Image: Alex Gobert (Foremost Media).

CDR Yamaha’s Dean Ferris has today confirmed he will contest the High Point round of the 2017 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship on 17 June in Pennsylvania.

The current Motul MX Nationals MX1 series leader and defending champion plans to use the upcoming five-week break in the Australian schedule to make his American motocross debut in the 450 Class.

“I wanted to do something in this five-week break and it was always my intention,” Ferris told MotoOnline.com.au. “I decided a few weeks ago that I’d like to give the AMA a crack in the outdoors.

“I looked at all of the races feasible for me to compete during the break and Mt. Morris worked out the best option because it gives me time before and after to ensure that I can stay on top of my game here. I have always wanted to race an AMA national and this allows me to do so whilst enjoying the small break in our domestic calendar.”

Using his own CDR Yamaha bike set-up and pitting alongside the CycleTrader/RockRiver/Yamaha squad, the 27-year-old will enter the event without any expectations.

“It’s going to be a different schedule, but thankfully that team is doing press day, so that will give me a bit of extra bike time, which will help,” Ferris explained. “I’m going in eyes wide open and I’m not sure what to expect, but hopefully I can just take my form and get good starts.

“I’m not really sure of the expectation, but I’m on a great program here, in probably the best form of my career and so with my two right hand men by my side, on my bike set up, I’m interested to see how I go.”

Following a brief and injury-plagued stint in the US during the 2014 season with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team, Ferris looks forward to finally achieving the dream of racing an AMA outdoor event against a selection of the world’s best.

“America didn’t work out great last time and I never got to race outdoors,” he added. “I think going and doing that will be a good achievement. For anyone that races bikes, it’s a dream to race an AMA outdoor and it’s a cool track – it gets rutty and rough – so I’d like to see where I’m at and test myself against the best guys there on an outdoor track.”

This weekend’s Murray Bridge round of the 2017 Motul MX Nationals series marks the final round before racers take their five-week mid-season break.