MXoN - Australian update

Friday 27 September: Todd Waters, Brett Metcalfe and Dean Ferris are representing Australia - Waters in the MX Open category, Metcalfe MX1 and Ferris MX2.

From Motorcycling Australia:

Gary Benn, Team Manager: "Selection was extremely difficult this year but Australia will be well represented by Metcalf, Ferris and Waters. These guys are in amazing form at the moment and were a natural pick to represent the Aussies on the motocross world stage. Of course we’re disappointed Chad withdrew his nomination, he is, without a doubt an outstanding rider and Aussie legend, having represented the country at the MXoN many times in previous years.”

MX1: Brett Metcalfe
Motocross warrior and Kawasaki rider Brett Metcalfe proved recently just how in form he is by taking out the 2013 Canadian Motocross Championship recently.

Monster Energy/Parts Canada/Leading Edge Kawasaki’s Brett Metcalfe. Photo courtesy of Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.

Todd Waters from Motorex KTM Team

Waters was 2013 MX Nationals vice champion and won four rounds this year. He moved to Europe several weeks ago to begin setting up after earning a factory ride in next year’s World MX1 championship.

Rob Twyerould: "The Motocross Des Nations is something special, I’ve been to five of them and the most amazing one was in France. The fans were that dense you could hardly walk from the pits to the start line and, rather than clapping, they just used air-horns or chainsaws with the chain removed. The noise was so intense you couldn’t even hear the bikes on the start line, just air-horns. Then the fans would follow their favourite riders around the course with blasts of noise like a Mexican wave of sound. It was quite amazing. Riding in the Des Nations is incredibly important to Todd and he’s worked hard all year always with an eye towards representing Australia. Last year’s event was the one that showcased him to the world and I’m sure it was a factor in him getting his ride for next year so this year it will be even more special.

He’s had a fantastic lead-up staying in Europe and I think he will feel pretty comfortable, like he belongs with the rest of world’s top riders. He will go in with his eyes open and no expectations other than giving his best performance. From all reports it’s all going to hinge on the start on that track, but at the Des Nations you always need a big dose of good luck. Every team seems to have some sort of issue or drama, there’s always high drama but if the three boys can get a clean start and complete every race they’re always in contention for a podium, I truly believe that."

Todd Waters. Image: iKapture

Todd Waters: "Things have been great over here. I’ve been working on getting myself all set up for next year, but this weekend I'm really excited about. We have been putting in the hard work and have been bonding with the team just great, so the goal this weekend is to work like clockwork. I did get to ride a couple of days with Dean."

From mxvice.com

Words by Lewis Phillips

Team Australia is going in under the radar – they could do some serious damage, in my opinion. Why have Australia not been talked about? Well they will not have their greatest rider, Chad Reed. So, immediately fans presume they won’t be a podium threat without him. However, I would not be surprised at all to see them stood on the box, at the end of the weekend. Metcalfe , Ferris and Waters are a strong squad on paper, evidently.

In his rare American Motocross rides this year, Brett Metcalfe has shown that he has not lost any of his speed, hence why he is a strong rider to lead the Australians into Teutschenthal. In all honesty, I am sceptical about how strong his machinery will be. Recently, Metcalfe posted a picture of some parts that were being shipped over for the race. So it doesn’t look like they are lending him a factory-supported machine, which surely would have helped his cause. It is going to be interesting to see how he fares after a year in Canada, as Brett hasn’t had a lot of time to compare himself against some of his rivals in the AMA series.

Dean Ferris. Photo courtesy of Yamaha Motor Europe N.V.

Dean Ferris has not represented his nation before, so the experience will be new to him. However, the fact that he now has a year’s experience in the MXGP series will aid him I feel, as the whole weekend is not too dissimilar to a normal round of the FIM Motocross World Championship. Admittedly, the MX2 class at the MXdN is going to be more stacked than it usually is in MXGP – but, I still think that he can finish inside of the top five in the individual classification.

Todd Waters is the unknown quantity on the Australian Motocross des Nations squad. But, I am actually quite excited to see how Todd will fare, as he is certainly capable of great things. In 2012, Waters finished eighth overall in the Open class individual classification, which is by no means a lacklustre finish. Obviously, the deep sands of Lommel were foreign to Todd. So I think that he will be much closer to the front of the pack on Sunday; he is fast enough to end up inside the five individually.

You might be wondering why Todd Waters was chosen over the 2013 Australian National champion, Matt Moss? Well, Matt actually didn’t want to go; he chose to focus on the Terex Australian Supercross Championship, which conflicts with the MXdN. I believe that Waters is the faster rider, anyway, as he had a commanding lead early in the season. In fact, you could argue that Todd only lost the title, because of a concussion suffered, mid-season. However, I digress, what I’m getting at here is that Australia has a very strong squad – they shouldn’t be overlooked in the pre-race bench racing, as they may just surprise you.