Kyogle’s Dean Ferris has a huge lead in the premier MX1 championship after another dominant performance at round eight of the Australian MX Nationals, held at Port Macquarie, and he’ll be looking to further strengthen his grip on the title at round nine at Toowoomba this weekend.

With the CDR Yamaha man 75 points in front, it means he is over a full round ahead of his rivals, means Ferris has the opportunity to lock up the championship at the penultimate round at Toowoomba’s Echo Valley circuit on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Kiwi Hamish Harwood (KTM) will be looking to improve his position from fourth overall in the MX2 class. He is also an MX1 class battler – where he is currently 19th overall – but has been coping with injury and will likely concentrate on the MX2 class this weekend.

Ferris was again in fine form at Port Macquarie and showed exactly why he has built up such a huge lead in the MX1 class over the first eight rounds. It was a clean sweep of every point available at Port Macquarie as Ferris was the fastest qualifier in the Superpole Lap, then went on to win both motos in a wheel perfect day.

With a maximum of 73 points available at each round, a good round at Toowoomba just might be enough to secure the championship win for the second time in a row, but the down to earth Ferris isn’t getting ahead of himself.

“The weekend went really well for me and it’s not often that a rider gains maximum points in the MX1 class as the competition is so tough,” Ferris explains. “It was great that I was able to build on my championship lead but racing dirt bikes is a tough game and it requires a lot of dedication, focus and determination to succeed and we still have two rounds, four races, to compete and they require my full attention. It’s not over and myself and the CDR Yamaha team take nothing for granted.

“For me, nothing changes at the final two rounds, there is still points on the line and races to be won. I want to continue to develop as a rider and that means continuing to push myself and become a better rider each time I race.”

This weekend’s round in the series hits the rolling red clay hills of Toowoomba and Ferris has had plenty of success there in the past and lists the track as one of his favourites.

“I have spent a fair bit of time in Toowoomba and I love riding Echo Valley. The hills and the ruts make it a challenge and it is a difficult track to master. Each year we go there, the track forms a bit differently and it keeps you on your toes,” he continued.

Dylan Long notched another top 10 result on the weekend and again showed improved speed and fitness on his return from injury. Long landed with 12-7 results but proved to be a lot more competitive than his first two outings since his return.

Long fell early in moto one and lost considerable time before scrambling back to 12th but was determined to improve in race two.

And he did exactly that. Long sat in sixth place until the mid-way point of the 30-minute race before slipping back to seventh. He maintained that position to the end and it was just the confidence boost the talented rider needed.

“You don’t realise how much being sidelined sets you back and I have had to work hard to get my fitness back,” Long begins. “I’m still not back to where or was or where I need to be but I felt I turned a corner in moto two and it was a much better performance that gives me the belief that I’m heading in the right direction.

“We still have two rounds to go and my goal is to get back inside the top five by the end of the year,” he said.

The tenth and final round is at Coolum a week later.

Photo courtesy MXN

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Thor MX1 450 Pro class standings:

Thor MX1 Championship Standings after Round 8 – Top 20

1       Dean Ferris 562 Points

2       Kirk Gibbs 487 Points

3       Kade Mosig 436 Points

4       Todd Waters 421 Points

5       Luke Styke 408 Points

6       Luke Clout 378 Points

7       Kyle Peters 371 Points

8       Brett Metcalfe 350 Points

9       Nathan Crawford 304 Points

10     Joel Green 267 Points

11     James Alen 253 Points

12     Lachlan Davis 239 Points

13     Keiron Hall 233 Points

14     Zak Small 218 Points

15     Aleksandr Tonkov 218 Points

16     Brodie Sims 206 Points

17     Dylan Long 203 Points

18     Izak Maule 195 Points

19     Hamish Harwood 194 Points

20     Daniel Banks 162 Points

 

Motul MX2 class standings:

Motul MX2 Championship Standings after Round 8 – Top 20

1       Wilson Todd 490 Points

2       Egan Mastin 477 Points

3       Mitchell Evans 476 Points

4       Hamish Harwood 427 Points

5       Kyle Webster 399 Points

6       Dylan Wills 381 Points

7       Jayden Rykers 371 Points

8       Jackson Richardson 365 Points

9       Richie Evans 350 Points

10     Joel Evans 281 Points

11     Ricky Latimer 246 Points

12     Tomas Ravenhorst 245 Points

13     Aaron Tanti 232 Points

14     Jayden Conforto 186 Points

15     Jarrod Kelly 166 Points

16     Lochie Latimer 164 Points

17     Calib Best 157 Points

18     Lachlan Wilson 154 Points

19     Jesse McNally 148 Points

20     Darren Schenk 134 Points