CDR Yamaha may have lost the Australian Motocross Championship for the first time in five years earlier this month, however the success of Daniel Milner in the off-road ranks has gone a long way in making up for that fact.

When Craig Dack took over from Geoff Ballard as chief of Yamaha’s off-road program, it was hard to predict the ease of his transition. The 20-year veteran team expanded, Yamaha’s expectations rose and Dack himself had little experience in off-road prior to 2013.

But a professional team steps up when it has to, plus with Daniel Milner in CDR’s corner not to mention the experience of Stefan Merriman, this year was always going to be a successful one for the team.

At 22, Milner wrapped up the AORC title with a round to spare at Dungog on Saturday, piloting his E1 Class YZ250F to the title in impressive fashion. He’s also won the Australian Four-Day Enduro the past two years running.

“It’s been an amazing year for me and the CDR Yamaha Off Road team,” Milner said. “To win this championship on top of the A4DE has realised our goals when we first sat down at the start of the year and mapped out our plan.

“CDR Yamaha has been fantastic this year and it’s been a pleasure to work with such a professional team. I can’t thank them enough as well as my family and friends who have supported and encouraged me this season. This championship means a lot to me and I’m pretty pumped about it.

“I didn’t want to lose focus after winning the championship on Saturday so after a couple of down hours, I got my mind back on the job and prepared like it was just another round. To not be 100 percent only increases the chance of injury and with the ISDE coming up, there is still plenty to race for this year.

“On top of that, we have a good culture at CDR Yamaha and nothing really changes. A race was there to be won, so I tried my best to win it and I was fortunate enough to make that happen.

“Craig Dack and the CDR Yamaha team have really changed the off road scene and their professionalism is amazing. I have really enjoyed working in an environment like this and the team have played a huge part in my results this year.”

Pulling the reins on both the CDR Yamaha Motocross and Enduro teams has made for a busy year for team owner Dack, but one he said is more for filling than most.

“When Yamaha came to me with the idea to run both teams, it all seemed a bit overwhelming,” Dack said. “But as the year wore on and the CDR staff continued to work hard things started to progress and in the last month we have seen our MX team end up on the podium in the MX Nationals and now Daniel has won both the AORC and the A4DE.

“On top of that, Stefan has also finished on the podium in his class and done extremely well to finish fourth in Outright honours.

“So, it’s been a lot of hard work for everyone but when I look back at it, it’s been quite an achievement and something that everyone in CDR Yamaha can be proud of. We have a great group of riders, fantastic sponsors and a working relationship with Yamaha that continues to breed success.

“Daniel has worked enormously hard for his results this year and has grown as a rider and person in 2013. He deserves his success and I couldn’t be prouder of him.

“Stefan is a machine. I’m in awe at some of the things he can do and his commitment to racing despite doing it for so long. He has my total respect and to finish where he has is a credit to him.”

And now with both the MX Nationals and the AORC series in the books, Dack now turns his attention to the Australian Supercross Championship. Talk about a diverse team!