Matt Moss bounced back to the podium with second overall at Newcastle on Saturday night.

Team Rockstar Motul Suzuki’s dual defending Pro Lites Super X Champion Matt Moss returned to form with a second place finish at last weekend’s series opener at Newcastle in New South Wales.

Wrist surgery had limited the two-time Super X champion’s time on the Suzuki RM-Z250, but his dominant performance in race two showed he is determined to win his third straight title.

Moss qualified fastest for the Pro Lites final, but a poor start saw him swamped by the 22 rider field, pushing him to seventh. Moss, in his quest to score points, crashed on lap three but demonstrated why he is regarded as the man to beat by working his way back to sixth by the finish line.

He proved that point in race two, where a much improved start saw him inside the top five at the end of the first lap. By the mid-point of the race he had grabbed second position, and on lap six took the lead. Moss then checked out and took the win by nearly two seconds.

At the end of round one, Moss is sitting in second position, just behind series leader, JDR Motorex KTM’s PJ Larsen.

“Hopefully that’s all the bad luck out of the way early on,” said Moss. “The bike’s awesome, everything feels right – I just need to work on my starts!”

Teammate Lawson Bopping scored equal fourth overall for the night after finishing a promising second in the first final of the evening.

Moss’ twin brother Jake couldn’t replicate his sibling’s success in the Pro Open final.

Having had limited race time over the last 12 months, Moss was feeling the pressure and suffering arm pump but he put in a solid performance for a ninth place overall.

In race one he was caught up in a dramatic first turn scramble, pushing him back to 10th, but he worked his way back through the star-studded field, eventually finishing sixth.

Race two proved even tougher. Moss was taken down at the first corner and when he remounted he found himself languishing in last position.

However he showed glimpses of what could be, working his way back to ninth to secure a solid points haul.

After the first round, Moss sits in ninth position overall, 23 points behind series leader Chad Reed.

“The first round is always the hardest, with nerves and expectations playing a part,” Jay Foreman, Team Rockstar Motul Suzuki team manager said. “Matt and Lawson proved they are serious championship contenders tonight and Jake showed he had good speed. Jake was suffering from nerves and arm pump but I am sure he will be relaxed and ready to go for round two”.

The next round of the Super X Championship will be held at Canberra this weekend, with riders adapting to the Triple Challenge format.