Riders Jed Beaton and Dean Ferris finished with a 2-3 result for the round respectively in the premier MX1 class and can look towards round two positively as things are heading in the right direction and they have what it takes for a huge championship push in 2024.
Held in perfect conditions at Wonthaggi, in Victoria, the circuit always provides plenty of challenges for riders and teams as it has a variety of soil as well as cuts up remarkably rough, so it does reward those who have done their homework.
Jed Beaton announced to the MX community that he loves racing the YZ450F and feels he can take his riding to another level on the Yamaha and he instantly showcased that when he punched out a 1.43 lap time in Superpole, nearly two seconds faster then his nearest rival.
Race one of the season got underway and 2500 horsepower raced into the first left hand sweeper at Wonthaggi. Beaton slotted into third on the opening lap and then quickly moved to second by the end of lap two and then it became a race in two. Beaton and Kyle Webster engaged in battle, and it went all the way to the finish. The pair were never further apart then a couple of seconds, but the pace was far too great for every other rider in the field.
After 30 minutes of racing, Beaton couldn’t find a way past Webster, but the duo put 45 seconds on the third placed rider. Beaton content with his result but knew he had more to give in race two.
Race two exploded form the gates and Beaton was inside the top five and in no mood for messing around. By lap four, he hit the lead and instantly began to put a gap into his rivals. The next 15 minutes saw him slowly but surely increase his lead until it was beyond eight seconds and a race win looked on the cards.
Then he miscued a rut on lap 12 and went down. He scrambled to remount his bike and he picked it up directly in front of Webster, who was second. But as Beaton composred himself, Webster found a way around and managed to take the race win. Beaton finished with 2-2 results for the day and second place for the round.
“95% of my day was good. It’s been a few years, but I finally felt like I could ride the bike the way I wanted to and race at a speed that I knew I was capable of. My speed was good, the bike worked well, and the team were awesome, it was just that little mistake at the end of race two that cost me the round win.
“But all that has done has motivate me as I got the feeling and sensation back. I’m able to race the whole moto again and that excites me. I’m disappointed I didn’t get the win and sorry to the CDR Yamaha team for letting them down, but I will be back and can’t wait to go racing again on this bike and with this team,” Beaton explains.
For Dean Ferris, it was the opening round he wanted as Wonthaggi had been a challenging track for him in recent times so two good motos and a podium for the round in a typically clinical performance from the four-time champion was a good result.
Ferris finished the day with 4-3 results for third overall and a massive improvement on his last full round here in 2022 when he was well down the field battling around the top ten.
“Overall, I’m satisfied with how my day went,” Ferris opens. “Like any rider, you want to win every race you enter but for me, I just needed to be smart at this round, grind out the best result I could and stay in the championship and I have ticked all those boxes today.
“The boys up front were running a really good pace and deserve their results, so hats off to them, but I just focused on what I could do and raced at a level that I knew was good for me at this track.
“So, happy with third and we move onto the next round. We haven’t raced at Horsham for a few years now so the track will be neutral for a lot of riders, and we can get stuck into closing the gap on Kyle and Jed.
“Thanks to the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team for their efforts on the weekend and looking forward to round two in a few weeks.
It was a positive vibe also from team owner, Craig Dack, after racing on Sunday.
“If you had asked me if I would be happy with a 2-3 result and both guys on the podium at the end of the day, I would have taken it, so it’s a good start. The crash Jed had late in moto two was frustrating and he was disappointed in himself, but we can shake that one off quickly and move on as these things happen from time to time.
“From a team perspective, the day gelled well, and everyone worked together. We have a couple of new faces, but it all went smoothly and I think we are in a great position moving forward in the championship,” Dack ends.
