Yamaha Motor Australia press release:

The CDR Yamaha duo of Dean Ferris and Dan Reardon battled through a challenging weekend at Murray Bridge for round four of the MX Nationals with the pair determined there are better days ahead.

Ferris came into the fourth round as the championship points leader of the premier MX1 (450cc) class and looking to extend his championship lead. The day started well with Ferris firing off the fastest lap in Superpole and picking up a vital three points in the championship chase.

When the big boys got down to business in race one, Ferris was right in the heat of battle at the front of the field but struggling to come to terms with the technical Murray Bridge circuit. He worked hard for his third place finish but lacked the spark that had taken him to race wins earlier in the season.

Race two and Ferris was in front and looking to cash in on his good start. He came under attack from local hero Kirk Gibbs who made an aggressive move into the lead and Ferris on the deck. He remounted quickly and then made his way back to fourth place by race end. His 4-3 results netted him fourth for the day and he now sits in second place in the championship, just one point from the championship lead.

“I had a tough day today and couldn’t really get comfortable on the track. It looks soft and loamy but you actually ride on a hard base and I just couldn’t settle on the track and produce my best.

“Things are still close in the championship and there is a three way battle at the top at the moment, which is making things exciting. I think it will come down to the rider that makes the least mistakes and keeps putting good races together at each and every round,” Ferris ends.

Team mate Dan Reardon was under the weather the week leading into the Murray Bridge round with a virus. Low on energy, Reardon gave it everything in race one as he finished in a very respectable sixth place but as soon as the race was over, he was under the care of the RACESAFE medial crew.

With his blood pressure dropping and heart rate spiking, RACESAFE deemed Reardon ineligible to race the second moto due to his medical condition and Reardon was forced to watch the second race from the sidelines.

“It was disappointing to not be able to see out the day and race both motos but I trust the judgement of the RACESAFE team and elected to sit out race two. I just felt terrible after the first race and was probably lucky to be even able to see that one out.

“We have a tough round in the sand next week in Perth, so this week will be about trying to get my health back as quickly as possible as racing in the deep sand of WA will take plenty of strength and endurance.”

The CDR Truck is already rolling its way to Perth as they compete in back to back weekends of the MX Nationals. Both riders will be looking to bounce back at round five and get some momentum behind them leading into the mid-season break.

“No doubt it was a tough day for us and we had to work to overcome some adversity,” states team manager, Craig Dack. “Dean just didn’t feel 100% with the track but to his credit he kept fighting on out there and gave it everything he had.

“Dan just can’t take a trick at the moment with his health and so far he has been under the weather at two of the four rounds. He didn’t look good when he finished moto one and I think it was the smart call to sit out of moto two.

“Next week in Perth will be a critical round in the championship. The sand always has a way of through up some weird results but I believe we have prepared well and we are confident of a good showing,” Dack ends.

To follow the CDR Yamaha team on social media, www.facebook.com/cdryamaha or @cdr_yamaha