A selection of riders detail round seven of the 2017 Motul MX Nationals in Victoria. Team and privateer competitors can submit comments to [email protected] by Monday afternoon after events for inclusion in the post-event Quotebook feature.

MX1

Kirk Gibbs (KTM Motocross Racing Team) – First overall:
It’s really exciting and a great relief. We knew if we just worked hard, and followed our plan, we could put it all together, and today was the day. Both motos were really fast and I battled in both, it was pretty tough. In that second moto, I lost a few spots and just had to work real hard to get back to second. I’m really happy with my riding and how it went today, for myself and the team. Shepparton was a little bit different to the last few years – the ruts got really rough and bumpy and it was hard to find good lines out there, but it made for good close racing.

Luke Styke (KTM Motocross Racing Team) – Ninth overall:
I’m not getting the results that I want yet, I just need to pick up the intensity early on in the race and work on putting myself in a better position at the beginning. It’s frustrating, it feels like I’ve been getting the same result all year. But I know it’s only going to take one race to turn it all around. It’s still a building process – from where we were last year on the couch we’ve come a long way, but I want it to speed up. I’ve just got to keep working on things, keep trying, be patient and enjoy the process.

Brett Metcalfe (MEGA Bulk Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Third overall:
Whenever you come into a race you always want to be on the podium – on that side of things, it was a successful day. Coming into today after Nowra, I was expecting another good day of results. We started off with a bit of a struggle in practice – it’s my first time here at Shepparton – so I was learning the track and couldn’t get a good feel out there. I gained a lot of trust and respect for the MEGA Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team, they made the KX450F from practice to racing much better – they really helped me to get on the podium today. Again, I had two great starts that put me up there in both motos, and then battled from start to finish really. I was lurking around the front, but I couldn’t really do more than what I was doing to get up and get the win, or push for the win. My score was 3-4 for third overall and I’m pretty happy with that.

Nathan Crawford (MEGA Bulk Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Sixth overall:
Today wasn’t too bad, we can take a lot of positives from today, my starts were really good and my speed was really good in the second moto too. My wrist is definitely getting better and we’re always knocking on the door of top fives, so hopefully we can push for that podium in the next three rounds and achieve our goals.

Dean Ferris (CDR Yamaha) – Second overall:
You can’t win them all, but I really wanted to. I felt pretty good in moto one and was right where I needed to be when I fell heavily and lost a lot of time. It was my first major incident of the year so I can’t complain too much but it also shows how fast things can change and that myself and the CDR Yamaha team need to remain 100% focused to win this championship. Moto two was good and we got the race win. There wasn’t allot to separate the top few riders this weekend but I was able to get a nice little gap and ride my own race. Thanks to the CDR Yamaha team again for their massive support throughout the year and I now look forward to racing at Port Macquarie which is a new track on the calendar this year.

Dylan Long (CDR Yamaha) – 10th overall:
When I look back at Nowra, it wasn’t great, but I was at least on the track in racing conditions and I could see what I needed to work on. This week I was able to race with a little more intensity and my fitness level was certainly better as I was able to maintain my speed for longer periods in the race. I still have a long way to go but it’s nice to see some small steps forward and some progress on the track. Hopefully I can continue to improve as the rounds progress and be back where I belong before the championship is over.

Kyle Peters (Wilson Coolair Motul Factory Suzuki) – Seventh overall:
It was a relatively good weekend for myself and the team. We got through to Superpole and I just made a small mistake on my hot lap, and then in race one our speed was much better. In the opening moto I came through the pack and even on the last lap I was so close to the two guys in front of me, so even though we didn’t quite make the podium, we were really happy with the result in that one. In race two we made a few bike changes, and I was just over riding the track and the bike itself. Shepparton was a track where you really needed to be on, and I just wasn’t able to find my flow in the last moto. All in all though there were a lot more positives than negatives at round seven, we took some solid steps forward and I’m looking forward to carrying that momentum into Port Macquarie.

