Image: Greg Smith.

Current All-Japan MX2 number three Kota Toriyabe has been added to an expanded Yamalube Yamaha Racing team as part of a development exercise in the MXstore MX Nationals.

The 21-year-old joins Jay Wilson in MX2, as well as MXD newcomer Levi Rogers, to make the Queensland-based team a three-rider roster outdoors.

“It’s quite an honour to have Yamaha Japan approach us about assisting Kota and work with him to bring out his full potential,” explained Yamaha Racing development supervisor Scott Bishop.

“He finished third in the Japanese national championship last year and he is a rider that we believe has not reached his full speed or potential. Since landing in Australia, he has ridden and trained alongside both Jay and Levi and has fitted in perfectly.

“He is just finding his feet with our tracks and getting acclimatised to Australian conditions. When he left Japan he had been unable to ride as it was snowing and then he walked into a 35-degree heat wave in Brisbane the moment he landed.”

Japanese mechanic Tsuyoshi Watanabe will be alongside Toriyabe for the Australian championship, recently clinching the New Zealand MX2 title with JCR Yamaha and Maximus Purvis prior to arriving in Brisbane at Yamaha Yamalube Racing.