Image: Foremost Media.

Spending time at the front of the pack and leading laps in MX1 moto two at Wonthaggi will count as a ‘priceless’ boost for Hayden Mellross after he returned from multiple surgeries to debut at CDR Yamaha Monster Energy in the Penrite ProMX opener.

Mellross was signed to CDR ahead of the cancelled 2020 series, undergoing both a knee and shoulder reconstruction since he claimed third in the 2019 standings.

Managing to lead the second moto on a treacherous Wonthaggi weekend to commence this season was a positive that Mellross took out of the weekend on his way to finishing fifth overall for the round.

“I was lucky enough to lead some laps in moto two, which I haven’t done for a long time,” Mellross told MotoOnline. “Luke [Clout] got a good start and I was sitting behind him, saw a chance to make the pass and I thought, ‘lets jump on this opportunity because they don’t come around very often’. I did that and got to lead two or three laps before Regan [Duffy] got me.

“At that point I was just trying to be a sponge, learn as much as I could in those laps and it was really good for myself. Leading laps, doing what I did and getting out front is priceless. It was short-lived and I know I can lead a whole lot more of them – we’ll just keep working hard and that’s what we can do.”

It appeared Mellross might miss the motos altogether after crashing heavily in qualifying, but he managed to rebound and went on to post 6-4 results for a top five finish overall. That type of performance will set the foundations for him to build upon in coming rounds.

“It was an eventful day, to say the least,” he continued. “We did a pre-season race here a couple of weeks back and was definitely off the pace there. We’ve been working our butts off for the past three weeks trying to get on top of things, coming back from knee and shoulder reconstructions – it’s been a massive uphill battle.

“Today was a positive day, definitely not satisfying because I would’ve liked to have been on the box, but to come away with fifth in the championship points already after round one, I think we’re in a good position. I know I’ve got a lot of strength, fitness and speed to build on… I kinda wish Canberra was tomorrow.”