Image: Jeremy Hammer (Foremost Media).

Defending Australian SX2 champion Jackson Richardson believes additional bike time since round one has been crucial in the lead up to Saturday night’s second stop at Bacchus Marsh in Victoria.

The Serco Yamaha rider, who had dealt with a shoulder injury heading into the series, posted a lacklustre result at Jimboomba’s opener, dropping back to sixth in what was a night the Queenslander admits he struggled with.

“It’s been major really,” Richardson told MotoOnline.com.au. “I ended up moving down from Cairns to Brisbane for a change and I’ve been riding a few different places – it’s been really good. I’ve been putting in a fair bit of time, hopefully this weekend will be better than the first round.

“We’ll see, the first round I really just struggled a bit. I had better preparation than last year, obviously I had more time on the bike, but I just struggled and didn’t really have anything. I’ve been working on some stuff, so we’ll see if it pays off this weekend. I feel better prepared and more confident in my setup.”

Richardson mentioned the move down to Brisbane has benefited him so far, with the change of scenery key in feeling refreshed for the last five races of the year.

“It’s just riding different places and riding with a bunch of different guys,” he continued. “Just a change of scenery really, that was the big thing – I was just looking for a change and looking to do something different. It feels like it’s been pretty good at the moment, it feels like it’s been helping out a bit. So yeah, I’m happy with it.”