KTM Australia:

Motocross racers aren’t known for their patience, but when it comes to winning the nation’s most coveted championship, KTM Motocross Racing Team rider Kirk Gibbs has shown many times this year that he can travel at whatever pace is required.

The penultimate round of the MX Nationals championship saw red plate holder Kirk Gibbs battle with starts and the unique demands of the challenging and picturesque Echo Valley Raceway west of Brisbane, but he still managed to take persistent strides towards the end result. Recovering from an opening-moto fifth to be third in the second, Gibbs took a useful fourth place on the day behind Kade Mosig, Adam Monea and Ben Townley.

The Queensland-based South Australian only needs a few points in the first moto at Coolum next weekend to safely place the most important trophy of his career in his cabinet – and Gibbs has vowed to then show his fans all he’s got. KTM teammate Luke Styke trailed Gibbs in both motos, finishing with 6-4 results for fifth on the day. Styke was frustrated in his efforts to find podium pace in Toowoomba, and lost one place in the championship to Mosig.

Rob Twyerould, KTM Motocross Racing Team Manager – “It was an okay day, both boys are fit and healthy and I think Gibbsy started to think about the championship in the first moto. In the break we spoke about it, and made a couple of little changes to the bike and I think we made quite a difference to his outlook on the next race and he performed really well. He lost quite a lot of ground initially, but then he gained it back and at one stage there I thought he could win it. I thought was a much better ride. It’s easy to forget that its Luke’s first year on the 450, and all those guys in front of him in that last Moto have been in this class for more than two or three years and have a lot more experience. He is very hard on himself, but he responds to a little bit of pressure, and I think Coolum will be a good round for him.

Kirk Gibbs – “In the first moto I struggled with the ruts – they moved a lot because they were so moist but when I changed my lines, they were actually worse. Second moto was a lot better, but some dust got blown in front of me coming into turn four and I couldn’t see going into a rut and nearly went down. I was able to pick off some good guys though and make a good charge, but towards the end I just made a couple of little mistakes and those two boys got away. I’m disappointed, but overall I only lost three points. Hopefully we can get this thing wrapped up in the first moto at Coolum and then I can come out swinging and try to finish on a high.”

Luke Styke – “I just didn’t feel comfortable today, I got a bad start in the first one, and I just kind of chipped away at that. In the second I had a really good start and everyone just passed me, which was frustrating. But we’ll just keep on riding this week and hopefully look forward to Coolum. I’ve slipped into third by nine points now, which is frustrating, having been second the whole year, but we’ll just keep doing what we’re doing, and try to have some fun.”

In MX2 Racing: KTM Factory Support rider Caleb Ward was in the thick of the action all day long, finishing with two second placings for third overall – a single point behind Jay Wilson and Takeshi Katsuya, who were tied for first. Behind Ward in fourth place was another KTM, that of Dylan Wills, who carded 5-4 finishes. Class rookie Jack Simpson was back in good form, finishing ninth on the day ahead of Western Australian KTM racer Dean Porter in tenth.

Caleb Ward– “In the first one, I felt like I rode a little bit tight Takka overtook me for the lead, so I just chilled out for a bit and rode smooth. I got my stuff together four laps from the end and put on a good charge. I ended up catching up to him but I just couldn’t get it done. Second moto I got a decent start but I actually lost about 6 places before I got into a rhythm and passed all the way through to second, and if it had have been 30, I probably could have taken the lead. I reckon I was the fastest on the track but I just kind of didn’t have enough time to get it done.”

In MXD racing, KTM Factory Support racer Jayden Rykers put in one of the rides of the meeting when he was one of a large number of riders who got stuck in a start gate at the beginning of the first moto. He charged impressively through to third before going on to dominate the second Moto for second overall.

Jayden Rykers – “It was a bit of a tough day. With that first moto I was caught up in the gate with a bunch of guys, and just try to find myself in that first couple of laps and moved up to fourth in the first three laps. I caught up almost a third but had a brain fade and dropped it, then caught him a second time but ran out of time to get into a passing position. If Wilson told the championship leader wasn’t in front of me, I would have been stoked with that ride. And if I had have got second in that first Moto, I could have won the day. It was good to come out swinging in that last one and show them what I’m made of.”

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