Image: Foremost Media.

Outbound CDR Yamaha Monster Energy rider Hayden Mellross has indicated parting ways with the team was ‘a mutual decision’ following two pandemic-affected seasons together.

Mellross signed a two-year deal with CDR for the 2020 and 2021 seasons, only getting to race three nationals in that period with his best result coming at Canberra’s second round of Penrite ProMX with the runner-up result.

The 26-year-old ultimately finished the 2021 MX1 national championship in fifth position, but has provided no indication on who he will be representing in next year’s eight-round ProMX championship. Despite speculation he could return to the US, it is expected he will remain in Australia.

“I am not with CDR in 2022,” Mellross commented. “It was no one’s wrongdoing, it was just a mutual decision that we wanted to part ways. Over the last two years, we have been extremely unlucky with covid and whatnot.

“I did have a two-year that we signed at the end of 2019 and, unfortunately, I only got to race three nationals in that two-year period. It was very unfortunate and I think just the timing of the deal with covid didn’t allow me to show my true potential… kind of put a blanket over the whole situation.

“It’s a little unfortunate, but we are on really good terms and have a really great relationship with everybody there. One of the hardest things we have always spoken about is the future and we don’t know what the future holds, so we will leave it at that.”

Announced last week, Aaron Tanti will join the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy team in 2022, leaving a vacant seat at the GasGas Racing Team, which Mellross has been linked to in recent weeks.