Yamaha Racing Rally at Round Three ProMX

An overcast day and some great track prep, left the circuit in great shape for racing and a layout out change kept the riders on their toes.

After three rounds, Yamaha continues to lead the MX1 and MX3 divisions and are well placed in MX2.

Monster Energy CDR Yamaha – MX1
The unbeaten start to the year for Jed Beaton has come to an end. Beaton had dominated the opening two rounds and round there started in similar fashion winning the Superpole event for the fastest lap and feeling comfortable on the sandy layout.

He then gated well in race one and was right at the pointy end of the field and sitting in second place behind leader, Dean Ferris, when he made a mistake and went down. The fall saw him drop to fourth and with half the race over, it wasn’t able to get his way back to the lead and had to settle for a third-place finish in the opening moto.

Race two and there wasn’t going to be a repeat. He stalked Kyle Webster on the opening laps, before charging down the inside of a turn, getting his YZ450F in front and the race was over as he powered away for a 15 second win and a solid rebound from the opening race mishap.

His 3-1 results meant he claimed second for the day but still holds a 12 point lead in the championship as we heads towards the half way mark of the series.

“It was another good weekend, just a shame I fell in the first race but that’s how it goes sometimes,” Beaton laments. “It was nice to get straight back on the horse and win the second moto and leave here in a good position in the championship.

“The bike worked great all day and the team never stop, so hats off to them and let’s keep things rolling at Toowoomba in a couple of weeks’ time.”

Aaron Tanti had a consistent day with 4-5 results across the two motos to finish fifth for the round. It was a mature performance from Tanti who hard to work hard for his results in both motos. Race one he charged through the first turn like it wasn’t there but still managed to recover quickly and get himself back into the top five in the early going.

Race two he recovered from an average start where he worked his way through the top 10 to take fifth.

His consistent day mirrors his season so far and  he maintained his third place in the championship.

“I’m pretty happy with how things went. These softer tracks aren’t always my strength so it’s important that I ride well at rounds like Wonthaggi and Gillman to stay in contention in the championship. I didn’t have the pace of the front guys, but was hoping for a podium as that was my goal.

“We are now back on hard pack for a while, which is where I get my best results, so looking forward to the next few rounds,” Tanti offers.

Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha – MX2
Noah Ferguson put the Canberra round behind him and returned to some better form with a fourth place finish at Gillman in the MX2 class. Despite not qualifying well, Ferguson was able to race with better intensity in the two, 25-minute motos to finish with 4-5 results on the day and fourth overall.

Ferguson was in a race long battle with Dylan Walsh in race one for third place. The pair were never further then a couple of seconds apart, but he couldn’t get close enough to make a passing attempt and was forced to take fourth.

Race two and his started wasn’t as good and he was just inside the top 10 in the opening laps. There was plenty of bar banging happening with riders all fighting for track position and it took Ferguson some time to settle into the race.

With five minute to go, he found his mojo and began to move forward. He made three passes in the final two laps to get his way to fifth for the race and lock down fourth for the round.

“It was better than Canberra,” he acknowledges. “It’s still not where I want to be and there is still work to do but I feel its headed in the right direction and I’m confident that the good results will continue from here.

“The team worked hard after the Canberra, so thank you to them for putting in the long hours between the rounds,” Ferguson ends.

And, in what was an up and down day but did Souya Nakajima announce himself on the Australia scene? The two-time Japanese 250cc champion has been working hard to find his feet at ProMX events, commenting on the depth and speed of the riders he races, but after a 16th in race one, the Japanese rider, made a statement in race two.

He fired out of the first turn in third place, right on the rear wheel of championship leader, Alex Larwood. He was determined to make the most of the good track position and for the next 10 minutes he kept the leaders in sight and held down a strong third place.

Byron Dennis was able to sneak by just passed the half way stage, but even then, Nakajima kept him in check and he powered his way to a fourth place moto finish. A personal best at ProMX level.

His 16-4 results landed him in 10th for the day but feeling a lot better about himself and the rounds ahead,

“I am very happy. The last race was much better and more what I think I can do. We worked on start maps between the rounds and made some good improvements there, so it was good to get out the gate well and ride with the lead group.

“Hopefully I can keep results like this coming. I have raced at Toowoomba, so I know that track.

“Thank you to the team and sponsors for all the work they do and looking forward to round four,” Nakajima said.

Monster Energy WBR Yamaha – MX3
Both team riders of Hayden Draper and Jack Deveson finished inside the top five for the weekend, but it was an eventful one for the WBR Yamaha team.

Draper finished third for the round with 2-8 results but manages to maintain his lead in the MX3 championship. He started the day well, taking P1 in qualifying, but couldn’t turn that into a race win. The first moto he was right there and inside the top three the entire moto. He moved to second with a handful of laps to go but couldn’t close the gap on the leader and finished second.

The second moto and Draper had a poor start. He was fighting his way through and came to the back wheel of teammate, Jack Deveson. As the pair battled for position, Draper clipped his teammates and went down. It was able to remounted reasonably quickly and rejoin the race but he lost several positions as he regathered himself and got going again. 

He battled back to eighth which was enough to secure third on the day.

“It wasn’t the weekend I was after,” Draper admits. “I raced here last year at the Junior Nationals and although the track has been changed, I knew the dirt and felt confident I could get a good result at this round. 

“When I came together with Jack, I hit me arm pretty good so I will need to get that looked it but it doesn’t feel too bad at the moment.

“It wasn’t to be, but I still lead the championship and will learn from today,” he ends.

Deveson claimed 5-6 results to take fifth for the round. The New South Wales based rider will be wanting more in the coming rounds to claw himself back into championship contention after a tough weekend at the Canberra round.

Deveson showed speed in race one as he recovered from an early race fall and was thereabouts in race two but couldn’t quite get his YZ250F onto the podium.

“Just an average weekend for me. I tried hard and didn’t give up at any stage as my goal was to get on the podium for the weekend and it was right there in front of me in both races.  I felt I had good enough speed to be in the top three.  

“Thanks to the WBR team for the support and I plan to get back on the podium at Toowoomba,” he said.

MX2 racer, Seth Burchell is beginning to find his best form and hit out at Gillman will only do him good. Burchell started well in both races and learnt the lines and pace of the lead group on each occasion before dropping away at the end.

But with each race that he exposes himself to the speed sand intensity in MX2, it will shape him to be a better rider for the future. 

Burchell finished both races inside the top 10 and now sits 10th in the championship with some of his favourite track still to come.  

Round four of the ProMX now moves to the rolling hills of Echo Valley in Toowoomba on May 24.