Despite being an MX2 (250cc) rookie, Evans has shown his maturity and development time and again in 2017 and while not exactly the day he was after, he still managed to salvage good results with his 4-3 finishes on the weekend and remain in a tight championship battle with Wilson Todd and Egan Mastin for the MX2 crown.

“I felt I was riding really well today but I just let myself down in a couple of areas,” Evans starts. “In race one I went for the wrong rear tyre and then in race two, I chose a start gate that was probably a bit tight for the first turn.

“I will own both of those calls and learn from them. The positive was that my track speed was good and I was able to chase down both Egan and Wilson in the closing stages of race two.”

Just 14 points separate the top three riders in the MX2 division and with only two rounds remaining, there is no room for the faint- hearted. It will be all-out, take no prisoners, race to the finish and no one looks like backing down.

“Toowoomba and Coolum are the final two track and all three of us have raced there a lot. In fact, the three of us have raced each other all through our junior careers and have had a good rivalry and respect for one another on the track but we are all going for this championship and none of us plan on backing down.”

Evans was the lone ranger for the Serco Yamaha team has team mate, Jackson Richardson will miss the remaining rounds of the MX Nationals as he recovers from a shoulder injury sustained at round seven in Shepparton.

Richardson is eyeing a return to action at the opening round of the Australian Supercross championship on September 23.

Round Eight Results: Port Macquarie
MX2
1st Egan Mastin – 70 points
2nd Wilson Todd – 64 points
3rd Mitchell Evans – 58 points – Serco Yamaha
4th Kyle Webster – 55 points
5th Hamish Harwood – 54 points
6th Jayden Rykers – 51 points
7th Richie Evans – 47 points
8th Dylan Wills – 47 points
9th Jay Wilson – 43 points
10th Connor Tierney – 41 points

MX2 Championship Standings- After Round Eight
1st Wilson Todd – 490 points – Yamaha YZ250F
2nd Egan Mastin – 477 points
3rd Mitchell Evans – 476 points – Yamaha YZ250F
4th Hamish Harwood – 427 points
5th Kyle Webster – 399 points
6th Dylan Wills – 381 points
7th Jayden Rykers – 371 points
8th Jackson Richardson – 365 points – Yamaha YZ250F
9th Richie Evans – 350 points – Yamaha YZ250F
10th Joel Evans – 281 points – Yamaha YZ250F