Yamaha Motor Australia press release:

CDR Yamaha’s Dean Ferris has fought his way to the championship lead in the premier MX1 division after round two of the MX Nationals was concluded yesterday at Appin Raceway, near Sydney.

Ferris entered the round in third place but ruing some costly mistakes at round one and was determined to make amends at Appin. His day started promisingly when he posted the second fastest lap in the Go Pro Superpole and was ready to rumble when the gate dropped in moto one.

Ferris was in a freight train of riders and deep in battle in the ultra-strong MX1 field at the beginning of moto one. He slowly but surely gained ground on the leaders and with two laps to go, it was on. Ferris fought his way into second place then on the last lap made an aggressive move to slip by Kirk Gibbs on the big uphill jumps and take the lead. Ferris took the race win in what was a classic MX1 battle with the big guns of Australian MX.

Race two and again Ferris was in the thick of the action but was shuffled back in some frantic moves in the early stages. He dropped several positions before regaining his composure and remounting a charge back towards the front. He clawed his way back to third and in a tense final lap, the top four riders were all within a few bike lengths of one another. Despite his best efforts, Ferris was unable to make a pass on the final lap but his 1-3 results were good enough for the round win, his first for the CDR Yamaha team.

“It’s a good feeling to get the win and reward the CDR Yamaha team for their efforts so far this year,” Ferris stated. “I felt I owed them that after Horsham.

“I have really enjoyed the opening two rounds and being back in Australia and the level of competition in the MX1 class at the moment is really high with a lot of guys are riding well. The plan was to get off to a good start at the opening to rounds and we have managed to do that but there is a lot of work to do and the only red plate that matters is the one after the final round at Coolum,” Ferris ends.

Dan Reardon had a consistent day posting 7-6 results in the two races despite feeling under the weather throughout the event. Reardon was able to match the speed of the front runners early in the races but fell away to towards the end as he was quickly drained of energy and strength. He rounded the day out in sixth place.

Reardon has been ill since the Horsham round two weeks ago and had been unable to ride or train during that period so it was a good race of character for Dan who worked hard in both motos.

“It was a tough day but one every rider goes through during their career,” Reardon explains. “I haven’t been feeling well lately and in a fast paced 30 minute moto, there is nowhere to hide or no one to pass the ball to so you just have to fight it out as best you can. Hopefully, I will be back to 100% at Broadford and can start to put some good races together.”

The efforts of both riders impressed team manager, Craig Dack, and he applauded their fighting qualities.

“I have to say, the weekend saw some of the best MX1 racing I have seen in a long time. The top eight riders are all top quality riders on good equipment and with speed very similar so it is producing some great racing.

“Dean showed some maturity on the weekend with the way he thought his way through both races. He kept himself in contention in the early stages, didn’t get flustered under pressure and then made good, decisive passes to get the positions he got. Hopefully, he will take some confidence from this and get on a roll from here.

“We are also happy with the way Dan is going. His speed is good, only his health let him down this weekend. He was consistent with no silly mistakes and I think as the championship progresses, you will see Dan work his way to the front. He has all the skill and determination to do it and I think he will hit his straps in the coming rounds,” Dack ends.

The CDR Yamaha team face a quick turn around with round three of the championship on May 1. It is somewhat of a local race for the Geelong based team with the event happening at Broadford, in Victoria, so the CDR Yamaha crew will be out to impress in front of the local fans and supporters.

To follow the CDR Yamaha team on social media; www.facebook.com/cdryamaha or @cdr_yamaha