After capturing a commanding victory in the opening MX2 moto at Shepparton’s seventh round of the Motul MX Nationals last weekend, Serco Yamaha’s Mitch Evans made a costly mistake in race two that ultimately denied him of an overall win.

The class rookie acknowledged he was too aggressive throughout the second outing, which resulted in the Queenslander crashing on his own while charging into the top three.

The gamble failed to pay off, leaving Evans to settle for third overall at the completion of the weekend, although he’s still satisfied with his current level of riding.

“I felt I was riding well today and I like the Shepparton track,” Evans explained. “The first race went perfectly to plan and it was a great way to start the day. Moto two was a bit more of a fight as I locked bars with a few guys off the start and was spat out the back pretty quick.

“I made my way through but as I was trying to pass into third, I got on the gas too early leaving a turn and the back just come around on me. I tried to be a little too aggressive and it didn’t pay off, but I’m still happy with how I’m riding at the moment.”

Despite losing a handful of points, Evans understands his he’s still right in the hunt for the title, sitting just eight points behind championship leader Wilson Todd (DPH Motorsport Yamaha) as three rounds remain.

“Just three rounds to go now and the points are still close in the championship so there is lots of work to do,” he continued. “Port Macquarie is next and most of us haven’t been there before so we look forward to racing somewhere new.”

The next stop on the Motul MX Nationals calendar his scheduled for 30 July at Port Macquarie, marking the final New South Wales round of the series before heading to Queensland to close out the season.