Image: Supplied.

Reigning 250SX West champion Justin Hill will contest select eastern regional rounds of the 2018 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship in the 450SX class with Autotrader Yoshimura Suzuki.

Hill is expected to move up to the RM-Z450 full-time next season and will gain valuable experience in the coming rounds alongside Weston Peick and Malcolm Stewart, beginning with Tampa this Saturday.

“I’m ultra-psyched to have this opportunity,” Hill commented. “I’ve been waiting a long time to ride the all-new Suzuki RM-Z450 and that’s what our deal entails for next year. To get my feet wet is crucial, not just for racing, but also in getting some development time logged.

“We’ve already made a lot of great setting choices on the bike and I’m learning a lot. It’s really easy for me to ride the bike and the great part about these 450 races is that I have my own expectations, but there isn’t any pressure. It should be fun.”

Autotrader/ Yoshimura/ Suzuki Factory Racing Team Manager Jeremy Albrecht is looking forward to seeing Hill race on the RM-Z450 beginning this weekend: “We’re excited to have Hill on the 450. He’s brimming with confidence after coming off a win before the break in the 250 West series and we’ll use these next few 450 rounds as development for 2019. We will go on a race-by-race basis and then he will get back to riding the RM-Z250 to finish out the year strong.”

Hill endured a difficult start to his 250SX West title defence on the factory RM-Z250, prior to turning things around with a podium in Oakland and then a breakout victory in San Diego ahead of the mid-season break. He’s currently seventh in the standings with four rounds remaining.