Yamaha Motor Australia press release:

Dylan Long finished off the Australian Supercross Championship in fifth place in the final standings on board his CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team YZ450F despite a tough final round at the AUS-X Open on the weekend.

Long took eighth on the night with 10-10-4 results in an action-packed night in front of a full house at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. He came into the final round carrying a rib injury which prevented him from training prior to the event but he battled on all weekend and was able to finish the night strongly with a fourth-place finish in the final race of the night.

His fifth in standings comes behind a quartet of riders boasting years of international experience. US imports of Justin Brayton and Jace Owen as well as well travelled Australian racers Brett Metcalfe and Dan Reardon all finished ahead of Long but he was the next best in a consistent season for him.

“Tonight I wanted a little better and was aiming for a top five finish with the international riders we had competing at the event,” he explains. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get great starts in the first two races and there isn’t much chance of passing on a tight track like this as well as with the high quality of riders in the field.

“But in the final race, I was able to gate well, get into a pretty good position and finish in fourth which is a good result.

“It has been a frustrating series for me as I feel I have been riding well during the week, especially at the start of the championship, but I haven’t been able to turn that into podium results on the weekend. I have one more weekend in New Zealand to get on the podium so that’s my plan for the final race of the year,” Long said.

It was a blast from the past with Lawson Bopping again saddling up for the CDR Yamaha team and with little preparation and even less bike time on the Yamaha YZ450F, Lawson made a good show of things proving he still has good speed and skill on a motorcycle.

He was fast in practice and also qualified inside the top five in Friday’s sessions ahead of riders like Chad Reed and Brett Metcalfe. He comfortably made it through to the 12-rider final but the intensity of the three back to back races challenged him.

He finished with 9-8-11 results to finish tenth on the night. He went down in the final moto but still continued on and did exactly what was required from him and fly the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team flag at the event and represent the team well.

“It felt so good to be back with a major team and around the CDR Yamaha guys again. They take care of everything and all I need to do is just rock up and ride my bike. They are such a professional team and to be on a bike that is so well-prepared feels amazing.

“The speed of the finals got the better of me, but I loved racing tonight and loved the YZ450F. I will do New Zealand with the team and hopefully can go better and reward the CDR Yamaha team with a good result for their efforts and assistance of me for the last couple of races.

The CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team will compete at the season heading SX Open at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland on November 24.