Yamaha Motor Australia press release:

GYTR Yamaha’s Mitch Evans overcame a 10 point deficit leading into the final round of the Australian Supercross Championship to win the SXD (under 19) championship at a nerve racking final round in Melbourne over the weekend.

Evans has clearly been the man to beat in the SXD category in 2015 but a fall at the penultimate round in Queensland left him behind the eight ball entering the final round and 10 points to be made up if he was to be this years’ champion. On top of that, the injury sustained from this crash meant he was unable to ride or train for the two weeks leading up to the final round.

The goal at Melbourne was simple, win both seven lap finals contested on the night and hope for things to go his way in the field behind him. Evans set the tone early by being the fastest qualifier during the afternoon sessions but that can sometimes means little when the gate drops.

In final one, Evans slotted into second place behind team mate, Jordan Hill. The pair put the hammer down and quickly cleared out from the rest of the pack. Just past the halfway stage, Evans made his move and took the lead and slowly inched away to take the race win, Hill in second while his championship rival, Brock Mcleary, finished fourth. That 10 point gap had now been narrowed down to three.

If Evans wins the final race, he will gain the three points needed to win the championship as he will be tied with Mcleary but get the series win because of the better result at the final round. It was seven laps and winner take all.

The final race unfolded in dramatic fashion. Evans was in third, Mcleary second and it was on. They both quickly disposed of the leader and set out on their own personal battle. Evans stalked Mcleary for several laps before making a big lunge up the inside of the whoops and taking the race lead. The North Queenslander then kept a cool head and stayed focused all the way to the finish and win the 2015 SXD championship.

“I was so determined to win tonight,” Evans stated. “Even if I didn’t win the championship, I just wanted to show I was the fastest rider in the class and take the round win.

“I knew what the points were during that last race but with Brock right behind me, no one was really sure what had happened. When the made it official that I had won, it felt so good as it was something I have worked so hard for. This was my first year of supercross and it’s pretty amazing to think that I just won an Australian Championship.

“Thank you to my family at home back in Cairns as well as the Richardson family who are a huge help to me. I also want to thank the GYTR Yamaha team, especially Wardy and Thommo for doing such as great job and having our bikes perfect at every round. “I won’t forget this night in a long time,” he announces.

Just to make it a very memorable night for the GYTR Yamaha team, Jordan Hill claimed second place on the night with some of his best racing for the year. Hill finished with 2-3 results and looked great on the track, leading race one and then mounting a huge come from behind charge in race two to be right on the rear wheel of second place at the end of the race.

Hill also would have been right in championship contention had it not been for missing the Adelaide round due to injury. He rounded the championship out in sixth place.

“Tonight was good and I felt that was the best I have raced all season. I really struggled during the afternoon when the track was dry and baked but when they prepared it for the night show, it was really good and our lap times dropped by a couple of seconds. “My start in race two wasn’t great and I had to work hard to get near the front as the races are pretty short. I’m happy with second and another GYTR Yamaha team 1-2 in this years’ series.

“Joining the GYTR Yamaha team for supercross has been a great experience for me and I can’t thank them enough for the opportunity. The team has great people in it, the bikes are awesome and everyone has a good time. Thank you to them and our team sponsors for a great supercross season,”

The Melbourne event wraps up the GYTR Yamaha 2015 race season. The team will be back in 2016 and in pursuit of more championship success.