Yamaha Motor Australia’s off-road guns are poised and fit to hit the 2010 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) and Yamaha Australian 4-Day Enduro (A4DE).
The Yamaha off-road squad are looking to build on a strong 2009 season, in which they scored several AORC class wins and a near clean sweep of the national titles in the A4DE.
Five-time world champion, Stefan Merriman, will lead the charge on a 2010 WR450F in Pro E2, with Ben Burrell and Tom McCormack in Pro E1, Kirk Hutton in Pro E3, Jessica Gardiner and Jemma Wilson in Championship Women’s and Geoff Ballard in Championship Master’s.
The first national outing for Yamaha’s crew will be the Port Mac Piston: the opening rounds of the Yamaha AORC to be held at Port Macquarie, NSW, on March 13th and 14th.
Next up will be the 32nd annual Yamaha A4DE at Portland (near Lithgow, NSW) on April 8th to 11th.
Merriman, 36, from Nelson’s Bay (NSW) will head the Ballard’s Wellard Yamaha Team effort, flanked by rising star Ben Burrell (Parkes, NSW), Championship Women’s hope, Jessica Gardiner (Hawksbury, Sydney) and Geoff and Josh Ballard.
“Finishing second by one-second last year has made me even more determined to win this year,” Merriman said.
“Last year was my first season back from Europe – where I’d been racing for 11-years.
“Adjusting to the very different types of races and tracks was difficult, but I’ve been here for longer now and had a chance to do more riding, so I’m confident it will be a good season.
“The WR450F is great, very similar to last year, but it’s very hard to improve on something like the WR. I choose to stick with it and hopefully we can win the Yamaha AORC and A4DE this year.
“I would like to thank Yamaha, Yamaha is the biggest supporter of off-road racing in Australia and it’s really good to be a part of it, to be riding a Yamaha.
“It’s very generous of Yamaha to keep on supporting off-road racing, they sponsor so much, from the team and riders, to the four-day and the AORC –they’re keeping off-road racing going.”
Yamaha will also be represented by a highly accomplished rider in Pro E3, with Australian 250cc 4-Stroke reigning champ and nine-time QLD Enduro number one, Kirk Hutton (Kobble Creek, Brisbane), campaigning a big-bore WR450F.
Jemma Wilson
Fellow Queenslander, Jemma Wilson (sponsored by Caboolture Motorcycles), will be back to defend her Yamaha AORC Women’s Championship on her WR250F.
Tom McCormack
And Byron Bay’s Tom McCormack (sponsored by Pro Yamaha), who finished second to Ben Burrell in Junior Outright in the ’09 Yamaha AORC, will join Burrell in Pro E1 on a new YZ250F.
Yamaha Motor Australia Motorsports Manager, Ray Howard, predicted an outstanding 2010 season, based on the depth of talent and experience in the Yamaha off-road squad.
“We have a great mix of future champions and proven performers in the team who will likely deal a real blow to the Yamaha AORC and A4DE this year,” Mr Howard said.
“Stefan Merriman is settling in well to the Australian conditions and we are confident the Merriman/WR450F combination will be a winning one this year.
“We have very strong contenders in the other classes as well, with young Ben Burrell and Tom McCormack on the YZ250F’s and Kirk Hutton in the E3 class.
“We are also excited about our Women’s Championship riders and with Jemma Wilson and Jessica Gardiner, Yamaha WR250F’s look set to continue their solid domination of the these classes.”
For more information on the Yamaha AORC (which kicks off at Port Macquarie on March 13th and 14th) go to www.aorcracing.com.au
For more information on Yamaha visit http://www.yamaha-motor.com.au/