News 19 Apr 2023

Dobson calls for ‘proper race tracks’ in ProMX series

Challenging Wodonga outing sees Serco MX2 rider P13 overall.

Image: Foremost Media.

Serco Yamaha rider Jesse Dobson has called for ‘proper race tracks’ in the Penrite ProMX Championship after questions have been raised regarding the preparation of the venues across the opening rounds.

Wonthaggi was heavily watered prior to bikes on track, and this was taken to the extreme at Appin with treacherous, sloppy conditions to commence the day and moto two taking place on an immensely chopped-out track.

The seven-day forecast showed rainfall across round three at Wodonga, but a decision was made to rip up the track in the build-up to the event. The subsequent softer surface combined with the rainfall in the region made for immensely rutted and muddy conditions across round three.

A mechanical issue meant Dobson was unable to complete the opening MX2 moto in Albury before he was able to salvage P8 in race two for 13th overall. Following the races, the number 14 was among the competitors to express concerns regarding the way tracks have been prepared on this year’s national circuit.

“Not really a racetrack today, it was a bit more of survival, but we are racing dirt bikes I guess,” Dobson explained to MotoOnline.com.au. “It’s a part of it sometimes, it’s kind of annoying when we have had three mud rounds to start the year off, which is pretty shitty.

“Obviously, Appin got baked out at the end of the day, but it was pretty much mud and one line for the start of it, and it was still muddy and one line at the end of the day.

“Today was pretty average for me, had a bike malfunction in the first one when I was coming through the pack, crashed three times on the first lap too. Same thing again [in moto two], did what we could starting from the back of the pack and I think I ended up eighth.”

“It’s kind of tough, but you can kind of catch some people off guard as well because they are all funnelling into the one line, but if you have got some lines out there where you can go around the outside, you can really make some passes easy.

“Then when you start getting to the faster guys it’s a little bit harder to pass, because they will catch onto your lines and whatnot. It was a bit of a heated battle at the end there, some guys were going up the inside of the markers and passing me back, but we got there in the end.

“We will go to the next one, hopefully, it’s a real race track and it’s not a slop pit and we can show what Jesse Dobson is made of. I like Maitland, more mesh start which is good, they usually do a pretty good job with the track there, and yeah, let’s give us some proper racing, some proper race tracks, not this sloppy one-lined crap.”

Dobson is ninth in the 2023 national MX2 standings as the Penrite ProMX Championship moves to Maitland, NSW, for round four between 6-7 May.

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