MX Nationals Shepparton MX1 Report
Kirk Gibbs added another victory to his MX Nationals title defence when he won the eighth round ahead of Todd Waters and Dean Ferris.
The Shepparton round victory went to Kirk Gibbs on 65 points with his 3-1 results, who won the day on a count back with Todd Waters who finished with a 1-3. Ferris took 64 points home with his 2-2 results.
Wilson Coolair Motul Factory Suzuki’s Todd Waters put on a class act performance, biding his time and remaining consistent and smart, to take over the lead in the closing stages of the opening moto, eventually crossing the line and collecting the first race victory of the day, and backed that up with a third in the second bout.
Todd Waters (Suzuki RM-Z450) – 2nd Overall (1-3) – Championship 3rd – 522 points
“Today was a bit hard to swallow, especially finishing in second tied on points for the round overall. I managed to get a win in the first race which was awesome, but in the second one I got a bad start and just missed my rut and came together with another rider. So I’m a bit battered up and sore. I want to be up the front every race battling with the top two guys, so it was just a bit disappointing that I wasn’t able to do that in the second moto. I’m happy that we’re closing in on the points a little bit every weekend, and that’s what we need to do, but as a racer I want to win, so over the next two rounds hopefully we can make that happen.”
Kirk Gibbs, the reigning number one plate holder kicked off the day with the fastest qualifying time, then a victory in Superpole, before going on to take third in the opening moto after a poor start. Gibbs took the holeshot in the second and after an intense battle with championship rival Ferris, went on to win the day and the round, extending his lead over Ferris to nine points.
Kirk Gibbs (KTM 450 SX-F) – 1st Overall (3-1) – Championship 1st – 538 points
“The day was pretty good. I qualified fastest and got Superpole, which is an area I’ve been lacking in the last few rounds. First race I had a really bad start but I pushed hard in the first two laps and got into third. Dean and Todd had a couple of seconds on me and I was fighting hard to stay with them but I got a bit of arm pump. From there, you’ve just got to ride within yourself without crashing. Dean went down and I was in second, but in the last two laps he found some good lines and ended up passing me. In the second I holeshot and lead for the majority of the race, but Dean passed me and he had a really good pace going as well. I just tried to stay with him and he only had a very small buffer in the last laps, but he threw it away with four turns to go and he handed me the win. I don’t like to win that way but I’ll take it. I rode a lot better in that second moto and it’s good to make some points up!”
CDR Yamaha’s Dean Ferris was left to rue what might have been, after making two small but costly mistakes that kept him from the top spot. After a good qualifying session, Ferris was ready to go for race one and instantly slotted himself into the top three as the field charged into their opening lap. He sprinted to the lead and tried to make a gap as his rivals jostled for positions behind him.
15 minutes into the race and Ferris was looking good, holding down the lead but on lap 10 he fell from his machine and as he rushed to get back on the bike, dropped two positions to be third. With time running out in the moto, Ferris desperately clawed his way to the rear wheel of the second placed rider, Kirk Gibbs, and made a bold move to take the spot with just one lap remaining.
Race two saw Gibbs take the early lead but Ferris slowly but surely closed in on the lead and by the half way stage, he was all over Gibbs. With less than a handful of laps remaining, Ferris went from the hunter to the hunted as he moved into the lead and inched out a small gap over his rival.
But on the final lap and with the race seemingly in the bag, Ferris went down, allowing Gibbs to sneak by and pinch the race win.
Dean Ferris (Yamaha YZ450F) – 3rd Overall (2-2) – Championship 2nd – 529 points
“I’m so angry with myself,” Ferris fumed. “I don’t know what else to say! I’m angry, disappointed and a whole heap of other emotions but I’m going to use that to drive me for the final two rounds. I’m better than what happened today and I’m going to prove it at the last two rounds.”
National Pump Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kade Mosig has further consolidated his position near the front of the 2016 MX Nationals championship with a brace of fourth positions at Shepparton keeping him within striking distance of the main championship prize.
After finishing fourth in Super Pole, Mosig and his 2016 KX450F then backed up that result with fourth-place finishes in both 30-minute plus two-lap races.
Kade Mosig (Kawasaki KX450F) – 4th Overall (4-4) – Championship 4th – 437 points
“To be honest I’m not overly pumped with my results today, but I was consistent and fourth position seems to be where I’ve landed myself throughout the year,” Mosig reflected. “I struggled a lot in the first moto but we made some big changes between races and I found a lot of speed and intensity in the second race and could push a bit harder. The pace of the top three riders this year is definitely fast and I’m enjoying trying to find the levels in myself and pushing those levels every week. We’ve got a bit more to find to break into the top three, but I know I can do it and I believe in myself and the team around me. We’ll keep our heads down, work hard, and hopefully we can get on the podium over the next two rounds.”
KTM’s Jesse Dobson again showed his uncanny ability to bounce back from injury straight into a top five position in the premier class, qualifying third fastest in the morning and finishing with 6, 5 results for fifth on the day.
Jesse Dobson (KTM 450 SX-F) – 5th Overall (6-5) – Championship 13th – 209 points
“For my first race in eight weeks it wasn’t too bad – it’s something to build off. First race I was disappointed with – I tried to go a little bit too hard, too fast, and found myself on the ground and pumped up really quick with my arms. That race was a struggle even though I had good speed at the start. In the second I again got off the concrete poorly, but I put myself in a good position and just rode around. I’ve got a lot of work to do to try to be up there with Gibbsy and Dean and Toddy at the moment, they are riding really good. So I’ll work hard in the next three weeks and try really hard to be on the podium in Toowoomba and at Coolum.”
With two rounds remaining, the stage is set for one of the most epic finishes in MX Nationals history with the top three riders in the premier MX1 class separated by just 16 points.
Will it be KTM’s Kirk Gibbs, Yamaha’s Dean Ferris or Suzuki’s Todd Waters that lift the 2016 MX Nationals Title?
Round nine of the 2016 Motul MX Nationals is being held at Toowoomba, on Sunday August 21 before the series then moves back towards the coast for the final showdown at Coolum the following weekend.
Thor MX1 round eight results
- Kirk Gibbs – 65 points
- Todd Waters – 65 points
- Dean Ferris – 64 points
- Kade Mosig – 56 points
- Jesse Dobson – 51 points
- Jacob Wright – 49 points
- Daniel Banks – 46 points
- Joel Green – 46 points
- James Alen – 43 points
- Kurt Gow – 42 points
Thor MX1 Championship Standings
- Kirk Gibbs – 538 points
- Dean Ferris – 529 points
- Todd Waters – 522 points
- Kade Mosig – 437 points
- Matt Moss – 381 points
- Dylan Long – 359 points
- Jacob Wright – 340 points
- Jay Wilson – 320 points
- Michael Menchi– 301 points
- Daniel Banks – 299 points
