Yamaha Motor Australia press release:

Yamaha Racing continued its impressive start to the 2017 MX Nationals campaign taking another two class wins and two second place finishes at round three of the series held on the rolling green fields of Conondale, Queensland.

Dean Ferris and Mitch Evans dominated the MX1 and MX2 classes respectively while Cody Dyce finished second for the round in the MXD, by virtue of a tied points countback. Jackson Richardson also claimed second behind Evans in the MX2 category.

After three rounds, Dean Ferris (CDR Yamaha), Mitch Evans (Serco Yamaha) and Cody Dyce (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) lead all three championship classes and are determined to keep the momentum rolling as they head towards back to back weekends for rounds four and five of the championship at Horsham and Murray Bridge.

MX1 – CDR Yamaha– Craig Dack

1st Dean Ferris
DNR- Dylan Long

“It was a positive weekend for us at CDR Yamaha. With Dylan out while his wrist gets back to 100%, it was all hands-on deck as we continue to give Dean what he needs to maintain his success.

And Dean did exactly what he needed to do. He is the first to admit that he loves riding Conondale and it showed on the weekend as the moment he strolled into the truck on Saturday he was confident, up-beat and ready to go and that enthusiasm just rubs off on the rest of the team.

“His Go Pro lap was insanely fast and just transitioned that beautifully into racing. He led nearly every lap of both races and looked control and comfortable setting the pace out front.

“His 1-1 day combined with the extra Superpole points allowed us to extend the lead in the championship which is terrific but again I stress we need to maintain the same focus, commitment and energy at each and every round as we chase this championship.

“We have had many outstanding champions at CDR Yamaha over the years and we have been able to witness them racing at a world class level and Dean is currently in that zone now. It’s a nice feeling for everyone at CDR at the moment but without harping on the point we must stay focused and smart as this Championship is far from the end.”

MX2 – Serco Yamaha – Gavin Eales

1st Mitch Evans
2nd Jackson Richardson
“A 1-2 finish is a great result for the team and something we all aspire to achieve but very rare to get. Between the rounds both riders continued to work hard and we also fine-tuned the bike for Jackson and it was good to see him make some gains on the weekend.

“Mitch continues to impress and his efforts in race one on the weekend were amazing. He came from outside the top 15 to win the race and didn’t panic or ride wildly. It was just an amazing ride that we will long remember.

“Jackson rode well and was right there at the end of both races. He led a lot of the laps in both races and his time for race wins is coming.

“It’s never easy watching both your riders battling at the front of the field but while there was some intense racing, both riders handled themselves well and now they are well placed after three rounds of the championship.

“The next two rounds become very important as they are back to back and we would love to continue the momentum we have now into the mid-season break.”

MXD – Scott Bishop – Yamalube Yamaha Racing

2nd Cody Dyce
18th Cooper Pozniak

“It’s always tough to juggle the emotions within a team when one rider does well and the other gets an injury. On the weekend, Cooper was involved in a first turn crash that saw him and his bike cartwheeling down the track which was no fault of his own. He is able to get going and limped home to get a couple of points while at the other end of the scale, Cody takes an impressive race win and now leads the points so it’s a challenge to keep things calm from both ends.

“So for Cody it was a great weekend where he finished with 1-2 results and now has a 21point lead in the championship. He raced well all day and deserved his good results. In the first three rounds, he hasn’t been off the podium so he has been very consistent across a range of racing surfaces and we have continued to work with him to be a faster and smarter racer.

“For Cooper, it was a challenging day but I admired his fighting instincts. He didn’t quit, he never gave up and despite considerable pain in his wrist he was able to gather points in both races and keep him championship hopes alive. He is in a race against time to be ready for round four but he showed plenty of character on the weekend.”

To check out the ‘bLU cRU’ video wrap of the weekend at Conondale: https://youtu.be/qxf77a7Ak_k