Jake Moss has established himself as a true podium threat on any given weekend in the 2013 Monster Energy MX Nationals, the Campbell Mining Suzuki rider finishing third in South Australia’s second round.

After coming agonisingly close to a second podium at Broadford’s most recent round near two weeks ago, and taking a big Sunshine State round win at Coolum last weekend, Moss is looking to make further progress as the halfway point approaches.

MotoOnline.com.au hit up the Gold Coast-based privateer and hit him with five burning questions starting with ‘Why’…

Why did you switch from Honda to Suzuki this year?

It was time for a change. I’ve got to thank Yarrive Konsky for coming to the table and giving me everything I asked for last year, but I didn’t seem to blend easily with the Honda on the track. At the Toowoomba Supercross last year Suzuki approached [team owner Dave Campbell] and said they were interested in coming on board for 2013.

With my brother Matt signing with them as well it was a good deal. I loved the Suzuki from day one – it feels more stable under brakes with the longer wheelbase, handles well in ruts and it has more bottom-to-mid-range power. I feel a lot stronger and more confident this year.

Why aren’t you happy with your performance so far in the MX Nationals?

It’s weird because at start of this year I felt unreal. I can’t put my finger on what happened exactly, but I lost a bit of confidence and I’ve had to rebuild it. My head hasn’t been in the right space, even though my training has been going really well.

During the races I don’t get tired and hardly break a sweat, but I’ve been riding a little tight and not confident in myself. Last year I rode to try and avoid getting hurt, whereas this year I know I can win races and it’s just a matter of time before it happens.

Why do you have a love-hate relationship with the new Super Pole format?

It’s worked for me once and against me once. I hated it at Broadford as the Super Pole meant I missed out on the podium by one point. If Kirk Gibbs hadn’t earned three points in Super Pole I would’ve been on the podium instead of him.

It sucks if you don’t get a good lap in, but it feels very rewarding when it clicks and you find yourself in contention for those extra points. My brother Matt knows how to do a fast lap and he’ll he hard to beat in Super Pole from now on.

Why do you think everything clicked for you at Coolum and you dominated the day?

I stayed with my sponsors the night before, had a barbecue and had a good time and I think that helped put me in a positive mindset. My girlfriend came to the races for the first time and that also put a smile on my face.

In the races I got two good starts and it all snowballed perfectly for me. The track got really rough – a lot more than during the MX Nationals – and I think that worked to my advantage and I could pull 15-20-second leads over Gibbsy in both motos; I always tend to get faster as tracks get rougher.

Why are you looking forward to Conondale this weekend?

It’s a track with good speed. It’s more of a US-style track like Coonabarabran. Last year I finished fourth there even though I only received my bikes two weeks before the race and didn’t do any training. This year I’m obviously a lot more prepared and with a couple of good wins behind me on the weekend, I’m pumped for it.