It’s an exciting time of year for moto fans right now, with racing worldwide well underway and new models beginning to break cover. Collectively, we’ve got plenty of angles to fill this site’s content schedule on a daily basis and enjoy every minute of it.

Last week we saw the KTMs unveiled in Europe and then this week we’ve been able to catch a first glimpse at the 2014 Hondas – the 250F undergoing a major overhaul as we suspected when sighting the All Japan bikes earlier this year.

As fans and riders, we’re all excited to see the latest generation bikes upon their release. And from a media standpoint, we’ve got a lot planned in the coming months when it comes to testing these new models upon arrival in Australia.

Currently though, it’s the Monster Energy MX Nationals series that’s scoring the majority of the spotlight, three rounds into the 10-round season. And this week, we got a glimpse at just how quickly things can change at the front of the field.

MX1 runaway leader Todd Waters crashed his 250 SX-two-stroke during the Leyburn round of the Sunshine State series last weekend and was knocked out, putting him in doubt for Broadford’s national this Sunday. We did a brief news story with him earlier this week and will grab another one shortly to confirm his short-term future.

Regardless, if he races or not, the incident happened in an instant for Waters and has kept him off the bike all week. The likes of Matt Moss, Lawson Bopping, Cody Cooper, Billy Mackenzie and more will be motivated to capitalise on that fact, but obviously they’re all hoping he’s healthy to ride this weekend – everybody is.

Waters won the Pro Open overall at Leyburn after dominating both motos from Mackenzie and Brock Winston, but we’ll soon see what his future holds. Winston won the Lites after Waters’ demise, from Jay Wilson and Dakota Court. Luke Clout finished third in the first moto, but didn’t ride the second.

Speaking of Moss earlier, he’s really taken confidence away from his Super Pole and podium at Wonthaggi, so expect him to start mounting a more consistent charge up from in the coming rounds. He’s purposely eased his way into this season, but his momentum is no doubt shifting up a gear.

Moss also won a round of the East Coast series ahead of Jay Marmont and Daniel McCoy last Saturday at Maitland. All three took a lot away from the weekend and the word is that both Marmont and McCoy weren’t using the KYB PSF air fork during the weekend. More on that when we have it. Ryan Marmont won the Lites.

Returning to Broadford for the MX Nationals’ fourth round will bring mixed emotions for many in the series this weekend. It’s the very place where Andrew McFarlane sadly passed away following a practice incident at the national in 2010, but also the same place that the likes of Sharky, Michael Byrne, Chad Reed and more had a heap of success in the GPs there.

The nationals didn’t host a round at Broaford in 2012, but there’s been a lot of work put into the facility recently and it should create some more great racing this weekend across all categories. It’s shaping up to be a cracker of a weekend and I think we may just see some new contenders rise as the series begins to settle and the pressure’s reduced. We’ll see, but for now, here’s Makker!

Last night I caught up with multi-time AORC champion Toby Price, who has been to hell and back over the past month. As most people know by now, Toby had a horrific desert-racing crash in the US literally saw him come within a hair’s breadth of being paralysed from the neck down.

After getting hooked up to a halo and placed in traction, Toby experienced an insurance-company shitfight of the highest order that gave him no option but to fly back to Australia for surgery and rehab.

During the entire interview Toby, who’s now spending his days putting creases in the couch, remained staggeringly upbeat and diplomatic about his brush with a career-ending injury. The kid is strong, not just physically, but also in his heart and mind, and you can bet your bottom dollar he’ll again reach – and pass – the lofty heights he’s already gained during his off-road career. The interview will be up on MotoOnline tomorrow, so make sure you check it out!

In other Aussie news, one of the most laid-back FMXers you’ll ever meet, Rob Adelberg, scored a breakthrough performance to win the blown-out Glen Helen round of the Red Bull X-Fighters on the weekend. With strong, gusty winds eventually cancelling the finals, the final results were taken from qualifying where Adelberg was heads and shoulders above the rest of the field. It seems his X Games silver medal a few weeks ago has given him huge amounts of confidence and he’s riding at a level we’ve never seen from him before.

That’s all from me for this week. I’m fizzing for this weekend’s round of the MX Nationals at Broadford and to see who can either give a banged-up Todd Waters a hurry-along, or can match the pace of the Serco Yamaha riders in MX2. Bring it!

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