KIRK Gibbs was back to his dominating self with a race victory to finish second overall in Round 5 of the MX Nationals at Murray Bridge on Sunday.
KTM Factory Motocross Racing Team’s Gibbs powered his KTM 450 SX-F to third in the opening moto, but was able to bounce back in the second to edge out MX1 450 pro points leader Dean Ferris to cross the line first.
Gibbs qualified first, but then made a mistake in the SuperPole, ending up fifth.
However, he was able to bounce back when it counted.
In the first race, Gibbs was able to claim the holeshot, but went wide and Ferris snuck up the inside, while the former Mount Gambier rider was sprayed with dirt by some of the lappers.
As a result Gibbs was forced to take off his goggles and could not stick behind Brett Metcalfe, which forced him to finish in third.
The holeshot in the second moto also went to Gibbs and this time he was able to stick in and maintain the lead for the full race.
With the result, Gibbs further shored up his second position in Australia’s premier motocross championship, and underlined his determination to be the man to break the winning streak of runaway leader Ferris.
“It was good to get another moto win, but obviously I’m chasing that first overall,” he said.
“The track formed up a little bit weird after the few showers we had, so the ruts formed up a bit funny and didn’t really flow that well.
“It’s frustrating to keep giving away points there, but we’re all working on that.”
Gibbs said he was happy with his starts, with the weekend’s results showing good signs for the future.
“In the first race I got a good start, but I rode really tight and got arm pump instantly and just didn’t flow,” he said.
“The second was a lot better.
“I just got out front and rode clean and smart.
“It was hard with lappers and as soon as I made any kind of mistake I would have those guys right up on me, but still, much better to be fighting at the front.
“We’ve worked really hard on starts lately, so hopefully this is the start of a turnaround.”
