A crowded schedule is part of Luke Clout’s strategy as he campaigns for a maiden premier class crown in the Pirelli MX Nationals this season.

The former MX2 champion, a title-contender on the championship-winning CDR Yamaha Monster Energy team, has been challenging a selection of local events in New South Wales, which he intends to maintain throughout the year to form a weekly racing schedule.

The talented number four is adamant the newly-implement strategy is currently paying off, ensuring the return to competitiveness at the highest level domestically is natural and seamless once the MX Nationals kicks off next week at Appin in New South Wales.

“Last year I did a few small races, but I was kind of just doing my own thing and not really getting behind the gate,” Clout explained to MotoOnline.com.au. “This year I wanted to do more local races and familiarise myself with racing and being around other riders.

“The seasons starts a little earlier this year, so I wanted to get into it early, get going and try race week in, week out – I don’t want be racing nationals and then waiting a week before racing again – I want to be racing week to week so I’m consistent and can work on everything.”

Piloting the title-proven YZ450F alongside Kirk Gibbs in 2019, and under the guidance of Craig Dack, Clout is beaming with confidence, expressing he’s in a strengthened mental and physical state.

“To be honest, I feel the best I’ve ever felt – that just comes down to everything. Obviously being with CDR – that’s a big confidence booster in itself to be picked up by Dacka – and just with how good the bike is and how good I’m gelling with the bike – it’s really coming naturally to me.

“I’m working hard off the bike – I have personal trainer now, and we’ve been working really hard on some weaknesses. I’m definitely in a better spot than last year – mentally and physically, I’m in a much better state.”

Tim Gajser says discovering his flow in the final outing of Argentina’s opening round of the 2019 MXGP World Championship enabled him to enjoy his time out on-track.

The former world champion made strong start to his campaign, finishing second in both motos for runner-up honours, falling short to nine-time world champion Antonio Cairoli (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).

“I’m really happy to start the season strongly with a podium, and to feel really good on the track,” said Gajser. “In the first race I didn’t get the best of starts and it took me a couple of laps to find a good rhythm and to find the nice lines but once I did that, I passed a lot of the guys in front of me and finished in second.

“That was a great way to start the season off. Then in second moto, it was even better as I almost took the holeshot and I led for a lap but I was riding tight and not enjoying my riding so Romain (Febvre) and Toni (Cairoli) passed me. After this, I found my rhythm and found the flow around the track and was able to move into second and just start enjoying riding again.

“Two second places is a good start to the season and I’m really looking forward to the next races. A big thanks to the whole team around me, who help me out and put together this amazing CRF450RW.”

Team Honda HRC manager Marcus Pereira de Freitas spoke positively of the Slovenian’s efforts, commending him for positioning himself strongly in the title hunt in just the initial stages.

“It was great to see Tim lead the qualifying race and part of the second moto today, and to just see him riding to his true potential,” Pereira de Freitas. “Already he showed that the Honda CRF450RW is very fast out of the gate and has the speed to lead the best riders in the world, and to leave here in the championship hunt is exactly what we hoped after the first round.”

The 19-stop series heads to Matterley Basin in Great Britain for round two, scheduled on 24 March.

Enduring a technical problem in qualifying at Argentina’s opening round of the 2019 MXGP World Championship wasn’t a concern for Antonio Cairoli, as he bounced back on Sunday for two race victories and the overall.

The issue ultimately forced him to retire from Saturday’s heat race, granting him 28th gate pick for both of Sunday’s outings. Despite the poor gate choice, the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider managed to string together two strong starts before sealing victory.

“I’m really happy about this race because we unfortunately had a problem yesterday and on this track the start is really important because there is not much difference between the riders and the lap-times,” the nine-time world champion explained.

“I did my best to get to the front both times and it worked – I was in the top ten and could manage to work my way through. It was a nice race and nice event. So many fans, it is like being in Italy for me!”

The Italian ace was joined on the podium by Tim Gajser (Honda HRC) and Jeremy van Horebeek (Honda SR Motoblouz). The next stop on the MXGP calendar is scheduled for 24 March at Matterley basin in Great Britain.

