KTM Australia press release:

If the opposition thought things were going to get easier from KTM’s pair of championship-leading MX1 factory team riders coming into this weekend’s eighth round of the Monster Energy MX Nationals, they might have another thought coming.

Championship leader Kirk Gibbs rode to an almost incomprehensible podium finish last time out while carrying a fractured shoulder blade and a level of pain that was almost enough to make a grown man cry.

With two weeks for the fracture to heal however, Gibbs rates himself at 95% or better coming into Nowra – and says he’s ready to continue the kind of speed and consistency which has generated a 63-point championship lead, and typified his 2015 season.

His KTM team mate, championship second-placed Luke Styke has meantime been building back towards the kind of form that saw him win just the third-ever MX1 round of his career aboard a KTM 450 SX-F at Broadford in April.

The Jervis Bay rider will have the added advantage of being able to maintain his training routine right up to the last minute coming into this weekend’s round, which takes place just 10 minutes from his home.

Rob Twyerould, KTM Motocross Racing Team Manager – “For Gibbsy, two weeks has been fantastic, his shoulder is feeling really good and he’s had quite a few rides. I think you’ll be feeling pretty much close to 100% by the weekend. Luke has the advantage of being able to sleep in his own bed the night before the race! A home race will be really exciting for him, I’m sure he’ll have lots of fans there cheering for him. I’m looking for big things from Luke over the next three rounds; we really want to consolidate that second in the championship, and we start testing the new bike straight after Nowra, which will be a really big boost for him. The secret for this round I really think is a good start, and both boys have been getting reasonable starts of late. If we can be just a little more aggressive on the first turn we’ll get through the weekend really well .”

Kirk Gibbs – “Nowra should be good, I’ve ridden there a few times, including the press day there a few weeks back. Hopefully they get a good track prep in there and it turns out quite nice for Sunday. It’s a tight race track so the starts will be key there. My shoulder is definitely feeling a lot better now so I’m a lot more confident coming into this round than I was ahead of the last. I’m happy with the championship position that I’m in, but I don’t really want to just ride around to conserve points towards the championship, I want to keep going out there and giving it my all and try to see if we can wrap this up before the end.”

Luke Styke – “The home round feeling is great, Nowra is like 10 minutes down the road from me and I feel like it’s quite a benefit to be so familiar with the layout and the dirt. All my friends and family are going to be there plus I get to sleep on my own bed the night before so, it’s a lot easier to maintain your routines right up to the event because you’re not on the road. It’s got to be less stressful. The start is going to be a big thing, but if we can get clear of the traffic early on we’ll be good. There’s going to be a few people coming to see me, all my family is from down here and all my mates as well, so I’m looking forward to it.”

In MX2 Racing: KTM Factory Support rider Caleb Ward will be aiming for an incredible fifth straight MX2 round win at Nowra. His fourth consecutive round win at Shepparton a fortnight ago however, was his hardest fought one so far, so the opposition is raising its game and so is KTM 250 SX-F-mounted Ward.

Caleb Ward– “It’s pretty cool coming in aiming for five in a row. I’ve just been doing the same old thing, just having fun and not really thinking about anything too much – just taking it race by race. I’ve ridden there once before and it’s a pretty tight track so obviously starts will be key, hopefully I can pull a couple of holeshots and go and ride my own races and go out and get a couple of wins. ”

In MXD racing, KTM factory support racer Jayden Rykers enters the round with confidence high after achieving the first national win of his career last time round, when he won both races at Shepparton. He’ll enter proceedings at Nowra just 24 points shy of the championship lead with three rounds to run.

Jayden Rykers – “I’m carrying a lot of confidence coming into this round after coming off that we in at Shepparton. I’d always prefer to chase rather than defend the red plate – there’s no pressure on you that way. So from my point of view I’m in a good position. It’s an interesting championship position and it’s very doable. I rode the State titles at Nowra after Raymond Terrace, and we had a few of the National guys there. We had five motos and I won all five of them so it’s a track that I know and one where I’ve had good results.”

For more information on KTM Motorcycles, visit www.ktm.com.au or www.facebook.com/KTMAustralia.