Source: Supplied.

For the 12th year running, Yamaha Motor Australia will continue as the naming rights sponsor for the 2017 Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC).

Following strong progress during the 2016 and with new initiatives in place for the upcoming series, Yamaha’s motorsport manager, Ray Howard, looks forward to continuing the partnership for another season.

“Yamaha Motor Australia is very excited to continue our support of the Australian Off-Road Championships,” said Howard. “We were pleased with the progress and improvement of the 2016 championship and have several more initiatives in place for the 2017 season that will again see further gains and a greater impact for teams and competitors.

“We look forward to working closely with MA and the promoting clubs to further develop an already prestigious championship that has proven to be a fertile ground for producing international standard riders that have had success on the world stage.

“The 2017 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship will be an event that competitors will enjoy and we look forward to getting the championship underway with the opening round at Dungog in NSW on 8-9 April.”

With a long-standing, strong relationship between the two for many years, Motorcycling Australia’s CEO, Peter Doyle, believes Yamaha has played a vital part in the development of the AORC series.

“Pairing with Yamaha Motor Australia for another year running is great news,” said Doyle. “Being able to strengthen the relationship further and provide the championship with stability is a good platform for a strong championship.

“Yamaha have been a vital part of the AORC’s development by working with MA to increase the overall approach to this Off-Road discipline that fosters not only Australian Champions, but also World Champions.”

The 2017 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship will span 12 rounds across four states for 2017, wrapping up on 5-6 August in Victoria.