Mackenzie will enter the Toowoomba round as a favourite.

As the fourth round of the 2010 Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals heads north to Toowoomba in Queensland this Sunday, Kawasaki Racing Team’s Billy Mackenzie is getting ready to reclaim valuable championship points and make the most of a home-track advantage.

Overcoming a tumultuous month, Mackenzie has faced not only the loss of his mother back in Scotland, but an injury and the loss of fellow rider and friend Andrew McFarlane.

Despite all that, Mackenzie, who is now based in Toowoomba, is optimistic about the fourth round having settled in with his new surrounds.

“Toowoomba has been great and I’ve been able to do so much riding up here,” Mackenzie said. “I got here in November and the main thing was to do all my riding and my training – knuckle down and get everything done in preparation for the season.

“I’ve spent a lot of time down at the Echo Valley track doing laps so I know the track really well, and hopefully that will really pay off this weekend.”

The 26-year-old has also adjusted to life with his new team, headed by 12 times Australian Champion and Toowoomba local Troy Carroll.

“I’ve settled in really nicely with the team – better than expected,” Mackenzie said. “I get on really well with Kawasaki – that was one of the things that I set out to do in 2010, and that was to get on a Kawasaki because I like the bike so much.

“I’d heard about Troy and what he was doing with the team over here, and everyone had good things to say and I knew Cody [Mackie] from when he came to Britain one time and we hung out so I fitted in nicely.”

With little opportunity to gauge the competition Mackenzie is itching to get back on the bike this weekend.

“Horsham was tough – Todd [Waters] really took it to me in the first race there,” he said. “I think the first race was just due to nerves as I found my feet a little bit more in the second and third races.

“I felt really good on the bike in the first race at Canberra but I feel really unlucky that I landed on the tyre and injured myself because I was riding so well. My wrist is feeling a lot better now and I’m looking forward to Toowoomba because I’ve been off the bike for so long I’m starting to miss it!”

The fourth round of the 2010 Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals will be held on Sunday, 16 May at the Toowoomba Motocross Club in Queensland.