DPH Motorsport Husqvarna team owner Dale Hocking has praised youthful talent Callum Norton for his efforts in the final two rounds of the Pirelli MX Nationals, stating the Victorian has a big future ahead of him after scoring a highly-impressive fourth place finish at the weekend.

Following the provisional suspension of Kade Mosig prior to Ranch MX, Hocking was forced to seek out a replacement for the closing rounds, electing to draft in Norton despite having just one round in the premier class this season aboard Honda machinery.

“What a year it’s been,” Hocking expressed. “The last thing we expected was to have to find someone to ride the FC 450 with four rounds to spare, but that’s the position we were put in and Callum has done an incredible job. Fourth overall in such a competitive field with very little time to adapt to the team and bike is amazing. He’s got a big future ahead of him, that’s for sure.”

Norton, who was involved in Penrite Honda’s desert racing program this year as well as initially contesting the MXD category under the Penrite banner, celebrated his 18th birthday with a career-best performance at Coolum’s finale, lodging a 5-5 scorecard for fourth overall.

“What a way to spend my 18th,” Norton stated. “Heading into the weekend, I was feeling really good. The team didn’t put pressure on me, but with Willsy on the sidelines, I really wanted to give them some good results. I had strong starts in both races and apart from a crash about halfway through the first race I was able to hold my own against some of the best racers in the country.”

It’s still unclear who DPH Motorsport Husqvarna will field in the premier class for the upcoming Australian Supercross Championship alongside MX2 contender Dylan Wills.