Eli Tomac has attributed a lacklustre start to his sixth place finish in Saturday night’s main event for the ninth round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship in Atlanta.

The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider, who stood atop the podium just one week earlier in Detroit, endured difficulty coming through the field at the challenging circuit, finishing up outside the top five while increasing the gap to the leaders in the championship classification.

“I was feeling great all day, especially with the fastest lap time in qualifying,” Tomac explained. “I made a few errors in my heat race but still felt confident heading into the main, I just wasn’t able to get out in front off the gate and it really cost me.

“I’m glad we were able to make up some positions and wrap up the first half of the season healthy. I’m really looking forward to Daytona next weekend, it’s definitely one of my favourite tracks and a great one to kick off the second half of the series.”

The two-time Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross 450MX champion has experience a mixed season in the first nine rounds, winding up on the podium four times with two wins to his name.

Clement Desalle has piloted the all-new 2019-spec Kawasaki KX450-SR to fourth overall in its maiden MXGP World Championship outing at Neuquen in Argentina over the weekend.

The Monster Energy Kawasaki Factory Racing prepared machine boasts a major overhaul and significant upgrades from its predecessor, already proving its worth on the world stage.

Desalle, a long-time Kawasaki contender, recorded a 4-6 scorecard, forced to come from last in the final encounter to finish just two points shy of the overall podium.

“It was a solid weekend and it was great to be back racing GPs as you can’t find these conditions when you train,” said Desalle. “We saw that we have a great new bike and Julien proved the performance at the starts. I scored a fourth position in the first moto – the rhythm was really high and I finished not so far from the top three.

“I’m just disappointed with the second start – I had a good jump off the gate but they ripped the ground in the first corner and I was surprised in a rut and touched handlebars with another rider.

“I was last but I came back to sixth, which is not so bad as my front brake lever was bent in the crash. It’s good to be going back home fourth in the series – we now have three weeks to work on small details we have learnt at this first GP.”

Nine-time world champion Antonio Cairoli (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) took out top honours ahead of Tim Gajser (Honda HRC) and Jeremy van Horebeek (Honda SR Motoblouz). The next stop on the MXGP calendar is scheduled for 24 March at Matterley basin in Great Britain.

German contender Ken Roczen has labelled Atlanta’s circuit for round nine of the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship as one of the toughest this season.

Offering up a soft and rutted surface, the Team Honda HRC rider explained the soil presented high risks in attempting new rhythms throughout the track, resulting in a more cautious outing from the number 94.

Roczen, who still maintains second in the championship classification, crossed the line in P4 at the conclusion of Saturday’s 26-lap main event.

“Going into Atlanta, I was feeling a lot better than I have the past two weeks from the flu,” Roczen commented. “We came into the race with a little different suspension setting, so I was excited to try that but the track was one of the toughest. It was really soft and rutted so it was risky trying something new in those conditions, when you don’t know 100 percent what the bike is going to do.

“In the heat race, I got an okay start but was fully pinched off in the first turn, so that messed me up a bit and I was only able to finish seventh. In the main event, I was on the far outside and grabbed a good start. I had to jump a different rhythm than most the other guys in the first lane and got passed, so I went straight back to sixth.

“I moved into fifth then got stuck behind [Aaron] Plessinger for a while. I spent way too much time trying to get around him, then when I did after he went down, I couldn’t really do anything from there so I just rode a solid race and got fourth. I’m really looking forward to Daytona. It’s obviously the first time I’ve raced there in a long time, so it should be good.”

The main was taken out by red-plate holder Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), joined on the podium by Blake Baggett (Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM) and Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).

Frenchman Marvin Musquin believes he was in for a stronger race at Atlanta’s ninth round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship on Saturday night.

The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing positioned himself second early on in the main event, apply pressure to eventual winner and teammate Cooper Webb, however a mistake in the closing stages saw him relinquish P2 to Blake Baggett (Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM) and ultimately had to settle for third.

Musquin is yet to taste victory in the 2019 season, however he’s been extremely consistent, landing on the podium six times in the first nine rounds.

“It felt like it was going to be a better race for me,” Musquin admitted. “I had a great start so I was running second, which was good but I was eating a lot of sand in the sand section it was definitely tough.

