Image: MXN.

After being sidelined since Conondale’s second round, MX1 regular Dylan Long made his racing return at Nowra’s sixth stop of the Motul MX Nationals calendar last weekend.

The CDR Yamaha rider was absent from much of the opening half of the series due to complications with a pre-season wrist injury, and with a five-week break in the series, the Victorian had an extended period of time for the injury to completely heal.

With only a couple of weeks of riding under his belt prior to Nowra, Long admitted he struggled to be in race shape for the event, lodging a 12-13 scorecard for 13th overall at the New South Wales venue.

“I had to start somewhere and today was the start of me getting things back on track,” Long explained. “Physically I was done, as you just can’t simulate the intensity of racing out on the practice track, but it feels good to be back and now I can move forward and make progress in my speed and fitness.”

Long sits a distant 20th in the championship standings after contesting just three rounds, and with only four rounds remaining in the prestigious series, time is running out for the youthful talent to display his potential aboard the factory YZ450F.

The MX Nationals will return to Long’s home state of Victoria in just under two weeks time for the seventh round on the series, hosted by the Goulburn Valley Motorcycle Club in Shepparton.