Image: Foremost Media.

Yamalube Yamaha Racing will make an assault at both the 450 and 250 categories in the 2019 Pirelli MX Nationals and Australian Supercross Championship, as Yamaha reaffirms its heavy commitment to dirt bike racing domestically.

The factory-backed team, which transitioned from a MXD based squad to the quarter-litre division this season, is still to officially announce its line-up, although it’s tipped the roster will remain unchanged with Jay Wilson set to defend his SX2 crown, while Richie Evans is anticipated to graduate to the premier class.

Alongside Yamaha’s support of a number of championships, the manufacturer has confirmed it will continue to back four official teams in motocross and supercross next year – CDR Yamaha Monster Energy, Serco Yamaha, Yamalube Yamaha Racing and WBR Yamaha – as well as maintaining its Yamaha Junior Racing program, which will see 14 riders supported across six states.

Yamalube Yamaha Active8, headed up by AJ Roberts, will continue to represent Yamaha’s off-road efforts in the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC), Australian Four-Day Enduro (A4DE) and Hattah.

“Yamaha Motor Australia has a proud and successful racing history and it is one of the foundations of which Yamaha is built on,” explained Yamaha’s motorsport manager Ray Howard. “We invest heavily in motorsport as we believe it is not only a great showcase for our products but also the best development grounds to create better ones and Yamaha continue to push the envelope in terms of product development and performance.

“Some of our highest selling bikes, like the WR450 as well as the YZ250F and YZ450F are also racing bikes and our success on the race track has a correlation back to the showroom floor and therefore we will continue to strive for on track success with all our race teams.

“We look forward to an exciting 2019 in all aspects of racing and are confident we have the bikes, riders, teams and sponsorships in place to make it another memorable year for Yamaha.”

Introduced in 2018, the YZ65 Cup will make a welcomed return at selection national events.