Image: Supplied.

ShopYamaha Off-Road Racing has drafted South Australian Cooper Sheidow to race the E1 class in place of reigning Yamaha Australian Off-Road (AORC) champion Kyron Bacon who is out with a broken femur.

Sheidow will debut with the team this weekend at the QMP round of the 2023 AORC and is set to remain with the team until Bacon is back in action.

“When AJ called and offered me the chance to ride on the team for the events that Kyron will miss, I jumped at it,” said Sheidow. “They are big shoes to fill as Kyron has been the dominant rider in AORC for the past 12 months but I hope that with the extra support, I can take my riding and results to the next level and do a great job representing the team and Yamaha.

“I haven’t made too many changes to the bike Kyron races, just a couple of personal things and I’m ready to go. The team have been awesome in getting me settled and I look forward to getting out there this weekend and giving it my all.”

Sheidow made the switch to Yamaha machinery in 2023 thanks to a bLU cRU support deal and kicked the season off in fine form, placing third in the E1 class at the opening two rounds of the season in Mendooran, NSW.