Kawasaki Motors Australia press release:

MEGA Bulk Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team will field a sole entry of Aleksandr Tonkov when the 2017 MX Nationals series reaches Murray Bridge in South Australia this Sunday, 28 May.

The fifth round in South Australia marks the midway point in the championship, with the series taking a five-week breather afterwards in the lead-up to the second half of the season.

For Tonkov, the back-to-back weekends between the previous round at Horsham last Sunday and Murray Bridge is more what he is used to in MXGP and he’s eager to finish this first half with an exclamation mark.

“For me, having racing every weekend is what I am used to and it helps me keep a clear focus on what I have to do,” the 25-year-old explained. “I’m looking forward to finishing this half of the championship strong and proving to everyone that I’m better than my results have shown and I can race with the top guys all day.”

Tonkov rode to an eighth overall in diabolical conditions last weekend at Horsham and is currently seventh in the points standings.

Meanwhile, MEGA Bulk Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki Race Team’s hotshot rookie Nathan Crawford has opted to sit out the Murray Bridge round in order to increase the length of time needed to rest a niggling wrist injury.

“In the first race at Horsham I had a small crash and tweaked my wrist, which forced me out of the rest of the day’s racing,” commented Crawford. “It needs as much time as possible to heal, so we’ve made the tough decision to not race this weekend, so that it’s back to 100 percent for the second half of the championship. It’s really disappointing, as Murray Bridge is one of my favourite rounds of the series, but we’ve got to look at the big picture.”

Crawford is currently ninth in the MX1 championship hunt despite missing out on points in both motos at Horsham.

The gates will open at 7:30am for Sunday’s fifth round of the MX Nationals at Murray Bridge and tickets are available at the gate. Further information on the 10-round series can be found on the official website at www.mxnationals.com.au.

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