Image: Foremost Media.

ShopYamaha has revealed a four-rider squad for 2022, the off-road team to enter the upcoming season with the renewed line-up of Josh Green, Michael Driscoll, Kyron Bacon and Blake Hollis.

Spearheading the team’s assault in E2 will be Green and Driscoll, the pair to contest the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC), Australian Four-Day Enduro (A4DE) and Hattah Desert Race next year.

Green – a veteran with over 10 years of professional off-road racing experience – enters 2022 with a passion for racing as strong as ever, while Driscoll, who finished third in E2 and rounds one and two of this year’s AORC at Golden Beach, continues to show improvement to the extent of being a legitimate outright contender in each outing.

In the E1 category, Bacon and Hollis will fly the Yamaha flag, Hollis making the step up from EJ after winning the opening round of AORC this year in the class, as Bacon also impressed in the shortened 2021 season by securing second in E1 in both rounds that were run. It also confirms the departure of multiple national champion Luke Styke.

The four-rider team will again be under the guidance of former AORC champ, AJ Roberts, who said: “Yamaha will continue to have a huge presence in off-road racing for 2022 and our consistent investment is another form of Yamaha’s passion, not just for racing, but also product development and the Australian market.

“From contesting these events, we constantly give feedback to Japan and as a result, the quality of the production bike improves. The WR250F and WR450F are better than they have ever been and racing plays a huge part of that.

“Having a four-rider team will make it an extremely busy year but that’s what we love doing. I feel we have great opportunities with our riders in both E1 and E2 as all four are determined to have a successful season.

“We are also looking forward to getting a normal season back under way. The last two years have been tough with limited national events but for 2022 we are looking at a full calendar with AORC, A4DE and Hattah and I know everyone can’t wait to get stuck into it and get back to racing.”

The complete 2022 AORC calendar has not been released, however, the first stop on the schedule will be March in Victoria, with an exact date and location yet to be specified.