Image: Rhys van Slooten.

National Pump Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jake Moss will continue taking a calculated approach to his racing following a strong start to the 2016 Motul MX Nationals series.

After an 18-month hiatus from racing due to a string of injuries, Moss made his return at Horsham’s opening round in the MX2 category capturing third overall on the day.

Moss got off the gate well in both motos and scored a solid runner-up result in the opening race, then backed it up with a consistent fourth in the day’s final race.

“I had an unreal weekend and I felt great,” Moss beamed. “I felt like I could’ve won the first race if I’d got up front earlier, and I kinda blew it in the second race, but that’s probably from a lack of racing experience over the past 18 months.”

Everything is going to plan for the lone factory Kawasaki MX2 contender, admitting his goal is to stay off the ground throughout the 10-round championship.

“At the end of the day, though, I stayed on two wheels all weekend and that was a big step for me. The plan is to finish every race with no crashes this year and we’ve started on the right note.”

Moss finished behind winner Caleb Ward and runner-up Nathan Crawford on the day with just one point separating the top three riders.