KIRK Gibbs finally stood tall on the podium’s top step after a solid performance in Round 7 of the MX Nationals Championship in Shepparton on the weekend.
The former Mount Gambier motocross rider has struggled to keep up with the pace of reigning champion and current MX1 450 Pro leader Dean Ferris.
However, he is the only competitor to have beaten him in a moto – doing so on three occasions.
Despite defeating Ferris in two motos before the weekend, the reigning champion had taken every overall victory in the opening six rounds to have an undefeated record.
That all changed on the weekend and with Gibbs firing on all cylinders in recent rounds, he knew an overall victory was in his sights.
Gibbs powered his KTM 450 SX-F to qualify fastest in Shepparton, before battling in the opening moto to win his second race in three rounds.
In contrast, Ferris lost his front end and fell back to 12th before powering up to seventh by the chequered flag.
In the second moto, Gibbs worked his way through the field to move from fifth to second place – behind Ferris – setting the fastest lap of the race in the progress.
His first and second placings on the day allowed him to reduce the gap between himself and Ferris with three rounds of the championships to go.
Gibbs said the victory was both exciting and a relief.
“We knew if we just worked hard and followed our plan, we could put it all together,” he said.
“Both motos were really fast and I battled in both.
“It was pretty tough.
“In that second moto, I lost a few spots and just had to work hard to get back to second.
“I’m really happy with my riding and how it went, for myself and the team.
“Shepparton was a little bit different to the last few years.
“The ruts got really rough and bumpy and it was hard to find good lines out there, but it made for good close racing.”
Gibbs’ KTM Motocross Racing team manager Jay Marmont was pleased with the efforts.
“For the team and everyone that was involved here, that was really good and it was a monkey off Kirk’s back,” he said.
“In the past, Dean’s had that counterpunch every time Gibbsy’s stepped up, but this time, we put him away.”
MX1 Nationals Championship Round 7 results: Kirk Gibbs 67; Dean Ferris 59; Brett Metcalfe 58; Todd Waters 56; Kade Mosig 54; Nathan Crawford 51; Kyle Peters 51; Luke Clout 47; Luke Styke 47; Dylan Long 41.
Championship standings: Dean Ferris 489; Kirk Gibbs 435; Kade Mosig 383; Todd Waters 361; Luke Styke 357; Kyle Peters 327; Luke Clout 324; Brett Metcalfe 297; Nathan Crawford 251; Keiron Hall 233.
