Round three of the Australian Motocross Championships head to the circuit at Broadford in Victoria this weekend and the 10-round series heads into the “meaty” middle stages.

Quickly approaching the mid-way point of the season, the question continues to be asked ‘Who has what it takes to take out the 2015 MX Nationals Championship?’

With that in mind, fans have already seen six different overall winners across the three main classes, cementing the fact that the depth of talent this year is unprecedented.

Today, we took a closer look at the Monster MX1 Class to compare notes, and see who really has what it takes to make the 2015 MX Nationals crown theirs.

Kirk Gibbs, 1st

Despite finishing a close second to Matt Moss in 2014, Kirk Gibbs actually equaled Moss on overall round wins last year – both claiming three rounds each. At Raymond Terrace in 2014, Gibbs had the opportunity to potentially snatch the championship from Moss but was unable to put together the results he needed when it counted. This year looks like it’s going to be a completely different story – Gibbs has already claimed one round overall at Horsham and a second overall at Appin, to provide him with a 14-point lead in the championship on Kade Mosig. One Superpole win, a round win, two race wins, and the red plate under his belt, Gibbs has put himself in the perfect position to maintain his championship heading into Broadford this weekend.

Kade Mosig, 2nd

CDR Yamaha made a smart investment when they snatched up Kade Mosig for the 2015 season. In 2014, Mosig’s results on paper are not even close to being reflective of what the Victorian racer is capable of (anyone remember the two mechanical DNF’s he copped at the last round at Coolum last year?). This season, Mosig has solidified his spot as a deserving front-runner in the MX1 class. Currently sitting in second in the championship standings, Mosig has proved that consistency is key, doing exactly what needs to be done in order to make steady progress at each round. After claiming his second career overall win at Appin, our tip is that Mosig will be continuing with that winning momentum and could potentially be standing on the top step when the MX Nationals gets to Coolum in August.

Luke Styke, 3rd

The last thing most people will remember of Luke Styke was when he completely annihilated the MX2 class in 2013. Next to no one could get near him, and when he set off for Europe last year, most thought we wouldn’t see him back on Australian soil again. One year later, and Styke is back at home and backed by Factory KTM for the 2015 season. Having stepped up to the MX1 class this year, Styke had his work cut out for him in finding his feet in an absolutely stacked field. But despite the class being full of talent, Styke seems to have slotted in perfectly. Finishing the last two rounds on third step on the podium, Styke has exceeded expectations and is well on the way to either finishing 2015 on the podium, or with an MX1 championship.

Lawson Bopping, 4th

There is no doubt that over the years Lawson Bopping has shown Australia what he is capable of, however it seems as through he has never stuck around long enough to show anyone his full potential. This year the DPH Yamaha backed rider has launched himself back onto the MX Nationals scene. From earning a spot in GoPro Superpole at round one, to finishing within the top five in three out of four races so far this season, there is no doubt about it, in 2015 Boppo is back.

Adam Monea, 5th

The Victorian rider has not exactly kicked off his 2015 campaign as most would have expected. Finishing outside the top five in all four motos so far this season, Monea has some work to do over the next eight rounds of the MX Nationals if he wants to chase down a championship. What Monea does have however, is raw speed. The Kawasaki Factory rider claimed second in GoPro SuperPole at Appin, proving there is no doubt, that if he can get a start that he has what it takes to contest for this year’s championship. Currently sitting in fifth behind Lawson Bopping, Monea will need to take advantage of the Victorian rounds where he generally performs best in order to keep his hunt for the title alive.

Cody Cooper, 6th

The Kiwi MX1 champion had the match of Gibbs and Styke in New Zealand earlier this season and he should never be written off. A long-time campaigner in Australia, he is familiar with all the circuits he’ll encounter and he has strong backing from Penrite Honda, so it’s probably just a matter of having the planets lining up for Cooper to strike.

Dan Reardon, 9th

What retirement? It was no surprise to fans at round one to see CDR Yamaha’s Daniel Reardon claim a top five in the first race of the day – the guy has always been fast. But in moto two at Appin, not only did Reardon launch off the start gate and take a commanding race lead, but the old boy managed to sustain his lead for a solid 30-minutes and claim his first race win of 2015. To say that win was a fluke would be completely unfair, especially with the depth of talent in the MX1 class this year. Reardon has won championships, raced overseas and is still in his 20’s (only just) making him the perfect contender for a 2015 title. After all, prior to the season commencing many big industry names tipped Reardon to take out this year’s MX1 Championship. Could this former retiree be your 2015 MX1 Champion?

© Photos by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

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MX1 class championship points

1) Kirk Gibbs – 141 points

2) Kade Mosig – 127 points

3) Luke Styke – 120 points

4) Lawson Bopping – 113 points

5) Adam Monea – 99 points

6) Cody Cooper – 98 points

7) Jesse Dobson – 95 points

8) Dylan Long – 93 points

9) Daniel Reardon – 87 points

10) Kale Makeham – 87 points

MX2 class championship points

1) Luke Clout – 130 points

2) Jay Wilson – 127 points

3) Jed Beaton – 118 points

4) Takeshi Katsuya – 113 points

5) Nathan Crawford – 109 points

6) Wade Hunter – 95 points

7) Dylan Wills – 93 points

8) Rhys Carter – 93 points

9) Luke Arbon – 82 points

10) Hamish Harwood – 82 points