Yamaha Motor Australia press release:

On paper, the CDR Yamaha duo of Dan Reardon and Kade Mosig looked to have a comfortable margin over their rivals and poised for a 1-2 finish in the 2015 Australian Supercross Championship entering the sixth and final round of the championship, in Melbourne on Saturday Night.

Reardon carried a 31 point lead in the championship into the final round over team mate, Mosig, while he was nine points clear of Matt Moss, who wasn’t competing at the final round due to injury. A championship 1-2 result seemed a formality. It proved anything but.

Mosig grabbed the lead in the nights’ opening heat race and looked in good form as he controlled the race in the early stages. He then fell in spectacular fashion in a huge high side crash that took a huge chunk from his fore arm and he was assisted from the track.

Just a few laps later, championship leader Dan Reardon, fell and got to his feet clutching at his shoulder. His right shoulder popped out and medics on the spot got it back into place, but the damage was done and he was in considerable pain. As the heat races wrapped up, both riders were in the Racesafe Medical Unit and unsure if they got even ride the 20 lap main event later in the evening.

Both riders didn’t need to win, but they needed to circulate and with both carrying major injuries, both unsure if they even could ride and required to at least cover 15 laps of the 20 lap event to be deemed a finisher, their backs were well and truly against the wall.

Reardon walked from the medical area and directly to the start line. He was lining up and was going to do all he could to secure this championship. The gates dropped and Reardon took a very cautious approach as he circulated in the opening laps around 10th place. He couldn’t do the triple jump, he couldn’t ride the whoops with any speed and he had to preserve his body as best he could.

By the half way stage, he made it to seventh place. With gritted teeth, Reardon rode through the pain to maintain his seventh place and secure his third Australian Supercross Championship in the premier SX1 division.

“Man, that wasn’t fun and at times it was almost unbearable,” Reardon said with relief. “Everything was on track early in the day and I felt good, but everything changed when I crashed in the heat and what was my good shoulder popped out. It was a sharp, stabbing pain and it jolted through my whole body every time I jumped.

“Racesafe said I could get a needle to deaden the pain, but if it wasn’t precise, then there was a chance my whole shoulder and arm would go numb and that would making riding even harder, so I just had to deal with it.

“Despite the pain, it feels so good to win this championship and to think this was even possible just 12 months ago was crazy. Thank-you to everyone at CDR Yamaha for taking a chance on me at the start of the year, my family, friend and partner for their support and to the promoters of the championship this year. Also, the team at Racesafe as they continue to go a great job in assisting the riders and keeping us safe. “This championship means a lot to me,” Reardon ends.

Mosig had his own issues to deal with as a deep cut in his lower forearm also meant he was racing under duress. Amazingly, Mosig fired out of the start like a rocket and led the final in the opening stages in a truly inspired ride. He dropped back to second place as Lawson Bopping made his way past and then fell when he collided with Daniel McCoy a few laps later.

It was then he decided to play it safe and Mosig circulated around in fifth place as the laps wound down with no hope of catching Reardon in the points, he just needed to keep it on two wheels to take second in the championship. That’s exactly what he did.

“That was the longest, most painful 20 laps of my life,” Mosig stated. “The cut in my arm was deep so just even gripping the handlebars was tough and the opening laps I was unsure if I would be able to hang on through some of the sections on the track.

“It’s a tough way to end the championship but overall it’s been a good series for me and I’m happy to come second as that is the best I have finished in an Australian Supercross Championship. I felt I got better at each round and my riding improved from the start of the series.

“I want to give a special shout-out to RaceSafe for their work tonight. Simon and his team were able to keep me on track and as always, they do a great job. Thank- you to my CDR Yamaha team and mechanic Mike Landman and congratulations to Dan on a great series,” Mosig sums up.

The stress of the night was showing on team owner, Craig Dack, as for moment there he saw the championship his team had worked so hard for, possibly slip from his grasp but he was proud of how his riders responded when under the pump.

“I really had no idea on what was going to happen during that main event. I knew both guys have big hearts and show plenty of fight but both were really in extreme pain and just the goal of finishing was a huge challenge.

“But, they both showed why they are in the position they are in as when they put their helmets on, it’s time to go to work and get it done. Some might say that we were lucky to get away with what happened tonight but for the first five rounds we worked hard to build our points and fight off any challenges. Tonight’s challenge wasn’t another rider but it was a big a challenge both had faced and I’m proud of what they were able to achieve.

“The 1-2 result is a dream result for the team and a reflection of the hard work not just the riders, but everyone on the team puts in. It was a special night for CDR Yamaha and it won’t be forgotten for a long time,” Dack ends.

This was the final event of the year for the CDR Yamaha team but they will immediately begin preparations for the 2016 season.

To follow the CDR Yamaha team on social media; www.facebook.com/cdryamaha or @cdr_yamaha. A full list of round six results can be found at www.computime.com.au