Kirk Gibbs plans to build on his recent Murray Bridge performance heading into round three. Image: Jeff Crow/Sport the Library.

After earning himself a fourth place moto two finish at Murray Bridge’s Monster Energy MX Nationals round, Kirk Gibbs believes he has restored faith in his supporters and illustrated what he can do with a strong start.

The Motorex KTM rider has suffered a bumpy start to his rookie MX1 season, but the dedicated South Australian has began to build momentum as the series nears its third round.

After dealing with a puncture in the opening moto of the day and falling outside of the top 20, Gibbs regrouped for moto two and put together his best finish to date on the tough Murray Bridge circuit.

“I’ll look at the positives today, which was my second race,” said Gibbs. “I’m really happy and I’ll keep moving forward with that momentum.

“I was pretty disappointed after the first, but once I got going I felt like I was riding well, so I knew that as long as I could start well things would turn out okay.

“I felt like I had good lines and just rode smart, and if I got passed I wouldn’t ride over the top to keep up. I just rode my own race and held my lines and picked up on different ones as they emerged.”

Gibbs explained that his fourth place moto finish provided a vital boost in confidence as he battle to prove himself in the premier class.

“This race was really good for my confidence,” he added. “I know the guys have a lot of faith in me and today I showed what I can do if I get a start.”

Gibbs currently sits 12th overall in the MX1 standings after two of eight rounds scheduled for the 2013 season.