Raceline Pirelli KTM press release:

Raceline Pirelli KTM’s Mitch Evans has secured an incredible second place in the MX1 Championship thanks to a podium finish at Round 10 of the Pirelli MX Nationals over the weekend, capping off what has been a stellar rookie season.

Feeling at home in the sunshine, Evans grabbed the final Raceline Performance Superpole win of the year before going on to record 2,2 race finishes at Coolum, cementing his position as a true MX1 title contender in years to come.

The Northern Queenslander has gone from strength to strength throughout the 2018 Motocross season, notching up an incredible eight out of a possible nine Raceline Performance Superpole appearances, which included two Superpole victories, as well as landing on the podium an outstanding four times throughout the season.

Consistency proved to be crucial to Evans championship campaign, only twice finishing outside the top five overall – and it’s both the KTM machinery and a dedicated team behind him which Evans has given credit to.

“It feels awesome to wrap up the season with such an awesome result. When we set our goals for the season we knew that we wanted to be somewhere inside that top three, so to pull it all off and finish second in my rookie year is an awesome achievement,” Evans explained.

“Moving to the KTM was a big and exciting change for me in 2018, I spent so many years as a junior on their bikes so to come back and have such a successful season on the KTM 450 SX-F is really cool.

“The Raceline Pirelli KTM team has been such a massive support, they have made me feel right at home, and to reward those guys with a MX1 championship podium finish, especially when they aren’t one of the big factory teams feels great.

“We definitely achieved what we planned to in the 2018 motocross season and I feel like in 2019 we have a real shot at the title, so there will be lots of work being put in between now and then.”

Feeling right at home in the deep Coolum sand Raceline Pirelli KTM’s MX2 pilot Jayden Rykers recorded some of the most impressive results of the season at Round 10.

The Western Australian rider who’s no stranger to the softer surfaces showed off his sand riding experience from the get-go at Coolum – qualifying in an impressive fifth place. Then, in moto one, Rykers charged to fifth before an unfortunate bike malfunction forced him to DNF in race two.

Despite a difficult finish to the day at Round 10, Rykers concluded his MX2 championship campaign in 16th in what has been and up and down season for the young rider.

“The last round was awesome, we spent some time up on the coast of Queensland and that’s always nice with the beaches and nice weather. Saturday I rode a bit tight but still had a fifth in qualifying, it was great to see Coolum back to normal with a tougher track,” Rykers said.

“In moto one I had a great start and settled in to fifth, I pumped up a little earlier on but started to put together some laps that flowed nicely.

“In moto two I would have been just inside the top ten by the half way mark – I made my way back onto Tanti for fifth place but unfortunately we had a bike issue. A pair of fifths would have been nice for me to end the year on after having so much go on, but we had some positives which we’re really happy about.”

Raceline Pirelli KTM Team Manager Chris Woods has reflected on what has been one of his most successful seasons to date.

“Wow, what a way to finish the season with Mitch on the podium and our first championship podium in the MX1 class,” Woods shared.

“We put in so much work, testing, and grinding behind the scenes to make results like this possible, and to see it all come together like this is just fantastic.”

“We all back each other, we might only be a small team but we do what we do with a lot of heart. I can’t thank my mechanics Dylan and Sean enough for all their hard work – it’s not easy doing what they do so we are very lucky to have them.

“I’d also like to thank both Mitch and Jayden for their dedication this season, we have had some highs and lows but as a team we have pulled together when it mattered and it’s been awesome having those guys under the truck.

“Lastly to everyone who backs our team – thank you. It’s a big exercise running a race team and without your support it wouldn’t be possible, we are stoked that we could reward you with a podium in the MX1 championship.”

Raceline Pirelli KTM would like to take this opportunity to thank it’s partners and sponsors for their continued and dedicated support throughout the 2018 Pirelli MX Nationals, without it, this season would not have been possible.

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