IT was a weekend former Mount Gambier motocross rider Kirk Gibbs would like to forget, with some tough results in Sunday’s second round of the Australian Motocross Nationals in Wonthaggi, Victoria.
Despite qualifying second, behind Yamaha teammate Luke Clout, Gibbs wrapped up the event with an 8-7 finish for the two motos on the day.
He was in trouble seconds after the gate dropped in both races and was involved in first-lap pile ups which jeopardised his chances of podium finishes.
But it was not all bad news, as other riders also suffered mixed results, with the outcome an overall fourth place for the round.
That saw Gibbs control the points damage somewhat and with a DNF to round one winner Todd Waters in the first moto, Gibbs emerged from the weekend third in the championship standings, four points clear of Waters.
Wet and muddy conditions again provided a challenge, but it was far from the mud bath seen in the opening round.
Gibbs was left disappointed with the result and is determined to bounce back in round three in two week’s time.
“It was not a great day for me and I left pretty frustrated and angry,” he said.
“I was way back in moto one and was moving forward when another rider went down and took me with them and I lost plenty of time there.
“In the second one I went down at the start, had to stop into the mechanics area to get the bike straightened out and was a long way behind the field when I re-joined the race.”
Gibbs managed to chip away and move into seventh and he was happy with how he rode, but will look to improve next round.
It was a brighter story for Clout, who finished second in both motos to finish the round in first place and jump to second in the championship behind KTM rider Hayden Mellross.
The third round will be contested at the Broadford Circuit in Victoria on April 14.
