Former multiple-time Australian champion Dan Reardon looks set to be JDR/KTM Factory Racing’s lone Pro Open rider in the 2012 MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship.

With experience on his side and a full season riding for JDR Motorsports under his belt, Reardon is another big name local who has so far flown beneath the radar in the pre-season hype.

MotoOnline.com.au got in contact with Reardon this week to speak about his health and aspirations for the season ahead. He’s just one more name to add to the all-star list that will form the MX Nationals class of 2012.

This year you’re back with the JDR/KTM Factory Racing Team in Australia, how have your pre-season preparations been going so far?

Yeah, it’s been really good, the team made some big changes over the off-season, which probably a lot of people are aware of. The team structure is great right now, we’ve been really productive during testing and everything like that, so I’ve been real happy with the way things are going this year so far and it feels good to be healthy.

You had a few little injuries there last year that were niggling away at you all year long, how are you on that front at the moment?

That was a shame and my injuries last year were not bad enough to sit back and say I can’t do it anymore, but they were bad enough to the point where they were definitely affecting my performance.

It’s like a car racer going out with only three of their wheels working, so that was pretty much summed up last year. So far this year things are good, my body is healthy and I’m fit and ready to go.

Last year you started out on the 350 and switched to the 450 mid-year, are your plans obviously to stay on the 450 this year?

Yeah, for sure. The 350 was more of an experiment for me. I knew that the 450 was a good thing and I definitely feel comfortable on a 450, so yeah I’m excited with the 450 this year.

We might see some changes later with the bike, but at the moment the bike’s good and we’ll be riding the 2012. It is an awesome bike, I think KTM has come a long way since they started and I’m happy to be throwing a leg over one of these bikes.

I know the Factory Edition bike that Ryan Dungey has been riding is an American only model, but if the 2013 model (which is expected to be very similar) comes out during the MX Nationals would you consider swapping mid-way if given the opportunity?

I would, but I wouldn’t rush into it. Like I said, the bike I have is great, so I would definitely want to ride it and test it before making a decision. I know Dungey has done good things on the bike, so I’m excited to jump on it and see how good it is. But as I said, there is nothing wrong with the bike we have at the moment – if the new one comes available we’ll give it a go for sure.

It is a truly international field for this year in the MX Nationals and you’re one of those guys with experience overseas, also a former champion. What are your expectations for this year, can you go ahead and challenge back for that championship you won back in 2007?

Yeah, that’s the main goal. It has been a long time since I’ve been consistently up the front. There have been bits and pieces, especially throughout the supercross series last year where my speed was obviously there, but t was just a couple of little things that slowed me down a bit.

So that is the main goal for me and it’s definitely not unrealistic. I do know what that feels like and I want to get that feeling back – I’ve missed it for sure. There are some good guys coming out like [Ben] Townley and [Brad] Anderson.

I’ve never seen Anderson ride, but apparently he rides pretty good. There is a bunch of us that all have the same goal, so it will be good to get out there and battle for it come round one.

Finally, if you do manage to get back to your best and really be in there for this championship, do you still have that goal of going back to America in the future if the opportunity is there?

For sure. I feel like I left there with some unfinished business and it was just a combination of some injuries and the economy taking a dive that didn’t help my situation out.

I still keep in touch with the people over there and I’ve still got a house in America, so yeah that is the ultimate goal. I’d like to finish up at the pointy end in the motocross series, jump back over there, maybe finish out the American outdoor series and then play it by ear to see what the following year has to offer.