Image: Supplied.

Yamaha Motor Australia won’t contest the 2019 Finke Desert Race in the Northern Territory, opting out of the high-speed annual event to be hosted over the long weekend of 8-10 June.

The Yamaha Active8 Yamalube Racing team will focus upon the Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC), Australian Four-Day Enduro (A4DE), Hattah Desert Race and select Transmoto events with the three-rider roster of Josh Green (pictured), Luke Styke and Michael Driscoll.

Following the late Daymon Stokie’s historic victory in 2017, which was the brand’s first Finke win in 30 years, Yamaha’s then defending event champion lost his life in January this year while competing in Alice Springs’ Deep Well event.

Representatives of the Yamaha Racing department chose not to comment on or detail the manufacturer’s decision to sit out Finke for next year, however did confirm that it won’t be campaigning an official entry in 2019.

Finke is widely understood to be one of the most costly single events on the domestic competition calendar, including an intense pre-running schedule required to be undertaken by top teams in the lead-up to the race weekend if they are to challenge for the elusive outright honours.