put me back to fifth. I wasn’t happy about it, but it’s racing. Race two was a battle to the end, I got third in that one and fourth overall for the day – I just missed out on the podium. I’m third in the championship and a point behind second, so it was a pretty good day in the end!”

Egan Mastin – KTM 250 SX-F: “I definitely struggled today. Conondale has never been a track I’ve taken too well, so it was a frustrating day. I got a relatively poor start in the first moto and moved to ninth place, then pretty much stayed there. Race two was better, but there’s just something about that track where I seem to have difficulty with it. The next race is my local round, and I went really good there the last time they had a national, so I’m really looking forward to it.”