Image: Foremost Media.

Multi-time champion Matt Moss has outlined his intention for the 2022 Australian Supercross Championship (AUSX) is to compete with BBR 102 Motorsports Yamaha in the 450 class, despite being Kawasaki-mounted in SX2 for World Supercross (WSX).

Moss lined-up on a YZ450F for select rounds of the Penrite ProMX Championship this year with the BBR team, impressing at Maitland to land second overall, before qualifying fastest at Coffs Harbour.

After unfortunately crashing out of contention in round six, Moss sat out the remainder of the series, turning his attention to supercross and it was later officially confirmed that he will contest the inaugural WSX Championship with Bud Racing, switching to Kawasaki and stepping back to the 250 class.

In light of this announcement, it was believed that an AUSX entry of Moss would also be on a Kawasaki, however, he has now indicated that he in fact plans to be on-track in SX1 aboard a Yamaha YZ450F locally. That means he will swap between both manufacturers and class at the Melbourne WSX/AUSX double-header.

“I’ll be on a 450 [in AUSX] and I definitely won’t be on a Kawasaki,” Moss told MotoOnline. “It will most likely be with BBR Yamaha, same sponsors and all of that sort of stuff – it will pretty much be the same team. We will be running Krooztune suspension… That’s pretty much it at this stage. Things could change, but that is what it is looking like now.

“I think hopping on a 450 is fine, I don’t mind that, but I think it’s harder stepping down to a 250. From a 250 up to a 450 is easier, so maybe the week leading up to Melbourne I’ll be on the 450 training and I’m just going to have to do what I can at WSX for that weekend.

“If I wasn’t trying to win a 450 championship, I would probably stay Lites (SX2) in Australia, because that is one of my goals before I hang up the boots, to try and win another [premier class] supercross championship. I think it played a big part in what I have to achieve.

“I have to be realistic in the first round, seeing that I won’t be on that particular bike [YZ450F] much beforehand and swapping bikes, so I think anywhere in that top five is a good result. In saying that, I haven’t raced supercross in nearly six years, so I will keep myself in check.”

Despite 2022 being the first time Moss will have raced a quarter-litre four-stroke in roughly 10 years, his adaption to the KX250 is progressing well ahead of the opening round of WSX at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on 8 October.

“I thought it was going to be a shock, but it was actually a pretty good transition,” he added. “I had been riding a Kawasaki 450 prior to going over to France and jumping on the 250, I think that helped in that the frame is the exact same, so the hurdle wasn’t as bad. By the second day of riding I felt my speed was there, I was doing motos and everything was clicking off – I just felt at home.”

Following the season-opening British GP, round two of WSX takes place alongside round one of AUSX at Marvel Stadium between 14-15 October. It is expected the Australian championship opener will take place on Friday night, with WSX races to be contested on Saturday.