Yamaha Motor Australia press release:

The opening round of the Australian Supercross Championship proved to be a fruitful one for Yamaha Racing with both the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team and Serco Yamaha finishing the night with both team riders on the podium.
All four Yamaha supported team acquitted themselves well and all riders are well placed as the championship heads towards Adelaide this weekend.

Craig Dack – CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team
2nd – Dan Reardon – SX1
3rd Luke Clout – SX1
“Round one was a good, solid opening of the championship for us with Dan and Luke finishing 2-3 respectively on the night and both confident there is room for improvement. Indoor racing can throw up plenty of variables so to get through the night with both riders on the podium and in good form leaves us well placed.

“The series is also over relatively quickly with only five rounds so getting off to a good start and being on your game right from the opening lap of round one was important.

“It was also the first chance we had to test the 2020 YZ450F in race conditions and we are extremely satisfied with the performance of the new bike. With minimal work done to it, we were able to perform at a high level and both riders felt the bike was impressive.”

Gavin Eales – SX2 – Serco Yamaha
1st Jacob Hayes – SX2
2nd Aaron Tanti – SX2
“The opening round couldn’t have gone any better and for Jacob and Aaron to take a 1-2 finish was the perfect result and makes it a memorable night for the team. Both riders were fast from the moment they hit the track and barring any bad luck, I felt they were both strong enough to get the in on the night and that proved to be the case.

“Jacob charged back through the field in the first final to grab third in a very impressive ride and then led final two from start to finish to show his dominance on the night.

“Aaron is a bit of a dark horse in Supercross and his name isn’t mentioned much when talking about championship favourites, but he is fast and remember last year he nearly won both the Coolum and Geelong rounds, so he is more than capable. For him, it was great to see him get on the podium as he had a run of fourths at the MX Nationals that was driving him crazy.”

Scott Bishop- Yamalube Yamaha Racing
5th Jay Wilson – SX2
8th Richie Evans – SX1
“It was a good night for us without being great and shows the unpredictability of racing on an indoor circuit where the racing is tight, the lap times are quick and the intensity is high. Both riders had to over come so things either in the lead up or on the night so to finish up in a good position is testament to their fighting natures.

Jay was fast but just didn’t get the starts or the track position in either of the SX2 finals. He crashed in race one and was a distant last on the opening lap and got back to seventh while in race two, he got another average start and moved through to fourth by the end. He was disappointed and frustrated, and I expect him to bounce back strongly this weekend.

“Richie came into the event with a shoulder injury and we were sure if he would even be able to ride but get got through a test session on Wednesday and soldiered through on the weekend to finish eighth in his first SX1 event. I think he can improve as he gets back to full strength as the series progresses.”

Travis Whitten – WBR Yamaha
15th Hugh McKay – SX2
16th Jack Kukas – SX2
“On paper the results don’t look great but our role within Yamaha isn’t to win events like this but rather assist and develop young riders in supercross and I felt both our guys learned a lot on Saturday night.

“We were struck a blow before the opening round with Max Purvis injuring his ankle and foot but we were able to bring in Hugh McKay to ride alongside Jack Kukas. Both riders had some challenges on the night but quickly understood the intensity of racing an indoor supercross. As a result, they will be much better for the experience.

“Both had good pace and given some better starts and some on track race smarts, either could make it through to the 10 rider final.”