Yamaha Motor Australia press release:

On the back of another successful year of retail sales with Yamaha’s motocross line-up, Yamaha Motor Australia will increase its presence at motocross tracks around the country in 2026, with multiple teams and riders set to contest this year’s ProMX Championship.

In 2025, Yamaha revamped its motocross program by uniting teams under a shared group of partners and sponsors, helping elevate the overall presentation and professionalism across the board. Monster Energy, FOX, Dunlop, Yamalube and GYTR combined to present a striking and unified presence throughout the season that was well received by riders and the wider industry.

For 2026, Yamaha will continue with its four major motocross teams, while also introducing another Yamaha-supported team, increased rider support, and a number of international riders contesting the ProMX Championship.

Monster Energy CDR Yamaha Team

The 2026 rider line-up of Jed Beaton and Aaron Tanti has already been confirmed, with the continuity allowing the team to focus heavily on bike development and infrastructure heading into the new season.

The team gained an early advantage with the significantly updated 2026 YZ450F during last year’s Australian Supercross Championship, already building valuable knowledge around the latest-generation platform. Those learnings were immediately applied once Beaton returned to riding late last year, allowing the team to provide him with a race-ready package heading into pre-season preparation.

Beaton was also able to complete several days of testing prior to the Christmas break and believes he is building towards round one in a strong position.

“I basically had three months off the bike with my leg injury, but I was surprised at how I felt when I got back on the bike and how well the bike was working,” Beaton comments. “It didn’t take long at all to get back up to a good speed and there were a lot of positives to take from the bike even though they had only raced supercross on it.

“After a few days with the team to get things personalised for me, I felt great and now we are just in the process of the pre-season grind and getting my fitness base back to where it needs to be.

“The results of the last two seasons have only driven my motivation to be better, and I will be ready to go when the gates drop at round one,” he ends.

Tanti also enters the new season with renewed confidence after several injury-interrupted years. The former ProMX champion believes a solid supercross campaign, where he improved throughout the series, has provided momentum leading into 2026.

“The last few seasons, it seems like I have taken a step forward, only to take two steps back with injury and the lack of continuity in my riding and training has had an effect. So, this year the focus has shifted slightly with the goal to be not just faster, but make better decisions on the track, put blocks of riding together so I can improve and be there at the end of every championship.

“I’m a bit older and hopefully wiser now, so that experience needs to benefit me in the way I approach my riding and training.

“It’s also good to have the same team again behind me. No more swapping bikes in the off season or getting used to a different group of people, now I can just get down to business and prepare myself for the ProMX championship ahead,” Tanti confirms.

Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Team

The Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Team will feature riders from three different nationalities throughout the 2026 ProMX Championship.

Noah Ferguson headlines the MX2 program after joining Yamaha following a podium-finishing campaign in 2025. Based in Queensland and close to the team’s workshop, Ferguson believes the combination of the YZ250F and experienced personnel around him will allow him to take another step forward.

“Over the last two years, I could see the investment and improvements the team has made both in themselves and the bike and I knew it was the place I wanted to be. There is a lot of knowledge and experience within the team, and I think their guidance is exactly what I need.

“I have been on a Yamaha for a while now and I just started out with the stock bike, and it felt really good. It’s an easy bike to ride fast and we are now working our way through a range of testing to get it dialled in and come round one, I think we will be right in the sweet spot.

“As for me, I need to be more consistent and just close the gap between my best days and my worst. That has been a focus of mine in the off season, as with just a little bit more consistency at every round, I think I have a real shot at winning the MX2 championship in 2026,” he states.

Joining Ferguson in MX2 will be two-time Japanese IA2 champion Soya Nakajima. Yamaha Japan and Yamaha Motor Australia have again worked together to provide Nakajima with an opportunity to further develop his career internationally following his domestic success.

Nakajima has previously competed internationally, including at the 2025 Motocross of Nations in the United States and the 2018 World Junior Motocross Championship in Horsham, Australia.

The Japanese rider will contest the full ProMX Championship, in addition to lining up at the MXGP of Darwin later this year.

“I’m excited for this opportunity to race in Australia and with the Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Team for 2026. Thank you to YMA and YMC for working together on this project for me and I have been following the Australian racing now for some time, so I’m looking forward to racing new tracks, meeting new people and becoming a better rider.”

Nakajima is expected to arrive in Australia during February to acclimatise to local conditions ahead of round one.

Yamaha Motor Australia and Yamaha Motor USA have also partnered to bring two-time AMA Women’s Motocross Champion Lachlan Turner to Australia for the 2026 WMX Championship and the WMX category at the MXGP of Darwin. Turner has signed a two-year agreement spanning both countries.

Turner previously visited Australia for the Women’s Oceania Motocross Challenge and enjoyed the experience enough to pursue further opportunities locally.

