Image: Foremost Media.

SX1 rookie Jackson Richardson is hopeful of rising to the occasion at this weekend’s Monster Energy AUS-X Open Melbourne as he looks to put a positive end to what has been a challenging Australian Supercross Championship campaign.

The two-time SX2 champion has endured a luckless debut season in the premier class, injuring his foot at Brisbane’s opener before suffering heaving crashes at both Port Adelaide and Wollongong.

The Honda-mounted privateer rebounded at the S-X Open Auckland with a consistent 8-9-11 scorecard for seventh overall, encouraging him to elevate at this Saturday’s prestigious season-finale inside Marvel Stadium.

“New Zealand was a good step in the right direction,” Richardson told MotoOnline.com.au. “Now that I’ve had a week, I’ve actually been able to ride and get some training in, because since the start of the season, I haven’t been able to do too much. It’s good to be able to get some quality bike time in.

“Right up until this point, I haven’t exactly had a stellar performance at the races. This weekend I’m looking forward to putting together a good result and showing everyone what I’ve really been working towards all year and riding where I should be.

“Everything was going well at the start of the season and I was feeling great, but some things just don’t go to plan and things go south. It’s been a rough season, but I’ve rebounded – I’m just looking forward to finishing off strongly and trying to battle for a podium.”

The popular Queenslander is ranked 14th in the Australian Supercross Championship standings, while he’s seventh in the