Image: Simon Cudby.

Highly-touted Australian Dean Ferris rode to a calculated 14th place finish to open his account in Monster Energy Supercross at Anaheim on Saturday night.

The talented 23-year-old has spent limited time in the US after landing an 11th-hour deal with Red Bull KTM, but gained vital experience in the West Coast 250SX category at A1.

Ferris transferred to the main event direct from his heat race, eventually racing to 14th in the drama-packed main event aboard the factory 250 SX-F.

“Tonight was a great learning experience,” Ferris said. “Luckily, I was able to get two decent starts. I am very new to supercross racing, so every week will continue to be a learning experience that I can improve upon.

“I am very grateful to the Red Bull KTM Factory Team for giving me this opportunity and am looking forward to working toward a top 10 finish.”

Ferris’ learning curve will continue this weekend when the series enters Phoenix for round two on Saturday night.