Yamaha Motor Australia will expand its off-road efforts for the 2020 season, introducing a two-rider Yamaha bLU cRU Off-Road Racing squad that will come under the existing Yamaha Active8 Yamalube Racing team.

Luke Styke and Josh Green will continue to head-up the Active8 squad in 2020, while Michael Driscoll will graduate to the E2 category with Yamaha bLU cRU Off-Road Racing, joined by EJ contender Blake Hollis.

Two-time defending AORC E1 champion Styke continues his climb up the off-road ladder since his transition from motocross, recently assisting Team Australia to runner-up honours at the FIM International Six-Days Enduro (ISDE) recently in Portugal.

“I’m more motivated than ever coming into the 2020 season,” said Styke. “I made a few changes to my lifestyle by returning back down to Nowra and feel it’s a better environment for my riding and also closer to family to make life easier.

“There is so much riding area around here, and a more off-road based riding program is the only way I can improve my skills and close the gap on [Daniel] Sanders and [Daniel] Milner. Both of those guys are world-class and are a fair bit ahead of the rest of us, but my goal is to bridge that gap in 2020 and be in contention for outright wins as well as class victories.

“Its also good to be back with the same team again for next season. We all have a great working relationship, and everyone works hard to achieve the best results possible. Both the team and Yamaha have been good to me throughout my racing career and I like the fact we have been able to continue our working relationship and get stronger with each passing season.”

Josh Green is back for his ninth season with Yamaha Active8 Yamalube Racing after finishing second the E2 category of the AORC, and has consistently been a top five outright contender.

“The older I have got, the more I have started to enjoy the things that used to frustrate me when I was younger,” Green explained. “Like most teenagers, I didn’t care a lot for testing and developing the bike and just wanted to ride it and not focus on training.

“Now, I like being able to improve the bike and I find the off-bike training rewarding and get a lot from it and that’s what has kept my motivation strong over the years as I find new ways to enjoy different aspects of what we do.

“And nine years with the one team is pretty cool. I like the loyalty from both sides and the fact we are able to keep the relationship going over such a long period of time. Nine years travelling with AJ could break a lesser man, but you have to take the good with the bad in this job,” Green laughs.

Team manager AJ Roberts commented: “It’s been a big undertaking to get the support to run four riders at a high level but I can’t thank everyone who is behind the team in 2020. All of them have been long term and loyal to our team and they have stepped up to ensure we have a massive presence and profile at the AORC and A4DE in 2020.

“I look forward to guiding the riders through the next season and are already working hard to ensure 2020 is a great season for us and our sponsors.”

Both the Yamaha bLU cRU Off-Road Racing and Yamaha Active8 Yamalube Racing teams will utilise the same staff and sponsors, and will contest the Australian Off-Road Championship, Australian Four-Day Enduro and Hattah Desert Race.

CDR Yamaha Monster Energy has officially confirmed Hayden Mellross will join the returning Kirk Gibbs for the 2020 MX Nationals championship.

Mellross, who missed supercross with a knee injury sustained during the nationals, has signed a two-year deal to ride motocross and the Australian Supercross Championship.

After claiming third overall in his first MX1 season with Raceline KTM this year, the 25-year-old replaces Penrite Honda-bound Luke Clout for 2020 and 2021.

“Every kid that grows up racing dirt bikes in Australia has a dream to ride for the CDR Yamaha team, so it’s exciting to me to be part of this team now,” Mellross said. “They have won an incredible amount of championships in their history and are undoubtedly the benchmark for professional racing in Australia.

“It’s with pride I can say that I’m a CDR Yamaha team rider. I am also excited to be back on Yamaha, as it’s a brand I spent plenty of time on in the US and one that I have had plenty of success on in the past. I have heard nothing but awesome things about the 2020 YZ450F, so I’m looking forward to getting some seat time on the bike.

“The first MX Nationals round is in March, but I have a program mapped out over the off-season to get myself back in shape, riding well and ready to go for when the nationals come around. Together with the team at CDR, I’m sure that we will have everything ready to go and chase every championship in 2020 with all we have.”

