29 Mar 2010

Kirk Gibbs got his championship campaign off to a flying start taking third place overall in the Pro Lites at the opening round of the Rockstar MX Nationals on his Serco Yamaha YZ250F over the weekend.

Gibbs showed plenty of speed, skill and fitness to round the day out on 60 points and equal second place but is given third on a moto finish count back.

Gibbs looked on song all day taking a good qualifying position and then posting three consistently good finishes, highlighted by the race win in moto two, to stand on the podium and shape as a serious contender in the title chase.

“It’s always good to get the first round out of the way and rack up some good points along the way. I was able to take win in race two when it presented itself and put myself in good positions in the other two. I now have a good basis to mount a championship challenge,” Gibbs explains.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go quite so well for Ford Dale on his long awaited return to racing. Dale again showed blistering speed and qualified in second place, but was met with bad luck in a couple of the motos that saw him finish the day just outside the top 10 in 12th place overall.

“It wasn’t the perfect day for me, but I will take the positives from it and improve my position at the Canberra round. We have 22 races to go, so it’s a long championship and things will only get better from here,” Dale says optimistically.

Team Owner Gavin Eales was also satisfied with what he saw on the track and also looks for big things at round two in Canberra.

“Gibbsy put in a good performance today and deserved his place on the podium. Ford just had some rotten luck, but it was his first national event since April last year, so he will pick it up as we go along and he will be back up front before long.”

Round 1 Results- Horsham

For full results- www.mxnationals.com.au