Image: Jeff Crow.

Victorian Sam Martin is piecing together a last-minute privateer program for the upcoming Australian Supercross Championship after being dropped by DPH Motorsport Yamaha following the MX Nationals.

News of 19-year-old Martin’s departure from the team surfaced on social media where he was pictured on board a Suzuki RM-Z450 – his supercross bike from last season that he raced to the Phillip Island podium before bowing out for knee surgery.

“At this stage I’m speaking to a couple of people, trying to get some bikes and right now it looks like we’ll be doing the privateer thing out of my own pocket,” Martin told MotoOnline.com.au. “We’ll see what happens, but I have good support behind me with Lucas Burton, so we’re making it happen sending emails and making phone calls to make it all possible.

“I only found out a few days ago that I’m not riding for DPH, so they left it quite late unfortunately so close to the series. We’ll try and see what we can get, but either way I’ll be racing and I’ll be 100 percent healthy.”

Martin finished ninth in his first full MX1 season outdoors alongside fellow Victorian Kade Mosig in the professional satellite Yamaha outfit.

DPH is yet to confirm its plans for the supercross season; expected to field Mosig alongside Boyd Hocking in a continuation of its Yamaha development role.