GASGAS Racing Team’s Kirk Gibbs and Byron Dennis have both opened their 2024 account with top 10 finishes at Wonthaggi, but the promise is there for the pair to build upon leading into the coming rounds. And for MX2 rookie Dennis, a spectacular third-place score in moto one saw him steal the show early on!
In his first outing with GASGAS Racing Team and equipped with the new generation 2024 GASGAS MC 450F, the ever-experienced Gibbs got things underway with an encouraging sixth-fastest qualifying time, then featured towards the front of the pack at the start of the opening MX1 encounter.
Former national MX1 champion Gibbs rounded the first turn in fifth and held down that position for a good portion of the moto, before he tightened up and dropped multiple places late in the race to finish eighth.
It was a similar story in the second moto, where he was the sixth rider through the first turn, and hung on around the increasingly technical, rough Victorian track to claim another P8 result and finish the day in ninth position overall.
In MX2, last year's MX3 champion Dennis made his mark in his debut ride in the professional ranks. The 17-year-old qualified fourth fastest and then charged to a head-turning third-place finish on his 2024 GASGAS MC 250F in moto one, despite a late mishap that almost cost him a podium!
Unfortunately, the day ended prematurely for Dennis in the second MX2 encounter of the weekend, sidelined early on in a frustrating turn of events for our newest young recruit. Still, he ended the day ninth overall, and took a lot of confidence out of his first showing with the GASGAS Racing Team.
Also lining up with GASGAS Racing Team support this season, Ky Woods starred in the first MX3 race of the new year to take a moto win, until a crash later this afternoon dashed his hopes of the overall. As a result, Woods was credited eighth position for the weekend.
The next round of the 2024 Australian ProMX Championship will be held at the hard-pack circuit of Horsham in Victoria on Sunday, April 7.
Kirk Gibbs: "It was a very tough day for me, but I’m in one piece and it was a fun first weekend with the GASGAS Racing Team aside from the end result! I just struggled with the track – I guess a lot of people did – but I know my set-up was actually pretty good. We’ll keep our heads up, trust the process and head to Horsham where I know I’ll do better."
Byron Dennis: "It was a pretty good weekend for my first national MX2 race. I had a really good first moto – I got a good start and rode through a few riders and ended up P3. I felt really good on the bike and had a lot of confidence. In the second moto, we had an unfortunate issue on the first lap and caused us to DNF. We’ll sort that out with the boys and come out swinging at Horsham, so I'm super-excited to get going again!"