Yamaha Motor Australia press release:

The GYTR Yamaha pairing of Wilson Todd and Mitch Evans endured a challenging opening round at the 2015 MX Nationals, in Horsham, Victoria, as both riders battled injury throughout the weekend.

The day started brightly for the pair logging the fastest qualifying times in a team 1-2 several seconds faster than their rivals but things soon turned sour after that.

Mitch Evans posted the fastest lap and looked set to get his championship under way in the right manner as he lead the field through the opening turn in race one. But just three corners later, Evans got ejected from his bike as he got cross rutted entry a turn on a fast section of track.

He flew through the air landing heavily but quickly regained his feet. As he went to bike up his bike, he felt sharp pain in his left wrist and although able to circulate, he pulled into the pits and went straight to the Racesafe Medical Unit.

The outcome was a small fracture in his left wrist. He will likely miss round two at Appin but doctors are hopeful to have him back on the track by round three of the championship at Broadford.

“I’m devastated,” said Evans. “I got a great start and secured the lead but after I jumped the tabletop in the centre of the track, I tried to switch lines to avoid a big bump in one of the ruts. The front wheel went into the rut but the rear didn’t and it kicked my sideways and spat me off.

“There is a small fracture in my left wrist that requires no surgery, I just have a splint for it and all it needs is some time for it to stabilize. I will do whatever I can to get back on the track as fast as possible.

“The team were great and I just want to get back on the track and race for them as they have been a huge support to me and my bike is amazing,” Evans ends

Wilson Todd finished fourth for the round on a day that was cut back due to the injury of a fellow rider in the MXD class. The fact that Todd was even able to ride after recent injuries is a credit to his toughness and determination.

After Evans fell in the opening stages of race one, Todd moved into the lead and began to make a gap over the rest of the pack. Just as he secured a five second lead, he fell from his bike and dropped back to fourth place. He remounted and again started to close in on the front trio. Whilst trying to move into second place he fell again. By the end of the 20 minute moto, Todd greeted the finish line in fourth place and was totally spent.

Moto two was underway and Todd was in a comfortable fourth place as they approached the halfway mark when the red flag was flown and the race stopped due to a heavy fall involving Dylan Wilson. Due to the seriousness of his injuries the remainder of the day was called off and the round overall was taken from the moto one results.

“Fourth doesn’t sound too good but just a few days ago I wasn’t sure if I would even be able to ride,” said an exhausted Todd. “I was able to get through the day and get some points which was important and with a two week break before the next round, hopefully I will be feeling better and be able to race properly.”

The team also had Yamaha Junior Racings’ Hunter Lawrence under the awning as he competed in the Rookies cup on his YZ250F. Hunter was all class as he dominated the opening moto and won comfortably. Moto two wasn’t ran due to the incident in the previous race.

“It was a trying weekend,” recalls team manager, Scott Bishop. “It was a doubtful that Wilson would even ride so just to get him through the weekend was a real bonus while Mitch made one mistake and it cost him severely. Both guys ride exceptionally well and have plenty of speed, we just need to get them both on the track and 100% fit and then the fireworks will happen.

“Hunter rode well on what was a tough track for the junior riders. Most wouldn’t have come across a track as rutted and technical as that in their junior travels but Hunter looked comfortable and did a great job.”

“As a team we also send our thoughts and best wishes to Dylan and his family. All the riders are close friends and were shaken when informed of his injuries. We hope to see him about and about as soon as possible,” Bishop ends.

The MX Nationals now moves to Appin, in the western suburbs of Sydney for round two. Lawrence will again be with the team as it is a Rookie round while Evans is likely to sit this one out. Wilson Todd is also working hard to get his health issues back under control prior to round two.