It was his first competition outing on home soil after retiring from international racing.

Joining local riders Derek Grundy and Andy Wilksch, Phillips helped claw back a six-minute lead from the Beta duo of Lincoln Bird and Troy Sheridan, but still finished 10 seconds shy.

“Once we hit the six-hour mark we started gaining back big margins,” Wilksch explained. “With an hour and a quarter to go Matty had clawed it back to be right behind the lead team, then I went out for my last stint.”

But elation suddenly turned to frustration as Wilksch got stuck behind a backmarker on a technical hill.

“I pretty well choked at this point, and just couldn’t get up the hill. This gave the other team a three-minute lead into the last lap where Matty took over and he pulled them back in and went for a pass in the dust and came off.”

Phillips finished his international racing career with a pair of fourth-place finishes during the two-stage German GP held at the end of October. He was fourth overall for the season.

By Kellie Buckley