A fifth-place finish at Canberra’s second round of the 2021 Penrite ProMX Championship proved to be a critical points haul for Jesse Dobson, the Serco Yamaha rider putting in a courageous ride less than two weeks after undergoing collarbone surgery in a bid to keep his title hopes alive.

The Queensland-based contender broke his collarbone in a practice crash during the lead-up to Canberra, forcing him to wait until the opening lap of practice to determine if he could even race the pair of motos.

Dobson went 8-5 across the two outings for fifth overall, promoting him to third in the championship standings while positioning him just two points shy of second’s Rhys Budd (Yamalube Yamaha Racing).

“Going into the weekend, there was still a big question mark on if I could even ride a dirt bike,” Dobson told MotoOnline.com.au. On Monday I actually called a friend and was talking them – I told them I couldn’t even put my socks on.

“I didn’t know how the weekend was going to go, so with what I could salvage, it was really good. If I could ride, I wanted to be around the top five depending on the shoulder, but I was just taking it race by race.

“If I could only do one race, that’s better than not being on the start gate at all with the cards I’ve been dealt in the last two weeks. I managed to finish the whole day and move up one position in the points – now I’m only two points off second. Overall, I’m pretty happy with how it all turned out.”

The number 14 sits 33 points behind series leader Kyle Webster (Honda Racing), who has gone undefeated across the first four motos of the season.

Western Australian Jayden Rykers believes Canberra’s second round of the 2021 Penrite ProMX Championship was a step forward after experiencing an improved performance in the MX1 category.

The Empire Kawasaki talent indicated a number of set-up changes were made to his KX450 in the lead-up to round two, which promoted a new-found confidence on his way to an encouraging seventh in the opening encounter.

The 24-year-old backed up the result with a pair of eighth-place finishes in the back-to-back sprint motos – a format first for 2021 – to secure an improved seventh overall.

“Today was definitely a step forward in comparison to the first round and we took a lot out of this one,” Rykers said. “We’ve made some changes with the bike to suit me more and they’ve worked, although I’d still like to be up toward the front further. All in all, we had a consistent day and it’s more to build from.”

The seventh-place result has elevated Rykers from P8 to P7 in the premier class championship rankings, while the series now heads to Gillman in South Australia for round three of the series on 30 May.

Monster Energy CDR Yamaha duo Luke Clout and Hayden Mellross responded to Craig Dack’s call to ‘stand up’ at round two of the 2021 Penrite ProMX Championship after a self-described average season-opener, the pair delivering with an incredible 1-2 finish.

Round one of ProMX was far from Dack’s expectations last month, where Clout recorded a DNF in moto two as Mellross finished fifth overall – the results prompting the team owner to apply increased pressure last weekend in the ACT.

Dack mentioned the team couldn’t afford to experience ‘another average round’ as it would put them on the back foot in the title hunt, however he was overwhelmingly pleased with how the duo responded to his calls by dominating the podium.

“We needed to put up a fight here as another average round could see us lose touch in the championship chase, so I put it on the team and the riders to stand up this weekend and get racing back on our terms,” Dack explained.

“To the credit of both guys, they did that and now find themselves in a much better position as we head to round three. Both riders can take confidence from their results today and as a team, we will immediately focus on Gillman and look for more of the same.”

Clout’s 1-1-2 scorecard for first overall promoted him to fourth in the championship standings, while Mellross was able to elevate himself to third in the rankings with 4-3-3 results at the Canberra round.

CDR Yamaha Monster Energy’s Hayden Mellross insists there’s ‘more to come’ after claiming his first podium since July 2019, his runner-up result at Canberra’s second round of the 2021 Penrite ProMX Championship coming as a huge relief to the number 45.

Mellross was in title contention during the 2019 season before a knee injury at the closing rounds ruled him out of supercross that year, and along with racing being cancelled altogether in 2020, it meant the New South Welshman went almost two years without experiencing podium success at a national level.

The 25-year-old, who grew up in Goulbourn near Canberra, put on an impressive display in front of a home crowd as he charged to fourth in the opening encounter, however he really came into his own during the pair of back-to-back 13-minute plus one-lap motos, where he went 3-3 for second overall.

“It’s been too long since I stood on a podium at a national event,” said a relieved Mellross. “With Covid and injuries, it’s been a long time between podium visits, so I’m glad to finally get back up here and reward myself and the team for the hard work we have all put in behind the scenes.

“Today was an improvement on Wonthaggi as my speed was better. My starts weren’t what they needed to be, but I will work on that and hopefully put myself in better positions to win races at the next round.

“The more racing I’m able to do, the better I feel as I missed a large chunk of the pre-season with injury. I feel there is still more to come and think there is room for improvement as we head into Adelaide.”

The runner-up result promoted Mellross to third in the championship standings, one position ahead of team-mate and Canberra overall winner Luke Clout (Monster Energy CDR Yamaha).

A pair of third-place results amounted to a career-first MX2 podium for rookie Noah Ferguson, the GasGas-mounted rider experiencing a turnaround performance at Canberra’s second round of the 2021 Penrite ProMX Championship on Sunday.

The youthful Queenslander endured a challenging opening round last month in victoria, mustering up just 10 championship points with a 13-DNF scorecard.

It was a drastic turnaround in the ACT for Ferguson, who after claiming an impressive second overall result, suggested an anticipated maiden podium would come further along in the series after his difficult start to the championship.

“I’m pretty pumped with my first P2 in MX2, which was only my second race in that category,” Ferguson told MotoOnline.com.au. “The podium hasn’t surprised me – it was always the goal and the intention to be on the podium, but after round one, it was more of a doubt.

“I knew that’s where I needed to be, and it was a bit of a breakthrough ride to be on the podium so early. I’m always driving to be better – I’ll just take it week by week, and try to get better and be more consistent – that’s been the biggest downfall in my years of racing. I’d say it’s flipped a few goals around.”

The breakthrough result now sees Ferguson ranked seventh in the MX2 championship standings as ProMX visits South Australia for the next stop on the calendar, scheduled for 30 May.

Defending Australian MX1 champion Todd Waters was satisfied to take away a consistent points haul at Canberra’s second round of the 2021 Penrite ProMX Championship, admitting he rode within his capabilities to secure fourth overall.

Waters displayed strong form during early proceedings in the ACT, setting the second-fastest time in qualifying before finishing runner-up in the opening moto, which saw the number one put in comeback performance after dropping outside the top five.

Track conditions significantly deteriorated in the back half of the day, with the Canberra circuit becoming incredibly slick and dusty. It led the Husqvarna Racing Team rider to take a cautious approach in the new back-to-back sprint format – the first of 2021 – where he rode within his limits to 4-5 results, finishing two points shy of the overall podium.

“It was an interesting day out there,” Waters explained. “I qualified well and had a good first race, but the track baked out before the back-to-back races and I struggled with that hard-pack.

“It was an easy track to throw it away on and, with everyone being so close, I didn’t want that to happen. I rode within my capabilities and I’m happy to walk away with the points today – it’s certainly a lot better than crashing and getting 10ths. We might have lost a few points in the championship, but we’ll go back, regroup and look forward to Gillman.”

The Queenslander remains second in the championship standings, seven points down on red-plate holder and MX1 rookie Regan Duffy (KTM Racing Team) as the series returns to action on 30 May at Gillman in South Australia.