Image: Foremost Media.

Four-time Australian MX1 champion Dean Ferris has addressed the prospect of retiring for a third time, set to remain sidelined for the final two rounds of the 2024 Penrite ProMX Championship.

The current number one plate-holder suffered a hand injury and concussion at Maitland’s fourth round in May, and after initially targeting a return at round six in Toowoomba last month, CDR Yamaha Monster Energy team owner Craig Dack revealed it would be unlikely to see him appear again this year.

It’s since been confirmed that Ferris won’t be returning to CDR for the 2025 season after a troubled reunion, fuelling retirement speculation once again, which has only intensified after the 34-year-old issued an update this week indicating that he remains uncertain about his future.

“I’d hoped to be back for these last two rounds, but with zero preparation after such a long time on the couch, CDR and myself agreed it wouldn’t be wise to compete in the final rounds,” he confirmed.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t work out this year, but it sure wasn’t from a lack of trying. I’m getting asked a lot if I’m gonna go around again… [to be honest], I don’t know. At the moment, I’m not sure I want to race again next year, but as we’ve learnt, you never know with me.”

Ferris initially joined CDR in 2016 upon his return from several years in the MXGP World Championship, where he went on to win three straight national MX1 titles before declining the chance to pursue a fourth-straight crown in 2019 in favour of reigniting his international career.

Despite not having a full-time deal in place, the New South Welshman made a number of brief appearances with Yamaha’s factory teams in both MXGP and AMA Pro Motocross, while also making a one-off showing aboard a Raceline-prepared KTM 450 SX-F in the former MX Nationals series.

He was set to pilot KTM machinery under the Raceline banner in an anticipated return to domestic racing in 2020, before the pandemic saw the season cancelled. A serious back injury sustained in August of that year ultimately saw him call time on his career for the first time.

After missing the shortened 2021 season, Ferris came out of retirement and signed with Yarrive Konsky’s Honda Racing organisation for the 2022 ProMX championship, which saw him fall short of the title and retire from professional racing once more at the close of the outdoors.

His second ‘retirement’ lasted a matter of months when he shocked onlookers with a return to competition in a Yamaha-backed independent effort – largely linked to the in-house Yamalube Yamaha Racing team. That successful term saw him earn a fourth premier class crown in 2023, before being called back into CDR following five years away.

It had been a challenging start in his return to CDR this year and, despite capturing the title on the YZ450F the year prior, it’s believed he was unable to find that same level of comfort as part of the official team – yielding just a single podium at Wonthaggi’s season-opener before his championship defence came to a premature end.