Image: Simon Cudby.

Hayden Mellross charged to 20th overall at Muddy Creek’s fifth round of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship on Saturday, marking a strong return to racing.

Mellross, who broke his scapula at the opening stop and was forced to the sidelines for a number of weeks, secured 22nd in race one before improving for 15th in the final outing, granting him six championship points for the weekend.

It’s a promising start for the New South Welshman, who hasn’t completed a full outdoor season since the 2015 edition of Pro Motocross, where he wound up 20th in the 250MX standings.

“Well it felt great to get back racing this weekend at Muddy Creek,” Mellross commented. “The plan was to have fun and build a platform to build from each weekend. We made some huge progress throughout the day and lodged 22-15 moto scores. Already looking forward to Southwick this weekend.”

The CycleTrader Rock River Yamaha rider is now ranked 30th in the standings after fulfilling his first round of the championship, while the series now heads to the notoriously sandy Southwick circuit this weekend on 30 June.