HQVA press release:

The historic site of Broadford proved a tough nut to crack for Husqvarna Australia’s youthful factory-backed squad as round three of the MX Nationals unfolded at the hallowed Victorian location.

Impressive 18-year-old MX1 rider Jesse Dobson kicked off the day by continuing his giant-killing form on the Husqvarna FC 450, finishing sixth in the opening Moto, however, the Queenslander just couldn’t find the groove in moto two and fell several times on his way to 11th.

The result handed him eighth on the day and saw him slip one place in the MX Nationals standings to eighth overall, while Craig Anderson Racing’s Aaron Tanti had a day he’d rather forget with 14-17 finishes on Husqvarna FC 350.

Blazing fast MX2 rookie Nathan Crawford’s charge hit a speed bump when he crashed while leading the first MX2 moto, then he fell again while charging back through the pack, this time at high speed, where he sustained a suspected shoulder injury which ruled him out for the rest of the day.

Fellow Husqvarna FC 250 rider Luke Arbon also fell early in the first moto, and after getting up dazed, pulled over to inspect some possible front-end damage before finishing 21st. He rebounded somewhat in the second moto for 8th, but is hoping to turn his season around at his home round of Murray Bridge – just like he did in 2014.

In the MXD category, Husqvarna-mounted class rookie Connor Tierney had some troubles with traffic, but still walked away with 6-10 scores for a share of fourth place in the under 19 championship.

Jesse Dobson – FC 450: “Definitely not what I was looking for; it just didn’t feel like it was all there today and I just couldn’t put it together. In moto one I made it inside the top 10 but then dropped it. I couldn’t get straight back on the track so a few people got by me, but I made a few passes again and we ended up sixth which was solid. Moto two though I felt like I struggled with. I couldn’t find a flow and ride my own race, and the consistency wasn’t there – I think I had about three crashes in that moto. Wasn’t real pumped on that one. We’ve got to work to do, I’ll go away do it and hopefully come out swinging in the sand.”

Aaron Tanti – FC 350: “Today was a tough day. In the first moto I was running around eighth a while, but couldn’t maintain that pace and dropped back to 12th, then had a crash in the last few laps which put me back to 14th. Then in moto two I had a decent crash at the start and rode out the rest of it with a flat front tyre.”

Nathan Crawford – FC 250 “I holeshotted of the first race and I was leading, but on the first lap I crashed and kind of hit my head and was a bit dazed. I got up, fell over a few times, and ended up getting back on my bike and probably did another five laps and was getting up towards the top 10 when I washed the front and landed on my shoulder in a fairly high speed section. I DNFed that moto, and then didn’t get cleared to ride the next one, so that was pretty much my day. I don’t really know the extent of the damage, but it’s pretty tender and sore at the moment, so I’m just going to get back to Brissy and get an X-ray on it just to see where I’m at, and make a decision from there.”

Luke Arbon – FC 250 “It was a pretty terrible day really – we struggled with some bike set up on the hills. I felt pretty decent at the start of the first moto but just had a little crash and hit my head a bit and was a little bit dazed at first, then I thought something was wrong with the front end, so I pulled in, but there wasn’t much wrong – it was just that my bike setup was a little bit off, so I just struggled to the end. Last moto we made a heap of changes and the bike was a lot better. I felt really good and I got a decent start, but about halfway through I had about three laps when I got caught up behind someone, and my mind seemed to fade out. Then towards the end I began riding decent again and caught up to the guys who were holding me up at the start. Murray Bridge was my turning point in last year’s championship, it’s going to have to be the same again this year.”

Connor Tierney – TC 250 “My day wasn’t too bad, I got a good start in the first Moto and was running fourth trying to make the pass on third for the whole moto, but in the last few laps made a few mistakes and dropped a few positions, but it was all right. I did some good lap times and had the pace so I was pretty happy. In the second I was 10th off the start, and made my way up to about sixth, but I tried to make a pass and just went down with another dude, and dropped back down to 10th, then made a few more passes, tried to pass another guy and got punted off the track. Not the best moto, and I got 10th.”

For more information on Husqvarna motorcycles visit www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com.