3 Prized Possessions: Craig Dack

After retiring from racing in 1992, Craig Dack established CDR Yamaha, a race team that went on to become the longest-running and most successful racing outfit in the country. In the past 28 years, CDR has amassed an astonishing tally of more than 40 national championships (that’s got to be a record for any motorsport team anywhere in the world, right?) and worked some of the biggest names in the sport. Guys such as Chad Reed, Darryll King, Jay Marmont, Daniel Reardon, Dean Ferris and Kirk Gibbs are just some of the stars to have succeeded under the CDR banner.
But who is Craig Dack? What does he think about the state of play of the sports that’s currently in the grips of a pandemic? And what are the three possessions he most prizes? These three possessions…

Craig Dack – surfing legend. Doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as multi-time motocross and supercross champion, but it might have been that way if the Dack household hadn’t moved away from Cronulla on the NSW coast when he was a seven-year-old nipper. Arriving in the dusty, then paddock surrounded suburb of St Marys, the young Dacka needed a new hobby. And after just one father-and-son trip to a local mini-bike hire area, he’d not only found a pastime, but also a profession. As future champions do, he won all the candy on offer at the local Gymkhana events before turning to proper competition aged 16 – the minimum age in NSW back then. With a sponsored ride on a Yamaha in 1985, he ran second to Jeff Leisk at that year’s Mr Motocross series before winning the title a year later on a Honda. He then returned to blue, won three more Mr Motocross crowns and raced in both Oz and OS until ’92 when, “I was just plain worn-out”. For the last two decades, the former MX and SX champ has guided his CDR Yamaha team to an astounding 36 national titles and has no plans to stop the trophy hunt anytime soon.

Mr Motocross Trophies

I’d always dreamt of winning the Mr Motocross series as a young rider and although I came second to Jeff Leisk in ’85, I didn’t have anything for him that year. However, I took the title on the following four occasions – 1986, ’87, ’88 and ’90 (the series wasn’t run in ’89). The three statues (the one celebrating my 1990 series win seems to be eternally lost in the post…) are a constant reminder of the best part of my Pro riding career, with 1986 the standout. Not just because it marked the start of the four-straight Mr Motocross wins, but also the fact that a fortnight later I rode the MXdN in Italy and finished fourth Outright.

Peter Jackson YZ250

This bike means so much to me as it’s from my last year of racing and was given to me by the team. It has pride of place in my house (though it has been borrowed on an occasion!). It hosts advanced-for-theirtime features – the fork’s factory, as are the ignition, gearbox and top-end, and it has widespread use of titanium and magnesium. However, I’m not the last person to ride it as it was stolen from our workshop after being exhibited at an event. Fortunately, I know some rather large gentlemen who ‘persuaded’ the new owners to give it back. The No.1 plate is from that year’s Australian MX and SX championships.

Home & Garden

My house sits on an acre of land in the coastal town of Torquay, Victoria. I bought the vacant block about five years ago and got heavily involved in the design of the new property. It’s a great satisfaction to see what starts as a sketch on paper, become my home. I’ve got a purpose-built room for my 1992 YZ250 and more than enough room to ride it in the garden. But that’s never going to happen as I’ve become a keen gardener (with an acre, there’s not much choice…). Throughout the racing season I’m constantly surrounded by people, so the house and garden have become my sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of my working life.

NOTE: This content originally appeared in Issue #25 of Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine in 2012. Though we reckon it’s unlikely that these aren’t still Dack’s three most prized possessions.