Queenslander Dylan Peterson clinched an impressive eighth overall in MX2 on debut with Troy Lee Designs – Maxima Zero Seven Motorsports Kawasaki at Broadford’s fourth round of the Monster Energy MX Nationals.

Having received the call up just five days earlier to substitute in for an injured Kade Mosig, Peterson hadn’t competed at all in 2013 at a national level.

It was a baptism of fire for the 21-year-old, who hadn’t even ridden the team’s KX250F until Sunday morning’s official practice session and was thrown straight out onto the most challenging MX Nationals circuit of 2013 to date.

Despite his limited preparation time, Peterson managed to qualify eighth and was 11th in moto one. He rebounded for a fighting sixth in the second moto to seal eighth for the weekend.

“It wasn’t a bad day for me,” Peterson said. “I really had no idea what to expect, as I haven’t been racing this year, so to get out and run towards the front of the pack was a good confidence booster.

“I’ve got a practice bike to ride now, so I’ll try to build on this for Conondale in two weeks time.”

Peterson’s most recent national appearance came as part of the Monster Energy Kawasaki team at Hervey Bay last July.