With the title chase of the 2014 MX Nationals rapidly approaching boiling point, MotoOnline.com.au takes a look at some of the biggest talking points of this year’s championship.

Q: Why has the two-stroke vs four-stroke debate heated up so much this year?

A: Last year TuneTech KTM Racing’s Kale Makeham made waves when he became the first two-stroke racer in god knows how long to win races in the four-stroke dominated MX2 class. It proved to be the start of a resurgence in privateers, who are opting to race the more cost-effective, higher horsepowered machines. Problem is, word is the two-stroke racers are capitalising on the rules by making a host of changes to eke as many ponies as possible from the dingers, and effectively forcing the factory four-stroke teams to scramble to make their bikes competitive. Serco Yamaha’s Luke Clout might be leading the championship, but it certainly has been hard yards for the factory teams trying to compete against the higher-powered two-strokes this year. Expect MX Nats promoters WEM to announce some changes soon that will hopefully level the playing field and ensure great racing.

Q: What happened between Brock Winston and Craig Anderson at Raymond Terrace?

A: One of the most explosive stories of 2014 occurred on the weekend when former Berry Sweet Husqvarna Racing’s Brock Winston dramatically left the team mid-race meeting.
Relationships between race team owner Craig Anderson and Brock Winston hadn’t been anything to shout about, but breaking point came when Ando made a tongue-in-cheek remark to DPH Motorsport’s Kade Mosig that he would’ve given him $100 to punt Winston off the track after the two collided in the first moto. Winston was livid when he found out and quit the team on the spot. Expect him to still ride the final two rounds of the championship, but it’ll probably be off his own bat.

Q: How has Husqvarna become such a championship contending bike overnight?

A: It’s the KTM influence. Husqvarna had always struggled to put together a competitive MX bike, but when KTM bought out the Swedish manufacturer last year they breathed new life into the brand and overhauled the machines so that they’re basically KTMs with Husky plastics and detailing. As a result, the Husky has rapidly become a viable alternative to the ‘big five’ brands and the fan base is building quickly.

Q: What’s the story with both Jay and Ryan Marmont retiring?

A: At the Conondale round, CDR Yamaha’s multi-time motocross champion Jay Marmont announced that at the end of the year he would retire from professional racing. In 2011 Marmont left the CDR outfit that had given him so much success for a two-year stint at Monster Energy Kawasaki. However, besides the 2012 Supercross championship, he couldn’t replicate the success and winning ways he had on Yamaha. In 2014 Marmont returned to the blue corner, but still hasn’t been able to find the form and speed that he had three years ago. Rather than fight an uphill battle, Mont’s decided to wave the checkers on a hugely successful career. Meanwhile, his younger brother Ryan has also decided to quietly step away from racing for a variety of reasons, following birth of his second daughter, Charlotte, last month. Whether we see him back on the bike next year is uncertain.

Q: Jacob Wright did what?

A: You heard right; the 19-year-old Queenslander stunned last Sunday with his Super Pole and moto three win on the way to second overall at Raymond Terrace in just his second appearance with CDR Yamaha. Wright was almost unable to contest the final four rounds of the season until Craig Dack stepped in and, much to the amazement of onlookers, he has already won his first MX1 moto and established himself as a real podium threat. While that lone performance hasn’t completely secured him a deal for 2015 yet, you can almost guarantee him to be the team’s ‘number two’ rider if all runs smoothly at Gladstone and Coolum. What CDR Yamaha’s foresight and his performance has also done is suddenly cast a range of rising Aussie stars into the spotlight of factory 450 teams.

Q: What’s happening between the Moss brothers?

A: Nothing more than a bit of sibling rivalry. Twins Jake and Matt Moss have always been close, both on and of the track, so it was only a matter of time before they got a bit pissed off at each other. It all seemed to come to a bit of a head at Conondale when Matt gave Jake a decent hit to get past, forcing Jake to go down hard enough to make him woozy. He missed the rest of the round’s racing as he got tested for a concussion, but was back at Raymond Terrace. We’re unsure if there’s still some unfinished business between the two, but like everyone, we’ll be keeping a close eye on it over the final two rounds.

Q: Why is Penrite Oil Honda running a different privateer over the last few rounds?

A: As they did last year, the factory Honda team has been plagued with injuries and bad luck in 2014. Their main MX1 hope Cody Cooper hit a fence and smashed his cheekbone during qualifying at round one, then just two rounds into his return at Murray Bridge, he ruptured the ACL on his right knee, forcing him out of the remainder of the championship. Rather than have his bike sit idle and not have any representation in the class, race team owner Yarrive Konsky enlisted team ambassador Ben Townley to race at Wanneroo and Conondale, then has opened up the factory doors for three privateers – Daniel Banks (Raymond Terrace), Riley Graham (Gladstone) and Lewis Woods (Coolum) to experience the life of a factory racer at the final three rounds. Now that’s how you give back to the sport! Chances are BT will be behind the gates at Coolum, too.

Q: Who are likely to win the three titles?

A: While nothing is certain in racing, Team Motul Suzuki’s Matt Moss is definitely in the driver’s seat of the MX1 class. Mossy was at his brutal best at Raymond Terrace and made the most of the misfortunes of his nearest rival, Kirk Gibbs, to extend his championship lead to 40 points. In MX2, Serco Yamaha’s Luke Clout is also in a great position with a 28-point lead over 2013 MXD champion Hamish Harwood with just five races remaining. The MXD class is a much tougher class to tip, with less than 30 points separating four youngsters, Jed Beaton, Egan Mastin, Nathan Crawford and Jack Simpson. Crawford possibly has a slight advantage with the final two rounds being in his home stage of Queensland, but we’re certainly not going to put any money down on this one.

Contributing: Alex Gobert.