Dean Ferris battled to eighth overall in Sevlievo despite a crash in the opening moto.

Australia’s Dean Ferris has continued his battle back from injury with a solid haul of points round five of the FIM World Motocross Championship in Bulgaria.

Ferris made his return at the Italian Grand Prix the week prior, and had been targeting further improvement at Sevlievo despite the limited turnaround time.

His weekend got off to a tough start when a crash in the qualifying session meant he was left with the final gate pick for the opening moto.

An impressive start saw the Australian surge forth, momentarily battling within the top five before a small crash sent him to the back of the top ten. He rallied but would eventually drop a spot for 11th place.

Ferris bounced back with sixth place in the second moto, securing eighth overall for the round, a commendable result given the setbacks faced.

“All day, all weekend, I didn’t really feel comfortable on this circuit,” said Ferris. “It is obviously not my favourite.

“We went better in the second one considering I got a really bad start. I clicked away the laps and caught up. I’m disappointed I couldn’t run with the leaders but the bike was fast.

“I got more points than I did last weekend in Italy but oddly I feel more satisfied with last Sunday! All-in-all I’m healthy now so at least I can go home and practice.”

Despite missing two rounds, Ferris is holding his own in seventh on the MX2 standings. The next MXGP will be held at Agueda, Portugal, on 5 May.