Dean Porter is living the privateer dream, following the Monster Energy MX Nationals series around the country, while being backed by the CarsRus Full Force Racing Team and holding down an impressive ninth overall in the premier MX1 class.

After spending a season in the United States contesting in the AMA motocross championship, Porter returned to Australia with gained speed and confidence, ready to take on the best our country has to offer.

The Western Australian has landed himself numerous top 10 finishes, along with a season best sixth place at Hervey Bay. MotoOnline.com.au caught up with the 25-year-old today to hear what he had to say about his 2012 campaign to date.

First off, you have really risen up in the MX1 ranks this season. You spent time in racing the AMA outdoor series in America last year, do you think that has helped you step up you riding?

Yeah I reckon for sure. Pretty much all of those guys over there are pretty fast, it’s hard to just make the 40. I did every round of the series, but I didn’t qualify every round, I think I qualified eight out of the 12.

During the main event, no matter where you are, you are sort of battling with someone. So I think that helped a lot with my racing.

You picked up a ride with the CarsRus Full Force Racing Team this year, how is it to work with that crew?

Yeah it’s awesome, it was sort of a last minute thing. I got back from the US and I was just trying to sort something out for this year and Cade [Mooney] rang me which was awesome.

I think we were three weeks out from the first round and it just sort of fell into place. So it’s been good, they’re all really nice people and they want to go bigger and better next year. So hopefully if everything goes to plan it will be good.

How does it feel to be a privateer battling with some of the top factory riders and scoring solid top 10 results on a regular basis?

It feels awesome. At Appin it was really weird, a real hard-pack surface is something that I’m not really used to I guess, well it’s not my strength.

But for some reason I was battling right up there with [Jay] Marmont, [Billy] Mackenzie, [Dan] Reardon and all these guys was pretty cool.

I think just racing every weekend, I’ve got a lot of racing on here at home aswell, I think I’ve been racing every weekend since Conondale. So I think it’s just helped riding all the time and I think I’ve improved.

I’m lucky enough to not get injured at all this year, touch wood. So I think that has helped a lot too, I’ve been able to ride at 100 percent every time I’ve got on the bike.

Hailing from Western Australia, you are known as a sand specialist, proof of this being your season best sixth overall came at Hervey Bay. But more recently you proved you have the speed on the hard pack, bringing home a seventh overall at Appin. Had you been doing any extra hard-pack training in lead up to the event?

I think that it all comes from America, it helps a lot with my ruts and stuff on the hard-pack, because that it pretty much all there was. So I think I learnt a lot over there and it sort of paid off this year.

I think with Appin it was really hard-pack and one lined, it was good just to get up with the front guys and just sort of follow them and just try to copy them.

I got behind [Lawson] Bopping in one of the motos and he kind of dragged me along a little bit, it was good.

Sitting ninth overall in the MX1 standings heading into Moree and the sands of Coolum, what are your expectations for those last two races of the season?

I really want to try and do well, obviously. But I know Reardon is in front of me in eighth and he’s got 21 points over me. So my aim would be to try and get in front of him I guess and try to keep improving.

I’ve raced Moree once before, I blew my knee out there though, so it didn’t really go to plan. Before I did my knee I was riding okay, so I know I can ride there good.

I’ve done Coolum in the past, so I really just want to finish in the top 10 every moto, that would be my aim and it would be nice.

Finally, what are your thoughts on the new Australian Supercross Championship that has been announced, and will we be seeing you on the start line at round one in Dubbo?

I won’t be doing supercross. I’d really love to, but I’ve racked up about a $20,000 bill trying to do the outdoors this year. So I’ve got to go back to work and try to save some money.

So I don’t think I’ll be doing supercross, but I think it’s good that Yarrive [Konksy] is trying to run it. I’m not sure how it will go and I haven’t read too much about it, but I mean it should be good I think.