Image: Foremost Media.

Former national champion Matt Moss is vowing to put it all on the line come round two of the 2021 Penrite ProMX Championship after a short-lived outing at Wonthaggi, but managing to escape major injury.

In his first appearance since 2016, the BBR 102 Motorsports privateer battled clutch issues during qualifying on his way to posting the seventh-fastest time.

Those same clutch issues saw him crash out on the opening lap of the first Thor MX1 moto, reaggravating a shoulder injury from a pre-season crash.

“Frustration got the better of me and I high-sided just before the finish line,” Moss told MotoOnline. “I thought my shoulder might’ve been displaced, but the good news is the scans came back clear. There’s a bit of fluid behind the shoulder blade, but we have three weeks to get ready for Canberra, where I plan to put it all on the line. I’ve got nothing to lose now, so I’ll try and win everything.”

It was a disappointing outcome for Moss’s much-anticipated return, but he says there were a lot of lessons learnt as he comes to terms with running his own team alongside twin brother – and former Australian MX2 champion – Jake Moss, who is also on the comeback trail.

“Overseeing everything and not keeping my mind solely on the job hindered me a lot,” Matt reflected. “Being privateers, we were one of the last in line to get parts, so we only finished building the race bike the night before race day.

“But yesterday nothing went to plan. I rode too conservatively as I wanted to preserve my bike in the sand, but I’ve got to let go of that now. I’m never going to win races thinking like that – my mindset on the weekend was completely not me and it definitely showed.”

While he says the new-look ProMX Championship and associated broadcast package are big steps forward for the sport, privateers with limited time and resources are put on the back foot by the rejigged qualifying format.

“The new format definitely benefits the factory teams who have mechanics and resources,” he added. “I think privateers are disadvantaged, as we have one qualifying session, then a limited time to wash and prep the bikes, put in a new clutch, then flog the shit out of the bike again in the shootout. We then have to do that all again before we line up for the first race an hour later.”

Meanwhile, the return to racing of Jake Moss, who is also Yamaha-mounted at BBR 102 Motorsports saw him finish the day in 20th overall. He impressed by transferring through the Top 10 Shootout, then went 16-DNF in the afternoon’s motos.