IT will be a big change for former Mount Gambier motocross star Kirk Gibbs, who has just been announced as the new rider for the CDR Yamaha team for the 2019 Australian MX Nationals season.
The move comes after six years with the KTM factory team.
Gibbs takes the place of MX Nationals championship rider Dean Ferris, who won the last three titles with the CDR Yamaha team, but has moved to the USA to compete.
Gibbs told The Border Watch this week he was excited about the change of manufacturer and joining the number one team in the paddock aboard a YZ450F Yamaha.
“It just came at a perfect time really,” he said.
“Talking to Craig Dack (team owner) and the Yamaha team, everything gelled so it was good to make the move and make a change.”
Gibbs is no stranger to the brand either, having spent time in a Yamaha seat in his younger years and has already adjusted well to the new machinery in testing.
“I spent many years on Yamahas,” he said.
“I have ridden the new bike a few times now and feel really comfortable.
” I have already done two days testing with the team and they are really supportive.
“Everything is going smoothly.
“I feel I am fitting in well, everyone is excited to have me there and I am also excited to go there.”
While CDR Yamaha and Ferris have been a successful combination, Gibbs said he is confident to step in and continue that himself.
“They were very successful for three years in a row and had won many races,” he said.
“That is something I look forward to try to do myself.
“With Craig and the team, it is an amazing outfit.”
Gibbs said the last few years he felt there were a few small things missing which thwarted his efforts to take the challenge up to Ferris consistently.
He said this new bike and team should certainly make a difference to his 2019 season assault.
“I think to slot in here on that bike will do that,” he said.
“I think I will be able to get better and be a better rider for years to come.”
Injuries have plagued Gibbs in recent seasons, which have also contributed to his performances.
A broken hip and pelvis set him back for around four months in 2016, while the following year a broken femur also slowed his progress.
In 2018 he did not have any real injuries, but did have a rod removed from his leg, which cost him another six to seven weeks off the bike.
“The injuries played a factor in my performance, but not a huge amount,” Gibbs said.
“But you do lose a lot of base fitness when you get injured.
“Two years in a row having big injuries like that sort of kills you to try to get back to where you were before the injuries, instead of progressing.”
With those set-backs behind him Gibbs is simply looking to the future with renewed vigour.
He first heads across the Tasman at the end of January, 2019 to contest the New Zealand Motocross Championships – which he won last season – before launching his assault on the Australian title.
Gibbs said with the testing he has already done on the bike, he was keen to take to the dirt in earnest.
“I’m really happy with where we are at this early stage,” he said.
“It is good to work with Craig in such a professional outfit, then going across to New Zealand I will be riding with Josh Coppins.
“Josh was a world-stage rider and came close to winning a world title, then got injured.
“He is an amazing person to work under so I am looking forward to that.
“I feel I have been on the back foot the last couple of years, so I just want to get on the front foot and be the one who takes it to everyone.”
