1 Aug 2011

After nine rounds and 35 individual races, Serco Yoshimura Yamaha’s Kirk Gibbs came up an agonizing 10 points short of his first major professional national motocross championship after the final round  concluded at Coolum Pines circuit over the weekend.

Gibbs hit the track for the opening moto looking to close the 33 point gap to the championship leader over the ensuing four races and be crowned the 2011 Pro Lites MX Nationals Champion. After the two morning motos, that gap had been halved as Gibbs posted 2-1 finishes while Matt Moss battled inside the top 10.

The tension was high and the pressure was on both riders in the final two races.

Moto three saw Moss and Gibbs out front and battle all the way to the finish. Moss held off a valiant effort from Gibbs and gave himself some breathing room as they lined up for the final moto.

When the gate dropped for the championship deciding moto it was all Gibbs. He ran away from the field and dominated the final moto to win the round with 2-1-2-1 results but ultimately not enough to take the championship as Moss circulated in a comfortable fifth position to secure the championship.

“I did all I could do,” Gibbs stated from the podium. “I had to win the round and as many races as I could so I am happy I was able to achieve that goal. But I can’t control what the other riders do and Matt was able to get enough points to win the championship, so well done to him.”

“Overall it’s been another great year on the Serco Yoshimura Yamaha team and we really fought this one down to the final race of the championship. The team again provided great support and I couldn’t do it without them,” Gibbs trails off.

Guest rider Luke Styke showed he was worth the effort as he posted fifth overall for the round in a good bounce back to form after the Moree round. Again Styke qualified well but this week was able to turn his good qualifying speed into race conditions and finished the round in fifth place and the championship in 10th.

“I am pretty happy with the way things went today. My starts were a lot better and I was able to hang with the guys up the front for longer periods of the race.”

“With the championship over, my time with Serco is done and it has been a great experience for me. The team is ultra professional and the bikes are awesome, so a huge thank you to Gavin, Michael and Adam for the help and support at the final two rounds.”

Round Results – Coolum

MOTUL PRO LITES FINAL 2011 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1 Matt Moss 638 Points
2 Kirk Gibbs 628 Points
3 Phil Nicoletti 544 Points
4 Brenden Harrison 533 Points
5 Kade Mosig 529 Points
6 Daniel McCoy 518 Points
7 Josh Cachia 480 Points
8 Justin McDonald 464 Points
9 Cody Mackie 454 Points
10 Luke Styke 437 Points