Gibbs has re-signed with CDR Yamaha Monster Energy for 2020 in a motocross-only arrangement, also due to contest the New Zealand championship once again. He was runner-up in NZ this year and fourth in the Australian outdoor series.

“For 2019 we put together a deal that allowed me to race both in New Zealand and Australia and I think it’s a great way to go for me,” Gibbs explained. “New Zealand provides the perfect preparation for the MX Nationals and with the CDR and JCR teams working so closely, it’s a seamless transition between each country.

“We know have a great base to build from after the 2019 season and heath wise I’m in the best condition I have been in some time. New Zealand gets underway in late January, so I have already ramped up my training for that and then its straight into the MX Nationals in March, so it’s a busy start of the year for me but one that I enjoy.

“I’m excited to be back with the CDR Yamaha team again in 2020 and look forward to working with Craig [Dack] and the team again and hopefully this time, we can have a good crack at the championship next year.”

This year, once the nationals were completed, CDR Yamaha Monter Energy called in supercross specialist Dan Reardon to contest supercross, as well as featuring American guest Josh Hill for three of the five rounds.

Penrite Honda Racing has officially announced Luke Clout will join the factory team in 2020, beginning with a stint in the US during the Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX West series.

After finishing second with CDR Yamaha in this year’s MX Nationals and AUS Supercross championships, 25-year-old Clout will transfer across to Honda for the new season.

It’s a move that’s been tipped by MotoOnline throughout supercross as Clout went head-to-head with Penrite Honda Racing’s now four-time SX1 champion Justin Brayton for the 2019 crown. It was the latter who regained the number one plate with a first AUS-X Open victory last Saturday.

Clout is expected to be lining up alongside American Mitchell Oldenburg in the Penrite Honda Racing team’s American expansion aboard a CRF250R, scheduled to line up in the first six rounds on the west coast.

“It’s pretty exciting because Yarrive [Konsky] and I had been going back and forth for a bit, but we came up with something that we both agreed on and we’re both really happy,” Clout told MotoOnline. “I’m excited and I think the whole team is.

“This USA thing is going to be exciting, so I look forward to working with Honda and everyone involved. We’ll be in 250SX West for the first six at the moment, so we’ll just take it as it comes – the 450 class over there is a totally different animal over there. At my age, to go to a 250 I think is a smart decision.”

Once arriving back in Australia mid-February, Clout will turn his attention to the MX Nationals MX1 opener to be held at Appin on 22 March. It’s a homecoming of sorts for the New South Welshman, who rode with Honda in his rookie MX1 campaign in 2017.

“Each year we work hard to go one step better and that’s what we’ve done in the past couple of years,” Clout added. “We’re going to be racing pretty much full-time with no off-season, so we’ll be in the swing of things and I know I’ll be in good shape on the Honda – I’ll come into round one ready to go when the time comes.”

Honda Motorcycles general manager Tony Hinton welcomed Clout back to the manufacturer in the factory-team: “Luke is a very strong and dedicated rider and Honda is eager to support his endeavours. His spirit is obvious as he races hard with a winning intent and that is exactly what we like to see.”

Clout has previously ridden with the Yarrive Konsky-led factory Honda team as a replacement rider for Jimmy Decotis in the 2016 Australian SX2 Championship directly after his shortened first term in America.

“I have followed Luke since he was racing on 60s,” Penrite Honda Racing owner Yarrive Konsky said. “He is a very determined rider and I admire that in a racer.

“He has a lot of untapped potential and I look forward to working with him to achieve his goals and objectives. He has an unwavering desire to win and be the best, he is extremely focused so I am excited to go racing with Luke.”

With Clout opting to depart CDR Yamaha Monster Energy for 2020 and Dean Ferris all but confirmed in the Raceline KTM organisation, Hayden Mellross has emerged as the favourite to join Craig Dack’s team alongside Kirk Gibbs next year.