Marking a decade since his sole national MX1 title, Kirk Gibbs returns to the KTM Racing Team in 2025 for his third stint on orange. The 35-year-old has stood the test of time, continuing to be a front-runner in a highly-competitive ProMX premier class field. MotoOnline caught up with Gibbs for this Conversation interview.

Image: Foremost Media.

Kirk, you’re back on KTM for 2025! It’s obviously not a massive change for you, but it must feel good to be back under that truck for this season.

For sure! The switch back to KTM came from within the company. The bike is much the same [as the GasGas], so it’s really no skin off my nose, but it is definitely good to be back on orange. I’ve spent a lot of time with KTM over the years, so it feels like home. It’s been an easy transition going back.

I’m sure you’re aware of this, but this year is the 10-year anniversary since you wrapped up the MX1 title. What’s the mindset like for you in this stage of your career?

Yeah, it’s crazy when you put it that way [laughs]. It’s been a long time between drinks. Another title this year would be pretty amazing, but just look at the class, look at the field. It’s like America in a way, we have eight to ten guys who can win races at the moment, plus Kyle [Webster] and Jed [Beaton] setting the benchmark.

Image: Foremost Media.

Like you said, it’s been a long time between drinks… but you’re still super competitive. The end of the last season was solid for you, so you must be carrying confidence into this season, right?

I got some solid results towards the end of last season, for sure. I had some good races and felt like I was starting to ride back to my full potential. So, I’m looking forward to this year, and hopefully, I can keep that momentum rolling from the end of last year. I’ve been in the class for a long time now, and I know how much work it takes. So, I’ve got a lot of that work on right now in the middle of pre-season, training and working on getting the bike right. That’s been something we had to work on a bit over the last few years, but we’re a lot further forward right now than we have been.

Speaking of the bike. You’re on the updated chassis for 2025, which has been said to be an improvement on the previous model. What has that transition been like?

I feel like the 2025 chassis is a little more forgiving, the frame has a little more flex. With last year’s model, we found that we had a lot of front-end pressure, which hasn’t fully gone away, but it has definitely improved. I’m someone who rides off the back of the bike a lot, so for me the last two years has been a little bit hard to set the bike up. This year will hopefully be a little bit nicer, we’ll have to be a little stiffer with suspension because of the frame being softer.

Image: Foremost Media.

A little change of pace here, but you’re soon to be 36-years-old. You made the decision quite a while ago to stop racing supercross. Do you think that has contributed to your longevity – not only in terms of still being able to race – but still be so competitive in this deep of a class?

Racing motocross-only has 100 percent helped extend my career. The whole reason I stepped away from supercross is because I had two massive injuries in a row. They both put me out of action for five months at a time within those two years, and it was just so hard to get back to where I needed to be to compete at a high level. Now, when motocross finishes in August, I get a huge reset, so it’s nice for me. If I had to go all the way through to December, there would probably be some more injuries in there over those years if I was racing supercross, and I think I would’ve been one by now.

Thanks for the chat mate, and good luck this season.

Cheers!