Dunlop Tyres press release:

Dunlop racers enjoyed a rewarding outing at the opening round of the 2016 MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship, at Horsham, Victoria, over the weekend.

KTM Motocross Racing Team’s defending champion Kirk Gibbs finished an intense day of racing tied for the championship lead heading into the second round with his trademark consistency earning him 65 points for the day. Fellow KTM teammate Caleb Ward also proved himself as worthy MX2 title contender by claiming the round win with his 1-5 results.

CDR Yamaha’s former MXGP star Dean Ferris set the bar early around the hard-pack Horsham circuit with a convincing nine-second win over Gibbs in the opening MX1 race, but fell in the second race while holding down a top three position and found the chequered flag in sixth, resulting in a well-earned third overall for the day. Ferris’s CDR Yamaha teammate Dan Reardon finished the day in seventh overall.

Other Dunlop racers to feature inside the top 10 in the MX1 class were SD3 Husqvarna’s high-profile racer Brett Metcalfe (sixth) and KTM Motocross Racing Team’s teenage newcomer Jesse Dobson (ninth).

In the drama-filled MX2 class, Serco Yamaha’s Wilson Todd surprised many with his breakthrough second-race victory in his debut outing for the team, resulting in a fourth overall for the day, while DPH Motorsport Yamaha’s Jed Beaton finished second in the same race on his way to fifth overall.

Meanwhile, SD3 Husqvarna’s Luke Arbon finished the day in sixth overall, while his MXD team-mate Kaleb Barham raced to an impressive third overall following a runner-up position in the opening race in his first outing for the Adelaide-based outfit.

Dunlop’s national motorcycle manager Sabastian Mincone was pleased with the encouraging start to the 2016 championhip.

“This is a positive start to the MX Nationals season for Dunlop-shod riders,” he said. “We had strong podiums in all three classes, my congratulations go out to Dean and Kirk in the MX1 class, Caleb in MX2 and Kaleb in MXD on a successful weekend.”

The second round of the 2016 MX Nationals will be held at Appin, New South Wales, on 17 April.

Visit www.dunloptyres.com.au or find Dunlop Tyres Australia & New Zealand on Facebook and @ridedunlopau on Instagram for further information on the brand.