South Australian Brett Metcalfe says that his fourth place finish at the Redbud round of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship will set him up for a strong second half in 2011.

Metcalfe rode his Rockstar Makita Suzuki to 4-5 finishes in Michigan, enough to seal fourth overall for the round.

“Redbud went really, really good. I was extremely happy with the day and to finally have a result in the top five, where I feel I belong, was important,” Metcalfe said. “Especially finishing up with a good result here before the week off and heading into the second half of the season.

“Everything was working great for us. My Rockstar Makita Suzuki was working awesome and I really feel like we found the setup I need and now it’s just getting out there and getting the results I want.

“I was able to get a fourth in the first moto and a fifth in the second, which gave me a fourth overall for the day – a much better result than the last couple weeks.’

Metcalfe had struggled in his switch to Suzuki in the early stages of the year, but he’s now becoming more confident in the package he and the team have developed.

“I want to thank the entire Rockstar Makita Suzuki team and Yoshimura for getting my bike dialed in here for Redbud,” he added. “I’m looking forward to having a weekend off and we’re gonna put our heads down and try to make more improvements.

“I’m looking forward to Millville. It’s a great track and similar to Redbud, so our bike setup should be pretty good. I look to try to be up front and sneak in for our first podium of the year.”

Metcalfe’s strong result moved him up two slots in the championship points race to fourth place.