FORMER Mount Gambier motocross rider Kirk Gibbs now sits equal first at the mid-point of the 2019 New Zealand Motocross MX1 Championships, as he fights to defend his 2018 title.
Gibbs finished 1-2-1 in the second round of the four-round series, which was held in Rotorua on Sunday.
It was the perfect birthday present, as Gibbs celebrated his 30th the day before he geared up for the round.
Heading into the day with a three-point deficit to New Zealander and Yamaha teammate Cody Cooper, Gibbs reversed the results from round one to win the day and sit level on points going into this Sunday’s round in Pukekohe.
Signing with the CDR Yamaha team at the end of last year, Gibbs was involved in some testing in Melbourne last week, before flying back to New Zealand to continue his title defence.
There remains little between Gibbs and Cooper at this stage in the championship, with the latter finishing with a 2-1-2 result on Sunday.
Fellow teammate Kayne Lamont has had a consistent series so far, finishing on the bottom step of the podium in all six MX1 races to sit firmly in third place.
Despite the closeness of their results, Gibbs stated in a post-race interview he and Cooper did not really get to race against each other on the day.
He said either he or Cooper would have a strong start, while the other was slow off the gate and as a result they were never close on the track.
However, Gibbs was pleased with the speed and handling of his relatively new bike and looks forward to round three this weekend on what he described as one of his favourite tracks.
