Image: MXN.

Team WBR Bulk Nutrients’ Aaron Tanti has elected to miss this weekend’s Motul MX Nationals finale at Coolum, Queensland, in favour of shifting his focus towards the upcoming Australian Supercross Championship.

Tanti has been absent from the MX Nationals since Shepparton’s seventh round with a foot injury, however prior to being sidelined, the New South Welshman had displayed great potential in the quarter-litre category by recording a number of respectable results.

The Yamaha rider mentioned he initially injured himself at Conondale’s third round and pushed through the next three stops on the calendar before making the ultimate decision to recover.

“I’m just supercross training,” Tanti explained to MotoOnline.com.au. “I injured myself after Conondale and tried to race three rounds after that, but after Nowra I opted to have time off the bike to let my foot heal.

“I hopped on the bike for the first time last week, I’ve been training in the gym since I’ve been injured, I just wasn’t going to be bike fit ready for Toowoomba and Coolum.

“I’ve decided to shift my focus to supercross, and if I race motocross, there’s always that risk I could hurt my foot again – especially at tracks like Toowoomba or Coolum.”

Tanti is evidently feeling confident in the discipline of supercross after just three days on-track, and believes he’s picked up exactly where he left off from the 2016 series.

“Last week was the first time on the bike and also for supercross,” he continued. “I felt really good, last year I was a bit iffy at first, but then I got into a good rhythm.

“I feel like I’m already at the same level that I was at last year, and I feel I’m going to get better and better. I feel really good right now and I’ve only had a few days on the bike.”

Tanti’s best finish in this year’s MX Nationals came at the round where he suffered the foot injury in Queensland, stringing together 4-11 results for seventh overall.

The opening round of the Australian Supercross Championship is pencilled in for 23 September, at Jimboomba in Queensland.