CDR Yamaha team manager Craig Dack is ecstatic with Lawson Bopping’s first Monster Energy MX Nationals overall at Hervey Bay last weekend.

Bopping, who was drafted in to replace four-time series champion Jay Marmont in 2012, won in Queensland and cemented himself as a legitimate title contender.

But Bopping’s result comes as no real surprise for Dack, who has seen first hand the development that Bopping has taken on in the first half of the season.

“I’m so happy for Lawson,” Dack said. “He has come on so much this year and I can see a total change in the way he goes about things.

“He is changing from a fast rider to a professional athlete in front of us and its pleasing to see the rewards he is getting from his dedication and commitment to racing.”

While Bopping’s win boosted him to within 25 points of series leader and teammate Josh Coppins, Dack maintains that Coppins’ form will return to its best at Horsham next weekend.

Coppins entered the Murray Bridge round with a 42-point advantage in the series, but has since seen that whittle down to 12 as another Aussie rising star in Todd Waters homes in.

“Josh was a couple off percent off today but on the positive side, he remains the championship leader,” Dack said of Coppins’ fourth overall at Hervey Bay. “I’m confident he will back bounce at Horsham.

“He is the type of rider that will run through the day in his head, make the necessary changes to his riding and training and then redeem himself at the next round.”

Horsham’s seventh round will take place in Victoria on Sunday, 15 July.