Drane’s Triumphant Return

Dirt track star, Tom Drane, has returned to Australia after a successful season racing in the US to compete in Rounds 3 and 4 of the Australian Flat Track Nationals (AFTN) at the Appin Circuit near Sydney.

Drane is back home on a working holiday and chose to enter the event before heading back to the US in 2025. It proved to be a triumphant return, as the Estenson Yamaha Racing team rider put together a stunning weekend at Appin, winning both rounds on his YZ450F.

Drane clinched Saturday’s round by four points over rival, Max Whale, finishing with scores of 2-3-1-1, while Whale posted 3-1-2-3. Displaying his world-class skills, Drane rose to the occasion when it mattered most, pulling out all the stops to put his YZ450F in front and secure the round win.

But Saturday was only the beginning, as Drane dominated on Sunday with an impressive 2-1-1-1 result, comfortably securing another victory to make his trip home well worthwhile.

“It’s always nice to come back to Australia and be able to race, especially seeing how many riders are here and how well the Flat Track Nationals are running. The team was generous enough to let me bring a fair amount of gear home from the US to race and prepare for next season, so it’s great to be home – and even better to get the win,” Drane said.

Another rider thriving on the dirt track was ASBK regular, Cameron Dunker. Dunker swapped his usual Yamaha R1 with its 200hp for the quick-revving, agile YZ450F, enjoying the experience of riding a 60hp dirt bike. He finished sixth on Saturday as he adjusted to the dirt circuit, then improved to second place on Sunday, resulting in a Yamaha 1-2 with his friend, Drane.

“It’s a lot different from road racing, and the riding style is much more aggressive, but I love it, and I think it helps my ASBK racing. I’ll keep coming back for each round. It’s almost like I need a race or two to get into rhythm, and then I’m good. So maybe for the final round, I’ll just start racing by myself on Friday and see if that helps,” Dunker laughed.