Popular New South Welshman Lawson Bopping has expressed his interest in continuing in the 2019 Pirelli MX Nationals following a convincing come-back at Wonthaggi yesterday for round two of the series in Victoria.

Filling in for inured talent Dylan Long at Empire Kawasaki, Bopping stunned the field when he led majority of race one before settling for fifth, bouncing back in moto two with a P10 result, granting him fifth overall.

Bopping’s surprise call up for Wonthaggi saw him enter his first outdoor race in three years, with a mystery illness ultimately denying him of pursuing the motocross championship full-time in recent seasons.

With the return of Long still uncertain, the number 70 of Bopping is all-in on piloting the KX450 for as long as required, his performance on Sunday offering added motivation to return to the national circuit.

“For sure, I’d love to,” Bopping answered when MotoOnline.com.au asked if Wonthaggi sparked his interest in returning to the MX Nationals in an extended capacity. “I don’t know what’s going to happen because this is just a one-off race type deal for now, I’ll talk to Tyson [Cherry] this week and see what he wants to do, and see what Longy’s plans are.

“I don’t know how his elbow is going – it’s a shame for him, but I’ll ride their bike for as long as they want to give it to me. I’m onboard – I’ll get some more motos under my belt – surely I’ll be better than that. I can go faster than that as well, so it was a great weekend – it probably doesn’t look great on paper, but I had a lot of fun and it was great to lead some laps.”

Bopping returned to competition last year in the Australian Supercross Championship, joining the series from the second round initially as a privateer aboard Kawasaki equipment before landing a guest ride with CDR Yamaha Monster Energy at the season-finale in Sydney.

The next stop on the MX Nationals calendar is scheduled for 14 April at Broadford in Victoria, with a double-header set to take place in Murray Bridge, South Australia, on 4-5 May.