DPH Suzuki rider Sam Martin delivered a breakthrough performance in his debut Monster Energy MX Nationals MX1 campaign at Swan Hill, scoring a berth in Go Pro Superpole and converting his early form to a top five moto finish.

The 2012 Victorian champion shone on home soil and was a revelation as he reeled off the fourth-quickest qualifying lap early in the piece.

“It was a good start to the day,” recalled Martin. “I found myself sitting in fourth by the end of qualifying which meant I was in Super Pole.

“It was different, but it was good to be in and I was happy to be there. It’s one of the goals I’ve had all year so I was pumped to get that.”

Martin admitted he had some nerves before his flying lap but was able to post a solid 1m52.727 effort, not far off the pace of the four factory riders in front of him.

His form carried over into the opening 30-minute moto, where he was able to fight back from a sluggish start to contend for a top five placing.

“I didn’t get a good start out of the gates,” he said. “I was about 15th and managed to move my way into fifth by the end of it.

“That’s obviously my best finish for the year so I was pumped on that.”

He was on for a similar strong result in the second moto before contact from another rider forced him to limp to the finish.

“I got into fifth in the first few laps and was settling in there when a tyre caught my rear brake and wrapped it around my foot peg, so that was it for me,” said Martin.

“From there I had to just cruise around to the end of the moto. It was pretty upsetting, but still a good day in all.”

He finished 10th overall for the round, and holds down 11th on the MX1 class ladder with two rounds remaining.