Kiwi Michael Phillips narrowly missed the overall podium at Appin on Sunday.

Carlton Dry Honda Thor Racing’s Michael Phillips enjoyed his best performance yet on Australian soil with a solid fourth overall at Appin’s second round of the MX Nationals on Sunday.

Phillips scored 5-8-3-5 results in the four motos contested on Sunday, proving his worth as the replacement rider for injured Aussie young gun Todd Waters on the factory Honda team.

“Fourth overall was a good result today although I made a silly mistake in the last race which cost me a podium,” Phillips explained.

“It was a much better result than the opening round and I achieved my goal of recording four top 10 race finishes.

“I got two good starts and two terrible starts but I was feeling quite ill throughout the day. I am happy I have come away with some good points and moved up a couple of spots in the championship,” Phillips concluded.

Just one week prior to Appin, Phillips finished third overall in the New Zealand Motocross Championship aboard a CRF450R in his home country.