“I was pushing really hard – I was better than Cooper in some areas of the track, so I was able to really put pressure on him in some areas but then I would go through the sand and I had to go in the main line because it was the safest and the quickest line but you kind of had to follow.

“I made a mistake and went off the main line and then Baggett got me. At this point, I just could not make the pass on Blake, even though I showed some really good speed. It’s only a third place tonight and I’m not very happy with the result.”

The AMA Supercross series heads to Daytona International Speedway this weekend for the 10th stop of tour.

Former MX2 world champion Pauls Jonass has expressed satisfaction in the decision to line-up for yesterday’s opening round of the 2019 MXGP World Championship, marking his debut in the premier class.

The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider experienced a shortened pre-season after undergoing knee surgery at the conclusion of his 2018 campaign, casting doubt over his entry for last weekend’s opener.

Transitioning both to 450 machinery and the Husqvarna brand for 2019, Jonass pieced together a respectable 10-9 scorecard for 10th overall at the Neuquen circuit in Argentina, forming a strong base to build from this year.

“Considering the limited time I had on the bike during the off-season, I am really happy with my results here in Argentina,” Jonass commented. “I had two decent motos, made no mistakes and learnt a lot. This was my first race in the MXGP class on the FC 450 and everything was new for me.

“I have to take this experience and continue working to become a better 450 rider. The races in this class are a lot more intense and also the starts are massively important for each moto. I’m happy we took the decision to come here in Argentina and I’m motivated to get back to work as soon as we return to Europe.”

Nine-time world champion Antonio Cairoli (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) took out both motos for the overall, joined on the podium by Tim Gajser (Honda HRC) and Jeremy van Horebeek (Honda SR Motoblouz).

A suspension adjustment made prior to the night show at Atlanta’s ninth round of the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship has led to Aaron Plessinger’s best finish since entering the premier class this season.

The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing rider admits he struggled in the initial practice sessions, however a change of setting to his rear shock offer him the comfort needed to experience a strong evening out on-track, winding up a respectable fifth in the main event despite a late-race mishap.

“Atlanta supercross was pretty awesome,” Plessinger stated. “I was struggling in the first practices a little bit, but we made a little shock change and it was definitely for the better. I qualified thirteenth and went into the heat race with a pretty good gate pick.

“I came out pretty bad on the start, but I made it work and was able to come back to fifth. Then the main event, I lined up in a pretty good spot and yanked a really good start. I was running fourth for a while and crashed right in the sand, then got up in fifth and stayed there.

“We made a lot of steps in the right direction. I’m really, really excited about tonight and looking forward to Daytona next weekend!”

Jim Perry, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s team manager, added: “It was a great night for Aaron Plessinger. He started the day off in a good place and made improvements throughout the day in practice. He built on that with a solid heat race and got off to a great start in the main event and rode with the lead pack for half the race.

“Unfortunately, he had a small tip-over in the deep sand, but got up and continued to charge on and rounded out the top five. He’s been working really hard and with a good start tonight it showed and paid off.”

The main event was won by points leader Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) ahead of Blake Baggett (Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM) and Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).

Queenslander Mitch Evans has landed on the podium while making his debut in the 2019 MX2 World Championship yesterday at Neuquen in Patagonia Argentina, marking an incredible start to his full-time international career.

The Team Honda 114 Motorsports rider demonstrated strong form in Saturday’s qualifying race, charging to an inspiring sixth place result to kick-start the year.

He returned to the circuit on Sunday in supreme form, placing fifth in the opening encounter before racing to an impressive third in the final outing, granting him the final position on the podium.

“I couldn’t be any happier, I didn’t really know what to expect being my first GP,” Evans explained. “I enjoyed every moment of it, it was awesome being here, the fans were awesome so I really enjoyed it. I knew the work that we put in during the off-season and the pre-season races, that we had if I got good starts, I could run with these boys.”

Calvin Vlaanderen (Honda HRC) and Henri Jacobi (F&H Racing Team) were fourth and fifth respectively – both tied on points with Evans for third, with the Australian being credited the higher place on countback.

The overall win was taken out by reigning world champion Jorge Prado (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) ahead of Thomas Kjer Olsen (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing).