Ready to launch the GASGAS Racing Team into the 2022 Australian ProMX Championship, racers Hayden Mellross and Blake Fox eagerly await the opening gate-drop at round one this weekend in Wonthaggi, Victoria.
Geelong-based Mellross will enter the new season as a legitimate threat aboard the MC 450F in the MX1 category, new to GASGAS for this year after displaying front-running capabilities throughout his career
Last year Mellross proved that potential when he finished second overall at round two of ProMX in Canberra, and the 26-year-old is aiming to build upon that form in a bid to contest for a maiden premier class crown at the national level.
Hayden Mellross: "I'm really looking forward to the season to start and getting things underway with the GASGAS Racing Team! I broke my sternum in the MX Invitational at Nowra, so a portion of the pre-season has been about managing that and trying to maintain my fitness, but I have been back on the bike in recent weeks and am excited for the opener. I've been doing everything in my power to be ready for Wonthaggi, because as a racer and regardless of injuries, we want to do our best and achieve the results we know we’re capable of. I’m definitely heading there intending to get some solid results and give it my all out on the track!"
Last year's MX3 championship winner Fox has stepped up to MX2 as part of the expanded GASGAS Racing Team in 2022 and looks to capitalise on both confidence gained over the past 12 months, as well as the resources of being within a factory backed racing team for the first time in his senior career.
The 18-year-old's pre-season has been productive, capturing convincing round wins at the opening two stops of the Australian Arenacross Series while steadily working behind the scenes to establish himself as a contender at the professional level.
Blake Fox: "My pre-season has gone really smoothly and I'm excited to be with the GASGAS Racing Team! After getting some racing time over January and February, I’ve spent the past month at home training on and off the bike - I’m still building, but I’m feeling fit and ready to go. I'm definitely eager for the ProMX series to begin this weekend at Wonthaggi, to let go of the first round pressure and nerves, so I’m going in with an open mind since it's my first time in MX2. Ideally, though, I do want to be towards the front of the pack and make the most of the points on offer to get the series started, that's for sure."
Kyle Blunden (KTM Group Australia Motorsport Manager): "We're heading to Wonthaggi with a young, vibrant, and exciting new team with winning credentials behind them. The GASGAS Racing Team has had a busy off-season preparing an MC 250F to welcome reigning MX3 champion Blake Fox. Blake's a talented young racer with a very mature head on his shoulders and has gelled exceptionally well with the team. He's joined by Hayden Mellross, who immediately looked at home aboard his MC 450F. Hayden's a rider that has enjoyed the fun, loose atmosphere of the GASGAS Racing Team and we look forward to seeing him up the pointy-end of the field in 2022. The team have completed their pre-season testing with Choice Suspension and couldn't be happier heading into the opening round."
The first round of eight in the highly-anticipated 2022 Australian ProMX Championship will take place at Wonthaggi, VIC, this Sunday, 27 March.
Watch the GASGAS Racing Team of Hayden Mellross and Blake Fox in this pre-season video