Image: Foremost Media.

CDR Yamaha Monster Energy will sport a special throwback livery in round seven of the 2023 Penrite ProMX Championship at Queensland Moto Park to join the YZ line’s 50th anniversary celebrations, as well as the team’s 30th year in the sport.

With Luke Clout sidelined due to a broken arm, Aaron Tanti will be the lone representative for Craig Dack Racing, equipped with a special purple and white colourway similar to Yamaha’s international teams.

After a successful career of racing that saw him win four Mr Motocross titles and multiple more championships, Craig Dack retired at the end of 1992.

In 1993, Yamaha approached Dack to take over its domestic team and has since gone on to win 40 Australian championships in a variety of disciplines.

The YZ was born in 1974 when the YZ250 began production, with the YZ story becoming an integral part of Yamaha’s history. A look through the timeline shows advancements in technology over the years that have shaped the industry.

Notable innovations like monoshock suspension, which paralleled with the YZ’s origin, liquid-cooling, which was first introduced on the 1981 YZ125, and the first power valve system, which was introduced on the 1982 YZ250 and YZ125. Then in 1997, the YZM400F made a victorious debut in competition at the Las Vegas Supercross.

It was quickly followed by the first production four-stroke, being the YZ400F, which changed the sport at that point. The 2001 YZ250F was the first production competition 250cc four-stroke on the market. All of these innovations eventually became the norm, giving the YZ a unique legacy in the sport of supercross and motocross.

In addition to the legendary YZ line, some of Australia’s best riders have been a part of that story, and on location today at QMP were the likes of team owner Dack, Stephen Gall, Lee Hogan, Danny Ham and current national MX1 championship leader, Dean Ferris.