The following is a press release from Yamaha.
AmPro Yamaha Unveils 2024 Off-Road Racing Team
Ricky Russell and defending GNCC XC2 Champion Liam Draper return for 2024, with motocrosser Jordan Jarvis joining the team to compete for top honors in WXC
MARIETTA, Ga. – AmPro Yamaha is excited to announce a powerhouse lineup for the 2024 Grand National Cross Country Series (GNCC) season. Ricky Russell leads the charge in the premier class, and reigning GNCC XC2 Champion Liam Draper returns to defend his title. Joining the team to make her GNCC WXC racing debut is motocrosser Jordan Jarvis.
Russell returns in 2024 to fight for the premier-class title aboard the all-new Yamaha YZ450FX in the GNCC Series and National Enduro Series and select U.S. Sprint Enduro rounds. Last year, the Washington State rider reunited with the AmPro team and showed strength during one of the most demanding GNCC seasons in memory, with wild weather and punishing track conditions. Russell finished the XC1 Championship in the top five, earning a win at the Tiger Run GNCC and five trips to the podium.
On the heels of a stellar 2023 season, which saw him earn championships in GNCC and the National Enduro Series, Draper returns for his second year with the team. The New Zealand rider enjoyed success during that debut season, claiming three wins and nine podiums in the GNCC XC2 class and five wins and seven podiums in the National Enduro Series Pro 2 class en route to his titles. In addition to defending his crown in the GNCC XC2 Championship aboard the YZ250FX, Draper will race the premier class in the U.S. Sprint Enduro Series aboard the all-new YZ450FX.
Jarvis joins the team in 2024 and is eager to start her first full year of racing off-road. The talented rider from North Carolina has multiple National Motocross titles on her resume. She has also entered pro classes in Pro Motocross and at Daytona Supercross to race alongside the premier riders of the sport and earned a top-five finish and a pair of top-10 finishes in the Pro Motocross 125 All-Star class. Jarvis now sets her sights on taking top honors in off-road racing and will make her GNCC WXC debut and race the U.S. Sprint Enduro Pro Woman Championship.
The team is also happy to announce their AmPro bLU cRU amateur support riders. Mike Delosa returns in 2024 with new addition Nathaniel “Bubz” Tasha to lead the campaign in the GNCC 250 A class and the U.S. Sprint Enduro PRO 2 Championship. 2023 GNCC 85 Champion (11-15), Ryder Sigety, returns with the team and will race for top honors in the 150 A class aboard the Yamaha YZ125X. Colton McQuarrie joins the team to bring AmPro Yamaha another GNCC 85 Big Wheel (11-15) number-one plate. He will also race the J-Day 85 classes while Simon Johnson leads the charge in the J-Day PRO 1 category.
In addition to campaigning for top honors in the premier off-road racing series in the east, the team will be on hand at select bLU cRU special events to support Yamaha riders honing their off-road skills. Additionally, they will be assisting in the development of our AmPro bLU cRU Amateur Team riders at GNCC, U.S. Sprint, and J-Day offroad events. For information on upcoming off-road bLU cRU events, visit yamahamotorsports.com .
The AmPro Yamaha Racing team would like to thank its partners for their support: Yamaha, Yamalube, GYTR, Moose Racing, FMF, Scott Goggles, Sunex Tools, Shoei Helmets, Sidi Boots, Cycra, Tramell Tire, 02 Blast, Dunlop Tire, Moose Balls, Factory Connection, Flexx Bars, ODI Grips, DP Brakes, TM Design, Fastway, ProFilter, Seat Concepts, Loud Fuels, DID Chain, Work Connection, IMS, Antigravity Batteries, Evans Coolant, X-Trig, Bullet Proof, Spec Bolts, G2, Senge Graphics, Matrix, E-Line, Motion Pro, Vortex, Pro-X, Wiseco, and MotoSport.
Donnie Luce – Amateur MX/ ATV / Off-Road Coordinator for YMUS
“Building on the five class championships in GNCC, U.S. Sprint Enduro, and the National Enduro Series in 2023, Yamaha is proud to announce our continued support of the AmPro Yamaha Team led by Randy Hawkins. He has assembled another great group of championship-caliber riders and technicians to tackle all of the premier Off-Road series in the east to further demonstrate our complete line of Off-Road and Competition models, from the YZ85 LW model to the all-new YZ450FX. In addition, we have expanded our efforts with GNCC University, Raines Racing Demo, and bLU cRU Invitational events.”
Randy Hawkins - AmPro Yamaha Racing Team Owner
“I’m looking forward to another great year with the returning riders and some new faces to the program. The new Yamaha YZ450FX is also exciting. Yamaha is giving the team a great platform with the YZ250FX and YZ450FX, and I’m expecting to see a lot of bLU cRU on the podium and winning championships in 2024.
Ricky Russell - AmPro Yamaha Racing
“I’m really excited for 2024 after having some moments of greatness in 2023 with my first year back with the team. We learned a lot last year with a totally new model, and I felt like we really had it dialed in towards the end of the season. This year, we have the all-new YZ450FX, and it should be great as it’s essentially the same bike that I rode this year but with an even better setup for off-road racing right out of the box. So I can’t wait to get the season started.”
Liam Draper - AmPro Yamaha Racing
“I’m stoked to be back working with AmPro Yamaha for next year. It was definitely pretty cool to join the team and win two championships in our first year! After hounding Randy for this opportunity in 2022, finally getting on a factory team and then winning with them was definitely an unreal feeling. I cannot thank them enough. I’m ready to back this XC2 Championship up, and I’m looking forward to riding the 450 at the Sprint Enduros.”
Jordan Jarvis - AmPro Yamaha Racing
“I’m super excited about this opportunity with AmPro. I’ve done about everything that I can do on the motocross side of things, and when this opportunity first came about, my way of looking at it is that regardless of what discipline it is, there is always something that you can learn on the bike. So I’m excited to learn something new, continue to grow as a rider, and prove to everybody that I can do more than one thing.”
