CDR Yamaha’s Dean Ferris’ stunning win streak at the MX Nationals has come to an end when he recorded a second-place finish at round seven of the championship at the Shepparton circuit in Victoria, over the weekend.
Ferris has dominated the championship so far, taking a record breaking six round wins in a row as the MX1 championship rolled into Shepparton. He was determined to keep the momentum rolling and was on track for another good day as action got underway on Sunday.
He comfortably qualified for the Superpole event where the top five riders are pitted against one another for an all-out, no-holes barred, one lap dash against the clock. Ferris set the cold and damp Shepparton circuit on fire when he punched out a 1.32 lap time, nearly a full second ahead of his rivals.
Then as race one leapt from the gates, things appeared to be on track as Ferris slotted into the top three early in the race and sat patiently as the race began to unfold. Then on lap six he made an uncharacteristic mistake and went down, losing 40 seconds on the race leaders.
He remounted in 12th place and then stopped to change his goggles before getting back into the race and clawing his way back through the field. He managed to fight his way forward to seventh place at the end of the 30-minute moto but was determined to redeem himself come moto two.
With fire in his eyes, Ferris took control of race two by the end of lap three and never let it go. He took the win in a good rebounding ride and his 7-1 results landed him in second spot for the day but he still maintains and 54-point lead in the championship with three rounds remaining.
“You can’t win them all, but I really wanted to,” Ferris lamented at the end of the day. “I felt pretty good in moto one and was right where I needed to be when I fell heavily and lost a lot of time. It was my first major incident of the year so I can’t complain too much but it also shows how fast things can change and that myself and the CDR Yamaha team need to remain 100% focused to win this championship.
“Moto two was good and we got the race win. There wasn’t allot to separate the top few riders this weekend but I was able to get a nice little gap and ride my own race.
“Thanks to the CDR Yamaha team again for their massive support throughout the year and I now look forward to racing at Port Macquarie which is a new track on the calendar this year,” Ferris ends.
Team mate Dylan Long took a few steps forward with his racing today as he recovers from a long stint on the sidelines recovering from a wrist injury. Long returned to action at round six in Nowra and with a couple more weeks on the bike between the events, he looked better at the Shepparton round.
The talented Victorian posted top consistent results to round the day out in 10th place and feels he showed improvement in both speed and fitness.
“When I look back at Nowra, it wasn’t great, but I was at least on the track in racing conditions and I could see what I needed to work on. This week I was able to race with a little more intensity and my fitness level was certainly better as I was able to maintain my speed for longer periods in the race.
“I still have a long way to go but it’s nice to see some small steps forward and some progress on the track. Hopefully I can continue to improve as the rounds progress and be back where I belong before the championship is over,” Long said.
The MX Nationals will return to action for round eight with the Hastings Club at Port Macquarie hosting the event for the very first time.
For more information and a full list of results on the championship; www.mxnationals.com.au
