CDR Yamaha’s Dean Ferris slotted back into the Australian motocross scene with style taking third place at the opening round of the 2016 MX Nationals in the premier MX1 division, at Horsham, highlighted with a moto victory in race one.

Dean Ferris looked smooth and fast on his way to victory in race one

Ferris, who just finished runner- up in the New Zealand championships recently, was in good form entering the MX Nationals season opener and hit the ground running in moto one. Completing the opening lap in third place, Ferris quickly charged his YZ450F to the lead and took control of the race. With each lap, he stretched the lead and after 30 minutes of racing, Ferris took a 10-second victory and a great start to his championship aspirations.

Moto two and again Ferris was near the front sitting in third. He then fell and dropped several positions before making some moves and finish the race in sixth.

His combined 1-6 results gave him third for the round and a good foundation for the start of a long championship.

“Overall, things went pretty well,” Ferris explains. “Winning the first moto was an awesome start to the series and a felt strong on the bike for the entire 30 minutes. Moto two was looking the same and I was patient behind the two riders in front in the early stages but made a mistake and went down by myself.

“That fall cost me points and because the field was strung out, it was hard to get back many positions.

“The team worked tirelessly and I just need to tidy up a few things and will be back better than ever at Appin,” Ferris commented.

Dan Reardon finished 7th for the round after a fall in race two.

Dan Reardon also made a positive start to the season despite carrying a niggling injury into the event. Reardon led the field on the opening lap of race one before dropping to fifth by the mid stages of the race. He rallied late to move up a position and take fourth in the opening moto in a good result.

The second race wasn’t as smooth and things went pear-shaped on the opening lap when Reardon went down and was left in 22nd place at the completion of lap one. He put his head down and started the long crawl back towards the front and 30 minutes later, he crossed the finish line in ninth place and regained some valuable points in the championship.

Reardon’s 4-9 results land him in seventh for the day and in among a very tight championship leader board.

“Up and down day for me. Moto one was good and a felt I was riding at a comfortable pace to get the season off on the right foot but moto two wasn’t good. On the first lap I spun up on some slippery dirt and crashed. Crashing that early in the race meant the whole field went by and I near last with a lot of work to do.

“It wasn’t my greatest day but I think that there were some positives to come from it and things will definitely improve from here,” Reardon states.

Team Owner, Craig Dack, was on hand to guide his team and rode a roller coaster of emotions throughout the day.

“I was happy with both riders in moto one and felt they did a great job in finishing 1-4 and got us off to a good start in the championship. Moto two was frustrating as both riders went down early in the race from unforced errors which cost us dearly. Mistakes like that can be costly in any championship so it’s something we need to address. Its round one and both riders will learn from it as they are both mature and experienced so I expect them to be far more clinical at round two,” Dack ends.

Round two of the MX Nationals heads to Appin Raceway on April 17.

For a full list of results or more information on the MX Nationals, www.mxnationals.com.au

Round One Results – Horsham; MX1

1st Matt Moss – 65
2nd Kirk Gibbs – 65
3rd Dean Ferris – 60 (CDR Yamaha)
4th Kade Mosig – 56
5th Todd Waters – 54
6th Brett Metcalfe – 52
7th Dan Reardon – 50 (CDR Yamaha)
8th Dylan Long – 48
9th Jesse Dobson – 44
10th Jay Wilson – 43

Share this article