Image: Foremost Media.

The successful full-time racing career of Dean Ferris was brought to a close at Coolum’s 2022 Penrite ProMX finals, with the Honda Racing rider able to conclude the chapter on his ‘own terms’.

Ferris announced at round eight of the series that this would be his last season as a professional racer, following a one-year comeback from being previously retired.

Competing throughout 2022, the triple one showed he still has what it takes to challenge for championship glory at the highest level and won more MX1 races than any other rider in ProMX. While his prior retirement was heavily influenced by a serious spinal injury, he now steps back from competition healthy and on a positive note.

“I was on the fence mid-part of the season, it was like, not contract time, but Yarrive [Konsky] was keen to sign me, and look, I liked it here, and if I was going to resign it would have been with Honda, but I needed to be sure on what I wanted to do,” Ferris explained.

“The big decision was the week before Coffs Harbour, I know it’s only one year out of retirement, but I am glad that I did it and I feel like I get to finish on my own terms. I feel like I have been really at ease with the decision since then, and as you’ve seen I’ve been able to get some really good results.”

“I’ve been counting down the weeks and the days, not because I’m like, I hate it, it is really like I am enjoying it because I am riding good, but I’m so excited for the next chapter as well. Also, it’s hard to explain to everyone, but there’s so much energy that goes into winning, and I feel like I’m gassed out.

“I’m really stoked with the career, I’m really happy I got to come back and do it one last time, and look, it would have been awesome to be champion, but I think I showed that I can still win races, I can win overalls and I can be at the front on any given day.

“There were more challenges thrown at me this year than any other year, but I felt like I dealt with them well and it’s going to make me grow as a human being.”

Earlier in his career, Ferris proved himself as one of the biggest talents emerging from Australia and embarked on a GP stint in 2012, going on to win three MX2 World Championship motos, in addition to the overall in Belgium during 2013 with Yamaha.

After claiming sixth in the world championship, Ferris also starred as part of Team Australia at the MXoN that same year, finishing second in MX2 and fourth overall. The next two seasons – including a short stint with Red Bull KTM in the US – were affected by injury, leading to a homecoming with CDR in 2016 where he dominated the MX Nationals for the next three years.

Alongside his extraordinary success with Yamaha locally, Ferris managed to put himself on the radar in North America by entering a one-off round of Pro Motocross at High Point during 2017, scoring a moto podium with P2 in the first outing, then taking 14th in moto two due to a first turn fall and earning seventh overall.

In 2022, Ferris was second in the Penrite ProMX standings, taking the title right down to the wire at Coolum. He concluded the final round of the season with 3-5 moto scores.