Yamaha Motor Australia press release:

Three championship classes, three points leaders red plates adorned on Yamahas. That’s the wash-up from a hectic double header weekend at the Wonthaggi circuit where Yamaha racing contested rounds three and four of the MX Nationals.

Yamaha’s supported riders and teams again had a triumphant weekend winning 11 out of a possible 12 motos over the weekend and now holds the points lead in all three championship classes.

Dean Ferris continues to be unstoppable in the MX1 division on his CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team YZ450F after another dominant weekend in the sand. Wilson Todd returned to top form on his Serco Yamaha winning three out of four MX2 races on the weekend and catapulting into the points lead while WBR Yamaha’s Bailey Malkiewicz leapt to the top of the MXD class on the back of two impressive days’ racing.

Other riders to feature on a Yamaha included New Zealand’s Max Purvis who claimed round wins on his JCR Yamaha YZ250F, Nathan Crawford and Jay Wilson both had strong showings in MX2 and sit second and fourth in the championship respectively and Dylan Long showed some fighting spirit in the MX1 category.

To view the bLU cRU recap video: https://youtu.be/M1wHtge4nSE

CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team – Craig Dack – MX1
“The weather and the conditions on the weekend turned the Wonthaggi track into a real test of man and machine and I’m really proud to say that the CDR crew stood up and did an excellent job. Back to back racing over two days is hard work and the entire crew put in the hard yards and we were again rewarded with some good results.

“Dean showed he is the man in Australian motocross at the moment and rode extremely well over the two days. He made things happen when he had to and then was patient at times that required it. He thoroughly deserves his lead in this championship and I also know that he will not rest as he is determined and driven as I have seen in over the past three years we have worked together.

“Dylan had an up and down weekend. Saturday, he was a bit off his game but he was much better on Sunday and riding like we expect him to ride. He is obviously talented and on his day, he can be extremely fast but we will work with him to ensure he improves his consistency on all types of tracks and surfaces,” Dack said of his teams’ weekend.

Serco Yamaha – Gavin Eales – MX2
“Wonthaggi proved to be a strange weekend for us but still a lot of positives coming from it. Saturday was great as we had both Nathan and Wilson on the podium in second and third and both guys riding well on a tough track.

Sunday proved a little more difficult when Nathan fell early in race one and hurt his shoulder and then he was able to finish the second moto which meant he slipped back to second in the championship standings.

But Wilson had an amazing day, winning both motos and riding very well. As a result, he now moves to the top of the championship, so we are currently 1-2. It’s a great start to the championship from a team perspective.

Nathan is getting his shoulder checked out but I’m confident he will be on the start line at Murray Bridge and out to claw some points back. He has done well there in the past so we are confident he will be back to his best.

And it was pleasing to see Wilson kick into top gear. The first few rounds didn’t go as he would have liked but he got the ball rolling over the weekend and I’m sure now that he has the red plate, he won’t want to let it go.”

Yamalube Yamaha Racing – Scott Bishop – MX2
“We were down a rider on the weekend with Richie Evans sidelined after surgery to his hand. No one likes to see an athlete on the side line and Richie would have loved to be there but we didn’t want to risk any further damage and effect the rest of the season. He will be back after the mid-season break and 100% for round six.

“Jay had a reasonable weekend, finishing fourth on Saturday with two pretty good rides. He finished with 3-4 results and just missed the podium but consistency keeps you in a championship and Jay did that on Saturday.

“Unfortunately, Sunday he was a bit off his game. Watching him ride, he was so determined to do well, he probably tried a bit too hard and forced it rather than riding from instinct. He finished eighth for the day with 4-14 results and now sits fourth in the championship but he is a fighter and will learn from what happened on the weekend and be a better rider for it.

“Both Mike and Ben worked tirelessly over the weekend as the double header in conditions like we faced at Wonthaggi proved just as hard on mechanics as it did on the riders.”

WBR Bulk Nutrients Yamaha – Travis Whitten – MXD (Under 19)
“We had a mixed weekend with Bailey riding well and taking second on both days to move into the championship plead while Hugh had a tough weekend, filled with crashes.

“Bailey won two races over the weekend and finished second in the other two and only lost the round victories on a count back. It was a break out weekend for him and it was good to finally get him on the podium after being so close at the opening two rounds. He now knows what it takes and I’m sure he will spend plenty more time on the podium before the year is out.

“As for Hugh, he tried his guts out all weekend but it seemed like the harder he tried, the more difficult it became for him. He had a huge crash on Saturday afternoon as he crossed the finish line which undoubtedly influenced him on Sunday.

“But he is a tough kid and I know he will never give up so we expect him to come out swinging this weekend at Murray Bridge.”

Round five action picks up this weekend at the popular Murray Bridge circuit in South Australia.