CDR Yamaha will march on with the 2013 Yamaha YZ450F for the MX Nationals remainder. Image: Simon Makker/Makkreative.com.

CDR Yamaha will remain on board the current 2013 YZ450F for the remainder of the Monster Energy MX Nationals, team owner Craig Dack has confirmed.

The five-time defending champion team held an in-depth test at Queensland Moto Park late last month in order to assess the brand new 2014 model’s potential, however despite a promising result, Billy Mackenzie and Lawson Bopping will contest the final three outdoor rounds on the 2013.

Dack’s CDR Yamaha team have been one of the most successful factory Yamaha outfits in the world using the current version of the YZ450F, which was first introduced in 2010. During that period the team has captured the 2010 and 2011 titles with Jay Marmont, before Josh Coppins won in 2012.

It’s anticipated the 2014 model will be a major step forward in race trim once adopted by Yamaha race teams, but that debut has been put on hold at this point. The new bike could be used when Australian Supercross commences in Darwin next month.

“We had some in-house discussions during the week,” Dack explained to MotoOnline.com.au this afternoon. “Although the 2014 YZ450F is unbelievably good and we’d love to start racing it straight away, we feel that with such short notice and the lack of spare parts to support the bike, it’s better to stick with the ’13 throughout Motocross.

“We will reassess what’s happening with Supercross when the time comes – we still don’t know what the plan is.”

CDR Yamaha’s Billy Mackenzie remains in the title hunt following his overall round win at Hervey Bay’s seventh round, sitting 31 points in arrears of new series leader Matt Moss. Bopping is fifth in his second season aboard the YZ450F.

The Monster Energy MX Nationals will resume this weekend at Swan Hill in Victoria on Sunday.