Former Supercars co-driver Dale Wood has embarked on a new chapter in his motorsport career by founding a supercross team with Eris Djemi. The team, named Wood Motorsport, will compete in the AUSX Supercross Championship with two riders: 18-year-old Tiger Wood and experienced campaigner Hayden Mellross.
Wood, also known as a Supercars driver, revealed that his love for dirt bikes has been long-held. "Dirt bikes have always been my biggest passion," he said. "I forged a lengthy career in four-wheel motorsport, through Formula Ford, Super2, Supercars and Carrera Cup, and I’m so lucky to have done what I’ve done. But through that whole time, my love has always still sat with dirt bikes, on two wheels."
The partnership between Wood and Djemi came about through their sons, who race together in karts. "I’d been doing some go-karting with my son Jacko and then met Eris," Wood recalled. "We’re a bit of a wacky partnership, but we’ve both got a real love for two-wheel sport, and headed down the path of starting a dirt bike team. I bring the commercial side, and Eris is stronger in the other areas of putting this team together, so between the two of us it’s been a really cool journey."
Despite a tight timeframe, Wood is confident the team is ready. "Time has definitely been against us, we decided to put all this together very much at the 11th hour, but we feel like we’ve got everything ticked and we’ve got a race bike that Tiger is particularly happy on, so we’re not going there feeling underdone," he added.
Tiger Wood, no relation to Dale, is a young talent from Townsville. He has recently been plying his trade in the United States. The upcoming AUSX Supercross Championship opener at his home ground, Queensland Country Bank Stadium, will come on October 3. It will be the first time he has raced since suffering a torn ACL a year ago at the AUSX Open at Marvel Stadium.
"It’s a bit uncanny that he’s got the same last name as me, but no relation," Wood said. "Doing my homework on Tiger, we could see he’s a serious talent, so for us it was a no-brainer to give him the best opportunity to prove himself and win an Australian title."
Meanwhile, Mellross, 31, is an experienced head. Last year, he was a standout at the AUSX Open, finishing third as a privateer. "To have somebody like Hayden Mellross join our team is huge," Wood said. "He’s such an established 450 rider, with the proof in the pudding through his podium last year. To have him alongside a young talent like Tiger, we’re really lucky and really fortunate."
Djemi, who runs a training facility, expressed his excitement. "I’ve been around the sport for a few years now, with my training facility, just helping a couple of mates and giving them a place to ride," he said. "When the big American guys come out, having them around is really fun too – but I’ve never done anything like owning a team before. It’s a big step forward, and it’s been great working with Dale. He’s very good at the corporate and commercial side, and I just make sure the track is prepped and the facility is top-notch. I’m excited to get to Townsville, and bring this team to life."
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