South Australian Brett Metcalfe enjoyed a promising start to his Lucas Oil Pro Motocross campaign at Hangtown last weekend, credited fifth overall after tying for third.

Metcalfe finished the first moto of 2012 in fourth and backed that result up with a fifth in race two, which handed him a strong overall result to commence the season.

The Yoshimura Suzuki rider turned in a promising performance in both motos. In the first one, he got a good start and worked his way up to second before fatigue set in and he finished fourth.

“I’ve been looking forward to the start of the motocross season,” said Metcalfe. “The Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 is working great and motocross is a nice change of pace. In moto one, I got a top-five start and I was feeling strong. I made some moves early and moved up to second, but wasn’t able to finish at the same intensity level I started with.

“Moto two was much the same, though I didn’t have a very good start. My speed and skills on the Suzuki feel really good right now, so I was able to make passes and move through the pack.

“Again, I just wasn’t able to finish the moto strong. We need to work on that, because if I want to contend for wins, that’s what I’ve got to do.”

Metcalfe now has his sights set on Freestone’s second round this weekend, entering the weekend in a confident mood.

“I’m looking forward to Texas,” he added. “That’s always a physically-demanding track, so the Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 will work well there.

“We’ve got to go in confident, and after this round, get the appropriate rest, work hard this week and come out stronger for Texas and build from there.”

Metcalfe’s new teammate James Stewart went 1-1 at Hangtown and currently leads the series in the early stages.