Sixteen-year-old Brisbane charger Nathan Crawford started his rookie MXD season with a bang by claiming third overall at the opening round of the MX Nationals at Broadford.

The 2013 MX Nationals Rookies champion has found himself regularly fighting for race wins in a fierce class aboard his Husqvarna TC250, but Nato maintains he only began picking up speed three or four years ago.

‘I was always one of those average riders but then I picked up a ride with the Yamaha Junior Development team and they put a lot of pressure on me to perform,” he explains. “It was the best thing for me and I came out of my shell. Now I don’t settle for second and will keep fighting all race.”

At last year’s Australian Junior Nationals Crawford picked up second in both the 125cc and 250F classes, and combined with his Rookies win on his YZ250F, set himself as one of the favourites in his debut MXD season.

However, despite winning the opening clash at Broadford, Crawford experienced something of a small form slump.

“After Round 1 I automatically thought I should win every round,” Nato elaborates. “I went downhill due mainly to spending too much time on a 450 while Dad drove my practice 250 to each round as a spare bike. I would have to ride the 450 instead, and it’s a totally different bike. I basically lost all my aggression and speed on the two-stroke.”

It wasn’t until Nato started hanging out with Monster Kawasaki team boss Troy Carroll and Kawasaki racer Jake Moss that things turned around for him, both on and off the bike.

“TC and Jake have helped me tremendously with my training, riding and mindset since Wonthaggi where I felt like I rode as hard as I could but only managed two sevenths.

“I was really down, but they sat me down and pointed out that I was going backwards because I was changing between a two-stroke and a four-stroke. Now we’ve changed my program and I’m feeling stronger than ever.”

Nato says even though he lives with his parents and isn’t yet old enough to get a driver’s licence, he’s picked up a tone of maturity from regularly spending time with Jake Moss.

“Jake is so headstrong and mature and I admire his attitude and outlook on life in general. He drills it into me and now I look at everyday life a lot differently. Hanging out with mature people who you look up to is the way to go.”

Crawford took advantage of the series break to muscle up in the MX2 class at Wanneroo and impressed many as he qualified third, then finished the day in sixth overall, including a fifth place in the last moto.

On the back of that, the well-spoken teenager has confirmed he’ll again race the MX2 class at Swan Hill next weekend before dropping back to MXD for the remainder of the championship. Currently he’s in fourth position, but only eight points off the championship lead.

“There’s no reason why I shouldn’t go to Swan Hill and race MX2,” he says. “The more time I can spend racing in that class the better it’ll set me up for next year when I step up to the MX2 class regardless of whether I win the 2014 MXD title.

“There’s no use staying in the Under 19s, which to me, kind of feels like an extension of the junior class because I’m still racing the same guys I grew up with. It’s a learning class and now that I’ve seen where I stand in MX2, there’s no reason why I should stay back there.”

For the next two years Crawford will focus on dominating the Australian scene, with the intention of heading overseas later on.

“I’ve been talking to people and setting a five-to-10-year goal, but at 16 that’s kinda hard to do,” he laughs. “I’m still young and just out of Juniors, but having a set of goals to work towards and tick off is going to keep me focused and on track.”