Dunker on Top at AFTN
Cameron Dunker leads all comers after the opening weekend of the Yamaha Australian Flat Track Nationals hosted at the Maryborough circuit in Queensland.
Just weeks after stepping off his Yamaha R1M Superbike at the Australian Superbike Championship, Dunker transitioned well across to the Yamaha YZ450F and gelled well with his Franko’s Race Shop team to take victory in the Pro 450cc class on both days of a double header opening weekend.
Dunker didn’t have it all his own way and had to fight with Max Whale across the two days, but he was able to asset some authority and leaves Maryborough with an 18-point lead.
“It was a busy weekend with lots of racing and intensity. Max races at a high level and has spent a few years racing in the US, so I was pumped to be able to race with him.
“Franko and the team have done a great job on the bike and to be so comfortable on it so quickly just shows how much work they have been doing, so thanks to them for the long days in the lead up to the race.
“We head to Wodonga for the next two rounds and looking forward to doing some more racing,” he ends.
It was a double dose of success for the Frankos Race shop Yamaha team with young gun Jed Fyffe taking the win both days in the Junior Lites class. Fyffe also had a weekend long battle with Neiko Donovan but was able to win the races he needed to and get the round win on both days and take a 30-point lead into rounds three and four in August.
Privateer Superpole
Caloundra Motorcycle’s Levi Rogers grabbed the attention of the ProMX paddock when he scorched around the Green Park circuit at Conondale to record the fastest lap in Superpole.
Rogers, who has always had a good burst of speed, set the qualifying benchmark on Sunday ahead of the more established names like Beaton, Tanti and Webster and had the large crowd on hand cheering for the privateer underdog.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to translate the high-end speed into a top five result at the end of the day and ended up 10th in the standings. His starts let him down as well as a fall in race two but keep an eye on Rogers when it comes to QMP this weekend, he has had success there in the past.
The Weekend Ahead
The MX85 championship has been decided with Blake Bohannon taking victory for the second year in the row, Last weekend the MX1 championship was put to bed with Jed Beaton finally getting that elusive number 1 plate on his YZ450F.
But there are three championships left on the table in the 2026 ProMX and Yamaha riders and teams are elbows deep in two of them.
To view the Yamaha BLU CRU Round Review: https://youtu.be/XnWF0f66d0M
Lachlan Turner has a 34-point lead in the Women’s championship and with some good riding, can lock up her first WMX ProMX championship in the first race this weekend. So far, Lala has won all six motos the women have contested but hasn’t always had it her own way as small mistakes and top overs have made her work all the way to the end.
Turner has taken a real liking to racing in Australia and has quickly become a crowd favourite with her ‘never say die’ attitude and friendly personality of the bike. After this weekend, she will hang around for a few days to be a part of the 2027 YZ250F media launch before returning back to the US to graduate Highschool and contest the remaining rounds of the AMA WMX championship. She doesn’t plan on leaving without a number 1 plate in her gear bag.
“I love coming down here racing, it’s been so much fun. The people have been so nice to me and my family, and the racing here is awesome. The Conondale felt like a national round in the US and the track was sick, so I hope all the fans come out this weekend at QMP and get behind us,” she ends.
Hayden Draper holds a 20-point lead heading into the final round of the MX3 class. Draper took control of the championship at round two in Canberra and has run the points leaders red plate ever since. Despite some challenges in recent rounds, he has been able to stabilize the points lose at Conondale and a well-executed round this weekend will be what he needs to grab that number 1 plate.
“I have raced at QMP last year,” said the New Zealand based rider, “so I feel a little more confident that I know the track and have some experience here. But I know I have to be at my best as anything can happen in MX3, so I need to get good starts, put myself in a good position early in the race and then charge all the way to the end.
“It’s not going to be easy, but I know I can do it and I will give it all I got this weekend for myself and the Monster Energy WBR Yamaha team,” he ends.
The battle for the podium in MX1 is far from over as while Beaton has the championship, second place is all tied up with Kyle Webster and Aaron Tanti fighting over the silver medal. Tanti has been on form the last couple of rounds and has plenty of laps under his belt around the QMP circuit. This will be the race within a race to watch over the weekend as there is a lot of on the line for both riders.
The lead Yamaha rider in MX2 is Noah Ferguson who sits in sixth place after an up and down season. Ferguson has two race wins this year, but also some crashes and poor races among them so will be looking to put a full weekend together and finish the ProMX on a positive note.
It will also mark the final round for Souya Nakajima in the ProMX. Nakajima has been in Australia since the start of the year, but only now is he getting the consistency in his speed to be a top 10 competitor in MX2 at every round. There is no doubt he would love to have finish the season with another personal best and with some good starts, a top five result isn’t out of the question for the talented Japanese rider.
Action starts on Saturday and there are a range of support classes as well as the major championship classes. Get along and see all the action track side as the racing has been first class this year.