SD3 Husqvarna rider Brett Metcalfe took a step closer to the Motul MX Nationals winner‰Ûªs circle yesterday when he registered his first podium for the year in tricky conditions at round two of the 2017 championship at Appin.
The experienced 32-year-old international was fourth on the day, behind defending Champion Dean Ferris, Kirk Gibbs and Todd Waters, and importantly found a new setup direction to make the next step forward in track speed.
Metcalfe powered his Husqvarna FC450 to third place during the opening moto, crashed and lost several spots, then regained third to book his podium appearance. He then took a fifth in the rain-affected second race after he was forced to throw his goggles at the halfway mark.
"I struggled a little bit in practice with some settings, but we made huge headway with chassis/suspension relation before that first moto and we got out there and were running good track speed," Metcalfe explained.
"I worked my way up into third and unfortunately crashed and dropped a few spots, but I was able to charge back through by the end and pick up a podium. In the second we ran the same setup and didn‰Ûªt have as good a start but actually salvaged it pretty good, worked through a few spots and got up to third. I had an issue with water getting into the lens of the goggles, and after I finally threw them about half way, I instantly crashed. It was just a mistake on my behalf. I lost a lot of spots, and after that I was just trying to dodge roost and not take an eye out. It was disappointing - I felt like there was another third there that I let slip away, but anyhow‰Û_
"We‰Ûªre making gains, but we‰Ûªve still got a little bit to go. I‰Ûªm happy to come away with a couple of top-fives, but, it isn‰Ûªt what I want at all. We‰Ûªre pushing to try and win some motos here," Metcalfe concluded.
Main Photo: Brett Metcalfe at Appin
Credit: MXN Images
