Dunlop Tyres press release:

Dunlop-shod racers have maintained the brand’s perfect MX1 streak by claiming the top two positions of the podium at an eventful day of racing at round five of the 2017 MX Nationals at Murray Bridge, South Australia.

In a day that threw up a range of weather conditions and constantly changing lines on the track, CDR Yamaha’s defending MX1 champion Dean Ferris further extended his sizeable points lead by claiming the overall victory.

In the opening race Ferris leapt to the front early and was virtually unchallenged on his way to the convincing 24-second win.

KTM Motocross Racing Team’s 2015 champion Kirk Gibbs rode strong for a solid third place in the same race, holding off a fast-finishing Kade Mosig (DPH Motorsport Yamaha) in the process.

In the rain-affected second race Gibbs jumped to the lead on the opening lap and charged to his second moto win of the series, with Ferris following nearly six seconds behind. Mosig put in another consistent fourth-place race performance for fourth overall.

Overall Ferris made it five in a row to maintain his unbeaten overall run during the first half of the season, from local crowd favourites Gibbs and Brett Metcalfe, who scored a podium in his first outing aboard a KTM.

In the highly competitive MX2 class, Serco Yamaha rookie Mitch Evans rebounded from a seventh place result in the opening race to take a hard-fought second-moto victory. That valuable win saw him claim third overall for the round.

DPH Motorsport Yamaha’s Wilson Todd finished the day fifth overall with fifth and fourth-placed results from the two motos. Todd still maintains the championship-leading red plate from Evans as the MX Nationals heads into its traditional mid-season break.

“The form of Dean has been exceptional in 2017 and to win the opening five rounds is a great result,” commented Dunlop national motorcycle manager Sebastian Mincone. “It was also very positive to see Kirk and Mitchell win motos today and we continue to lead the MX2 championship with Wilson, so we now look forward to the second half of the season.”

The 2017 MX Nationals will recommence in five weeks’ time at Nowra, NSW, on Sunday, 2 July.

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