Yamaha Announces 2008 SX/MX Race Teams

Cypress, California, November 19, 2007 – Yamaha Motor Corporation is pleased to introduce our factory supported race teams for the 2008 Supercross and Motocross seasons.

Riding under the official Yamaha Factory tent are 2007 AMA Motocross Champion Grant Langston and his teammates Josh Hill and Broc Hepler.  Langston and Hill will be racing their 2008 YZ450Fs in the Supercross and Motocross classes, while Broc Hepler will be racing a 2008 YZ250F in the Supercross Lites class on the West Coast and the Motocross Lites class when the season goes outdoors.

“I’m really excited for the Supercross season to get started.  It’s the one title I don’t have on my resume,” said Grant Langston about the upcoming season having already won the Supercross Lites class on both coasts, an AMA Motocross Lites title, the AMA Motocross title and a 125cc World Championship.

Yamaha will be supporting two premier class teams in 2008.  Team L&M is returning with Chad Reed and Nathan Ramsey contesting the 2008 Supercross season.  Fresh off his win at the Bercy Supercross, Chad Reed is looking forward to carrying that momentum into the 2008 season and going for a second Supercross Championship, adding to his win in 2004.

Yamaha is pleased to be working with the newly announced Joe Gibbs Racing team.  Helmed by Joe Gibbs’ sons Coy and David Evans, the team is based in North Carolina right next to their state of the art NASCAR facilities.  Eight-time AMA Mechanic of the Year Jeremy Albrecht is onboard as their Team Manager and the team will be contesting both the Supercross and Motocross series with Josh Hansen and Josh Summey racing YZ450Fs.

Yamaha will be supporting two Lites class teams in 2008.  Yamaha of Troy will have two returning riders with Jason Lawrence and Ryan Morais both coming back after their runner up finishes on their respective coasts in 2007.  Both of them are looking to make the jump up to the top rung in 2008.  New additions to the team this year are Zach Osbourne and rookie sensation Tyler Bowers.  Osbourne and Morais will be on the West Coast, while Lawrence and Bowers will be on the East Coast.

Under the watchful eye of Team Owner Bobby Regan, Star Racing will once again be fielding a four man 250F team in 2008.  Returning to the team from last year are top finishing rookies Broc Tickle and Matt Lemoine. New additions include Australian Export Jake Moss and Toyota TMX Winner Will Hahn.

“The 2008 season looks to be a really exciting one for Yamaha. With all the talent on our many teams I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot of blue on the podium this year,” said Yamaha’s Motorsports Racing Division Manager Keith McCarty.