Josh Green on his way to second at the Hattah Desert Race last weekend.

The 2012 Hattah Desert Race was a race of firsts for Yamaha rider Josh Green — first event on the YZ450F, first attempt of a desert race, first ride back from a broken scaphoid — but none of these obstacles were able to keep the 22-year-old from success.

Green blitzed the fast, sandy track in Mildura, claiming second place in a breakthrough performance against a host of Australia’s leading off-road racers.

“I did have one drama — I was riding my back brake too much and boiled it, which cost me a few minutes,” Green said. “Despite this, I finished about five minutes behind Toby Price, so I’m stoked with that.

“Toby gaped me off the start, I was in the dust of Jarrod Bewley and AJ [Roberts] after finishing behind them in Prologue. Once Toby gaped me I couldn’t get back on him. I hadn’t ridden the track before and you don’t get a pre-ride of it — Toby, Jarrod and AJ have all raced Hattah before.

“I passed Jarrod and AJ early in the lap and had no idea where I was going; I kept overshooting corners. The crests of the hills were the hardest, because you were coming over them so fast, and you couldn’t see whether you had to turn left or right.

“I definitely wasn’t expecting to do this well in my first desert attempt – I was only really hoping for a top-10.

“The speed was the biggest shock. People told me it was going to be fast, but when you get there and realise the actual speed you’re going to be going, it’s a big shock.”

Green said his YZ450F was “perfect”, an “unreal” bike and he “couldn’t have asked for anything else”.

The team is now gearing up for their next event, rounds nine and 10 of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) being held at Green Park in Conondale, Queensland, on 28-29 July.

“I’m definitely looking forward to it,” Green said. “I had a bit of time off after the Broadford rounds with my broken scaphoid, I was only back on the bike for two weeks before Hattah.

“I was a bit worried about how it would hold up, but thankfully it was good.”

The event was won by KTM’s Toby Price, with Green’s Team Active8 Yamaha Yamalube Racing team manager Roberts completing the podium.