Yamaha Motor Australia press release:

The CDR Yamaha Team finished the 2016 season out on the podium with Dean Ferris and Dan Reardon taking second and third respectively in the premier SX1 championship, after a huge final weekend of racing was conducted over the weekend.

Over 20,000 fans packed Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney to witness the final two rounds of racing at the Aus-X Open with the local boys mixing it up with plenty of international riders as well as the return of Australian legend, Chad Reed.

Entering the final rounds, Ferris had stunned many with his supercross skills, highlighted with a round win just the week before at Avalon. Despite being 26 years of age, Ferris had never raced an indoor supercross but adapted quickly and looked comfortable on the tight course.

The bar banging nature of racing in such tight confines had Ferris on his toes but even with the high quality international field and some crashes on the way, he qualified through to the 12 rider, 20 lap SX1 final on both nights and managed to bring his YZ450F home in eighth and fifth positions over the weekend.

The consistent haul of points was more than enough to secure second place in the championship, an outstanding effort since many considered Ferris to be more of a motocross specialist before the series started.

“I have really enjoyed this years’ championship and to be the best placed Australian and take second in the series is a great result for me and something I’m proud of.

“Supercross doesn’t come naturally to me as I didn’t do any of it as a kid growing up so I have had to work hard at it and put in some long hours but it was well worth it and I have really had some fun at the track this year.

“This weekend was special as we were able to work along-side Chad and Cooper and its’ amazing to get a closer look at how they work and the way they do things.

“Thank you to the CDR Yamaha team, Aiden my mechanic, and all of our sponsors who have put in such a huge effort this year. Coming back to Australia and working with the CDR Yamaha crew has been a great move in my career and I’m really happy with how this year has gone and they have played a huge part in that,” Ferris ends.

Like Ferris, Dan Reardon also battled hard all weekend to post 7-8 results to finish up in third place in the championship. Reardon, who has struggled to be at 100% fitness for each round in 2016 has continued to fight for points every time he hit the track and again there were plenty of battles he had to face over the weekend.

But, he continued to work hard and while disappointed he wasn’t able to retain his Australian Supercross Championship from 2015, Reardon reflects positively on a challenging season.

“I have been playing catch up for the last half of the year,” Reardon explains. “When I injured my knee at the MX Nationals, it was a race against time to be ready for this championship and unfortunately, you can’t rush your own body. Injuries take time to heal but I really wanted to win this thing again so I did the best I could with what I thought was the best option at the time.

“Despite the setbacks, to finish third is pretty good and it’s awesome to be racing supercross again. The Aus-X Open is an amazing event and to have so many people come out and support us is awesome.

“Thank you to the team at CDR Yamaha and I now look forward to a little break and heal up a bit,” Reardon ends.

With the Aus- X Open the final contracted race for the CDR Yamaha team, team manager Craig Dack and his troops, can take a well-earned break and reflect on what was a very good 2016 season.

“Results wise, 2016 has been another successful season for CDR Yamaha,” Dack opens with. “Winning the MX Nationals was great and now to back that up with a 2-3 result in supercross is a good reward for everyone on the team that works so hard.

“Some years the results come easy but 2016 was based on pure hard work. Dean had to overcome his DNF at Wanneroo before winning the championship, Dan had to deal with his injury and it was a credit to him that he was even back on the bike before round one of supercross.

“We have been doing this for over 20 years and we have a great group of people and sponsors around us. Yamaha provide great support and together we want to continue to raise the bar in racing in Australia. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this season and we look forward to another strong campaign in 2017,” Dack signs off.

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