“It’s so cool that I will be able to race in Australia and the US for the next two seasons and promote women’s racing. Thank you to Yamaha for putting this together for me and I’m pumped to get this chance.

“I already have a great relationship with the Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha team from when I was here in March and then again when I was here at Supercross with my brother Lux. I know they will have everything ready for me, and I can’t wait to race in Australia again.”

Monster Energy WBR Yamaha Team

Monster Energy WBR Yamaha enters 2026 with an all-new rider line-up, featuring three riders under the awning throughout the ProMX Championship.

The team’s primary focus remains on the MX3 category, with Jack Deveson and Hayden Draper joining the squad.

Draper continues to emerge as one of New Zealand’s brightest prospects and has developed rapidly under the guidance of Josh Coppins and Ben Townley. He impressed during the closing rounds of the 2025 ProMX Championship before further showcasing his speed at the Australian Junior Motocross Championship.

Currently contesting the MX2 Championship in New Zealand, Draper has already proven himself capable of winning races and rounds, while also adapting quickly to Australian conditions.

Deveson earns his first professional manufacturer-backed ride following a breakout period across motocross and supercross competition. The New South Welshman showed strong potential in MX3 during 2025 before elevating himself further during Australian Supercross, where he finished runner-up in the championship.

“I’m just glad I can finally tell people about it,” Deveson beams. “The team gave me a bike at the final round of supercross last year, so I have had to keep it on the down low for a while now, but I’m glad it’s out and I’m excited to go racing.

“The team has been great to work with and having so many good people around me now makes my life so much easier and there is so much to learn,” Deveson said.

Joining the team in MX2 is Seth Burchell, who impressed during his rookie season in the category and now steps into a larger role with WBR Yamaha.

“This year I have decided to make racing my focus and go all-in,” Burchell begins. “I will move down to Victoria with a view to ride and train full time and give it my all.

“Thank you to Yamaha and WBR for making this happen and my goal now is to work my way up to the Yamalube team and become a professional racer.”

GYTR Yamaha Junior Racing

GYTR Yamaha Junior Racing expands to a 13-rider roster in 2026 after fielding 11 riders throughout last season.

The same core line-up from 2025 returns, with riders contesting motocross, supercross and off-road competition across Australia. After securing multiple national championships, podiums and international results last season, the program continues to grow heading into 2026.

Archie Blanchette and Ollie Thredgold join the team for the upcoming season, both focusing on the 65cc ranks.

The expanded 2026 roster includes:

MX: Lachlan Allen / Jobe Dunne / Heath Davy / Deegan Fort / Blake Bohannon / Eliza Dennis / Kye Sproule / Stella Harding / Hudson Francis / Archie Blanchette / Ollie Thredgold

Off Road: Marcus Nowland / Harley Hutton

Yamaha Support

A new Yamaha-supported team will also enter the ProMX paddock in 2026, with Berry Sweet Yamaha set to field Regan Duffy and Sonny Pellicano in the MX1 category aboard the YZ450F.

The Western Australian-based team will contest both national and state-level events, with Pellicano stepping up from MX3 and Duffy aiming to re-establish himself at the front of the field.

The team will compete aboard Yamaha’s white 70th Anniversary Edition motorcycles and is expected to unveil its full look in the coming days.

Yamaha Motor Australia will also continue supporting Strickland Racing Developments (SRD) in Western Australia, with Nate Tomerini leading the junior effort and Charli Weightman and Gary Hannson competing in senior competition.

Additional Yamaha support has also been extended to Koby Hantis and Ky Woods as they transition from MX3 into MX2 aboard the YZ250F, while Madi Simpson will continue her progression in the WMX Championship following a promising rookie senior season.

Yamaha will again remain a major supporter of the ProMX Championship in 2026, continuing its long-standing investment in Australian motocross.

Yamaha BLU CRU Bonus Bucks

Yamaha has also expanded its BLU CRU Bonus Bucks program for 2026, rewarding riders competing on Yamaha machinery across ProMX and Australian Supercross competition.

“2026 is shaping up to be a massive year in motocross for Yamaha in Australia. The sales success of the YZ range in the last couple of years has allowed us to pour that money back into racing and reward our customers,” explained Motorsport Manager Scott Bishop.

“We are supporting more riders, continued our investment in our long-standing teams, as well as the sport and added in the bonus program to be available to all Yamaha riders.

“It’s also pleasing to welcome our international guests for 2026. We didn’t sacrifice any Australian rides, just added to our programs and I thank the teams for their hard work and dedication on making this happen.

“But maybe the most important things are that in the last few years, world class riders have been coming to Australia as Yamaha Motor Europe, Yamaha Motor Japan and Yamaha Motor USA have trusted our teams to take care of them and see our championships as a benefit to their programs,” Bishop ends.