There was a period when everything was trending upwards for Hayden Mellross, featuring within some of Australia’s premier teams as his career continued to build. In 2023, however, a career-defining injury forced him to reevaluate everything, with Profiled taking a look at the remarkable path back to his AUSX podium success this year.

Terms at both Monster Energy CDR Yamaha, as well as the now-defunct GASGAS Racing Team, are a reminder of the trajectory that the 30-year-old was on, with Mellross being part of the domestic category of riders alongside the likes of Luke Clout and Aaron Tanti as his contemporaries.

That path would ultimately unravel while on a six-round, cameo appearance during the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross Championship, where a mistake through a rhythm lane in Glendale resulted in a severely broken ankle – one that would have doctors suggest his racing days were over.

“When I first decided to pursue a supercross-only type career, I went over to the United States in ’23 to race the back-end of their season,” Mellross told MotoOnline. “The first round I did, I ended up having a weird crash that shattered my ankle, which was one of the craziest injuries I have ever had.

“That set me back a long, long time… I had a couple of surgeries over there and I couldn’t even fly home for a couple of weeks, with the doctors telling me that my career was pretty much over and that 90 percent of athletes don’t come back from this. So, I was faced with some hard truths.

“Doctors were talking about my career being over, and there was a possibility of fusing my ankle, which would keep me from ever running. I was about to be a dad and wanted to be active and do all those things with my kid, so at that point, it was more about getting healthy for him – I didn’t really give a shit about the riding.”

Image: Foremost Media.

The destabilisation of the injury, alongside its severity, led to some tough moments for Mellross, who endured the uncertainty of recovery before targeting a ‘building’ AUSX season in 2024, where results and expectations were both set aside in favour of steady, deliberate progress.

“There were many dark days,” he continued. “I broke down a lot of times, because it was such a long process and I had doubts, but the biggest thing for me was trying to get healthy for my family. That’s why when I podiumed earlier this season, I was so emotional, because I had my little boy up there with me, and I have done everything for him.

“When I came back in 2024, I had no goals, and I made sure my mindset wasn’t on results, it was purely on finishing races while building confidence and speed. I took some humble pie – I got smoked – but it was purely building that I was focused on.”

That philosophy earned him sixth overall in last year’s Boost Mobile AUSX Supercross SX1 standings, before a standout ride at the opening sequence of this year’s championship saw him claim third overall at Redcliffe’s second round.

Consistency over the remaining rounds saw the KTM-mounted rider deliver what was a standout third overall in the premier class series, and with that, being the first domestic rider behind the high-powered Honda Racing duo of Dean Wilson and Cedric Soubeyras.

The program for Mellross wasn’t overly flashy this year, as he balanced full-time work with laps on the supercross track when and where he found the time: “I had some support through private sponsors, which was super-helpful in covering entry fees, and then a fuel card to get to the races.

Image: Foremost Media.

“A lot of the people who supported me in 2024 returned for this season, and without their help, it wouldn’t have been possible to do it to the extent we did. That included my dealership, which helped me out with bikes, as well as other private sponsors, but beyond their support, it was out of my pocket.

“If I wanted to train, it was in the afternoons after work. That was extremely hard, because a lot of my days would start at five o’clock in the morning, just so I could finish early and get home and ride. I put a big focus on quality instead of quantity this year with my training, but I will say that it was extremely hard to balance both things. I wasn’t the fittest or fastest I’ve been this year, but I am hoping that what we achieved this year can escalate into more next year.”

So, what is his future outlook? A supercross-only career is one that he wants to continue to pursue, hoping to link in a range of stadium-based championships that can keep him in the discipline over the coming years.

“Future-wise, I want to do more supercrosses for sure,” he continued. “Hopefully, the series that are out there can… I don’t want to say work together, but at least have mutual understanding where it works for us riders. That’s my hope, as I’d love to do more supercross racing.

“In Australia, I’m pretty content with the set-up that I have, but having more support and sponsors would be a massive help – not having to pay for oils, tyres, and stuff – that would be helpful. But then again, if a team wanted to put me on for supercross, I would for sure consider that option.

“In saying that, with where I am in my career, I wouldn’t sign to a team based only on money. I’d want to look at it properly and make sure it is the right fit – that is a really important part for me now.”

Image: Foremost Media.

It’s a big thing to go through, from the highs to the lows, and then to dig oneself out of the hole to return to the higher echelons of domestic competition. We wondered whether there were any key takeaways or learnings from the injury, as well as the time away, and what the shift in perspective looked like.

“The biggest thing I have learned from being away and coming back is that so much of it really is an image,” the experienced New South Welshman added. “When I was a full-time rider, I’d turn up with half a tub of gel in my hair [laughs], and that image of yourself is really easy to get caught up in.

“Being away from it, and also getting older, you realise that there is a lot more to life [than racing]. That image is something I really couldn’t give a shit about now… I wear my work boots to the track, which I wear five days a week, as well as my dad shirt – I don’t have an image to maintain anymore, I am just me.

“And racing-wise, I just want to be the best version of myself that I can be and achieve my full potential. I love racing, and when I get to 40 years old, hopefully I can sit back with my young fella and show him what I did, and teach him some valuable life lessons.”