Image: Jeff Crow.

Four-time Australian MX1 Motocross Champion Jay Marmont has announced his retirement from the sport at the close of season 2014 following a 15-year professional career.

Marmont, 31, is best known for his reign as MX Nationals champion from 2008 through 2011 with CDR Yamaha, and also holds three official Australian Supercross Championships to his credit.

The announcement came following an inspired third place in moto one during today’s seventh round of the Monster Energy MX Nationals at Conondale, in which Marmont currently sits ninth in the standings.

Following a decorated junior career as part of Kawasaki’s development program, Marmont turned senior in 1999 and gained his first factory ride at KTM in 2001.

Marmont’s first professional championship came in the 2003 250cc Australian Supercross Championship, backed up with another championship victory in the 2004 Supercross Nationals.

Red Bull KTM in the US signed Marmont for 2005 and 2006, where he raced to fifth in the West Coast 250SX Championship in his maiden campaign. His 2006 season was denied any major success through injury.

In 2007 Marmont returned to Australia to spearhead KTM’s 450cc effort, but it was a switch to Craig Dack’s CDR Yamaha outfit in 2008 when he captured his first outdoor title – that trend would continue for four consecutive seasons. Marmont also won the 2011 supercross title on board the YZ450F.

A highly-publicised switch to Monster Energy Kawasaki in 2012 ended Marmont’s title run outdoors, but he did manage to clinch the supercross title in that first season with the Troy Carroll-run operation.

Two mixed seasons at Kawasaki came to an end after the 2013 season, seeing Marmont reunited with CDR Yamaha for what has been his swansong season.

Marmont will complete the outdoor season before hanging up his helmet following Coolum’s MX Nationals final on 31 August n Queensland.

Yamaha isn’t scheduled to contest the three-round supercross season, however it’s undecided whether Marmont will contest the series otherwise.