KTM Motocross Racing Team riders Ford Dale and Kirk Gibbs were second and fourth respectively at the opening round of the New Zealand motocross championships held at Timaru last Saturday the 8th of February.
New Zealands reginig national champion Cody Cooper won the opening round from Dale and Australian based Scotsman Billy Mackenzie, but didn‰Ûªt have it all his own way with Dale setting the fastest qualifying time and winning the day‰Ûªs second moto for a 2, 1, 3 score on the day.
‰ÛÏI'm really happy with how things are going with the bike, The team is bonding really well and these races are awesome I'm so happy to be doing them though I'm not fit enough yet in terms of my intensity but will be on top of our game in time for the Aussie rounds." Dale explained.
"I led about five laps in that first moto but I wore myself out pretty quick. Then in the second I got the holeshot and lead start to finish. I felt really good and made no mistakes.
"In the third I was in stuck in third behind Cooper and Billy and we held the same gap for most of the race." Dale continued. "It was really hard to see when you were behind but I managed to pass Billy toward the end, however on that last lap we came together and I got third.
"I'll spend the next two weeks in New Zealand working on skills with BT, then go home for some more testing. The faster and more knowledgeable I become on the bike the more I can try changing a few things," the Queenslander concluded.
