IN A WINNING POSITION
Winning championships always presents challenges and there were certainly a few of those at round five of the Australian MX Nationals hosted at the Murray Bridge circuit in South Australia last weekend.
The fast and flowing red clay circuit at Murray Bridge always makes things interesting and this year was no different, with that event marking the series’ halfway point as the riders and teams now enjoy a mid-term break, the championship chase resuming at Nowra, in New South Wales, on July 2.
The break gives riders with any niggling injuries time to recover and teams time to take stick of the opening rounds and make and needed changes.
At the halfway point, Yamaha is in a very strong position in each of the championship classes.
Dean Ferris (CDR Yamaha) has a stranglehold on the MX1 class on board his YZ450F, while Wilson Todd (DPH Motorsport) and Mitch Evans (Serco Yamaha) hold down first and second respectively in the MX2 class.
“We are five rounds in and Dean has won all five and holds a 48-point lead in the championship, so it is very difficult to be critical with our things are going for us,” said CDR Yamaha team boss Craig Dack.
“Dean rode another great race in moto one at Murray Bridge and led every lap so it was a real statement from him and his control in the championship.
“Race two and there was a good battle going on with Dean, Kirk Gibbs and Brett Metcalfe on a fast, rough track and add some rain into that and it was a real motocross race. All three were doing a good speed and it made for a good spectacle.
“But what impressed me most from moto two was that 18 months ago, Dean would have been all out to win it and probably would have gone down. Now he shows real maturity in his racing and he knew that by finishing second, he still wins the round, increases his lead in the championship and we come back to fight another day. He picks his battles better and we are impressed with his development in that area.
“The break will keep us busy and Dean has stated he is going to the US to contest a round of their Nationals so it will be interesting to see where he fits in. I believe he is racing well and is capable of top results but while he is there, CDR Yamaha will keep our focus on winning this championship.”
© Photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com
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MX Nationals Championship Standings – After round 5 of 10
MX1 Class
1st Dean Ferris – 356
2nd Kirk Gibbs – 308
3rd Kade Mosig – 279
4th Todd Waters – 277
5th Luke Styke – 262
6th Kyle Peters – 230
7th Luke Clout – 223
8th Alexsandr Tonkov -218
9th Brett Metcalfe – 173
10th Kieron Hall -173
MX2 Class
1st Wilson Todd – 311 points
2nd Mitchell Evans – 305 points
3rd Hamish Harwood (NZ) – 278 points
4th Jackson Richardson – 278 points
5th Egan Mastin – 277 points
6th Dylan Wills – 242 points
7th Kyle Webster – 233 points
8th Aaron Tanti – 217 points
9th Jayden Rykers – 209 points
10th Richie Evans – 205 points
MX Development (Under-19) Class
1st Jy Roberts – 299
2nd Cody Dyce – 293
3rd Morgan Fogarty – 259
4th Kaleb Barham – 241
5th Isaac Ferguson – 240
6th Hugh Mckay – 226
7th Cooper Pozniak – 225
8th Brodie Ellis – 201
9th Jai Constantinou – 196
10th Sam Pelz – 178