Image: Jeremy Hammer (Foremost Media).

DPH Motorsport Yamaha’s Hayden Mellross had dominated the opening round of the 2017 Australian SX2 Supercross Championship, winning in style at Jimboomba X Stadium in Queensland on Saturday night.

Heat one of the season saw American import Gavin Faith (Penrite Honda Racing) race to the victory at the end of seven laps.

Faith shadowed early leader Aaron Tanti (WBR Bulk Nutrients Yamaha) all the way through to the closing stages before snatching the win, while Jay Wilson (Raceline Pirelli KTM) also went by on the final lap. That left Tanti to settle for third, while Mitch Evans (Serco Yamaha) and Kyle Webster (Penrite CRF Honda Racing) filled the top five.

The second 250 heat of the evening saw American-based Aussie Mellross move into the lead within a matter of corners, eventually winning with an 8.2-second margin over teammate Wilson Todd, who in turn held out Dylan Wills (Dyson Motorsports Husqvarna) for position.

Fourth was a solid performance from Jayden Rykers (Raceline Pirelli KTM), with defending champion Jackson Richardson (Serco Yamaha) fifth in a relatively uneventful seven-lap journey.

The lone last chance qualifier of the evening was a tight one, eventually going to Callum Norton (KTM) from Connor Tierney (WBR Bulk Nutrients Yamaha), as John Prutti (Yamaha), Jye Dickson (KTM) and Lochie Latimer (Yamaha) were the top five finishers.

There was no denying Mellross the victory once 15-lap the SX2 final rolled around, moving by American Arenacross champion Faith in the first half and then edging away to an eventual 10.765s victory. He was also the only rider to dip into the 49s during the main.

After taking the holeshot and leading early on, Faith would settle into second, challenged late by an impressive Evans as he crossed the line just a second in arrears to round out the podium.

It was a case of close quarters between positions two through six, with the fourth-placed Wilson, Todd and Richardson – who ran as high as second early on – running in formation across the line. After coming so close one year ago, it is Mellross who has declared his title-winning intentions already to open the 2017 season.

Meanwhile, the Junior Lites overall went to a consistent Tyler Darby ahead of race three winner Jake Cuka and second race victor Ezrah Demellweek-Dodds. First race winner Joshua Zorbas ended up fourth overall.

Darby made it the double by also winning the Junior 85/150s for the round, winning the first two heats, while Blake Fox was second after topping heat three. Brodie Connolly rounded out the podium at round one.

The 2017 Australian Supercross Championship will continue with round two at Bacchus Marsh in Victoria on Saturday, 14 October.