MX2

Mitch Evans (Serco Yamaha) – Third overall:
I felt I was riding well today and I like the Shepparton track. The first race went perfectly to plan and it was a great way to start the day. Moto two was a bit more of a fight as I locked bars with a few guys off the start and was spat out the back pretty quick. I made my way through but as I was trying to pass into third, I got on the gas too early leaving a turn and the back just come around on me. I tried to be a little too aggressive and it didn’t pay off but I’m still happy with how I’m riding at the moment. Just three rounds to go now and the points are still close in the championship so there is lots of work to do. Port Macquarie is next and most of us haven’t been there before so we look forward to racing somewhere new.

Jackson Richardson (Serco Yamaha) – 19th overall:
What a frustrating day, I struggled in race one but made a couple of changes and I felt much better in race two but as I came onto the finish line straight, the front end went from under me and hit the ground shoulder first. I had it X-rayed and there appears to be no bone breaks but I also need an MRI scan which I will get this week to so if there is any other damage. Its sore now, but hopefully it’s just some bruising and I can get back on the bike ASAP.

Kyle Webster (Penrite CRF Honda Racing) – Fourth overall:
Overall it was a good day, although it didn’t start off that well when I snapped a gear lever on the first lap of qualifying. But other than that, the two races actually went really well and even though the track was really rutted and technical, I got a good flow going in both motos and just got into a good rhythm and was pretty happy to finish third each time out. It was a bit of a bummer that two third placings only got me fourth overall for the round, because the points were so tight between us, but that’s just the way it works out sometimes when the scores are tallied. Nevertheless, it was a great round for me, and my Penrite CRF Honda Racing CRF250R was running strong the whole time, so I have to pay thanks to my mechanic, Mick, and all the team for all their support. I feel like I’ve just been building and building on my entire race programme over recent weeks and months, so my plan is to keep that momentum going. I just want to keep putting in the effort and then hopefully see the results in return and keep climbing up the rankings – that’s my goal, simple as that.

Jayden Rykers (Raceline Pirelli KTM) – Fifth overall:
Shepparton was a good round in many ways for me. In qualifying we seemed to have a little more speed than usual and that placed us in fifth which gave us a decent gate pick. In moto one my drive off the gate was great, but with the concrete I didn’t judge the grip on the dirt too great, I came from outside top 20 and fought all the way back up into the top five. In moto two, I started just inside the top ten and I worked my way into eighth then to third in a few laps. I actually started to catch the front two riders and I really didn’t even know there were leading until after the race finished. I finished in fifth overall so I’m happy with the day and looking forward to the last three rounds. I can’t expect to be on the podium every round with starts outside the top ten, but they’re improving along with my pace.

Jay Wilson (Raceline Pirelli KTM) – Ninth overall:
Shepparton wasn’t the round we were looking for. We qualified in sixth and we got a fairly good gate pick but it was the races that let us down. In moto one, I got pushed back off the start and I was in about sixth place, but at the 12-minute mark I had a bit of a problem with my bike setup and I ended up dropping back to 11th which we were really disappointed with. In the second moto I got a similar start, but we had made some changes to the bike in the lunch break and it definitely made a bit of a difference. I slipped back to ninth, but we were happier with how that race went.The two results from Shepparton are just not good enough, I’ll be working hard over the next two weeks to make sure that we are better at Port Macquarie.

Egan Mastin (Davey Motorsports KTM) – Second overall:
The track got pretty skatey and rutty in the last one which made it difficult, but I didn’t mind the place. I wasn’t happy with my first moto. I had the lead but once someone got around me I rode a bit tight. I know I’ve definitely got the speed, I just need to work on a few little things. I think we’re about 19 points behind in third after this weekend, so with three more rounds up for grabs there’s still a fair few more points to go. I just need to keep putting it up front and getting it done. I’ll just keep ticking over with the training and aiming for race wins, and hopefully it all pans out.