Max Stauffer, a long time Yamaha rider who has progressed quickly through the ranks, will join the Yamaha team to contest the Superbike division at the Australian Superbike Championship in 2025. The 21-year-old enjoyed a breakout season in 2024 to finish fourth in the championship, highlighted with podium results at several rounds this season. With the support of the in-house Yamaha team, Stauffer expects the steep learning curve to continue and believes the 2025 season will be his best yet.

“Getting the phone call from John Redding offering me the YRT ride for next season was one of the best calls I have ever had,” Stauffer beams. “It’s been a goal of mine to get the opportunity to ride for YRT and now that I have been able to make that happen, I plan on making the most of the chance I have been given.

“Mike and Cru have showed the bike is clearly capable of winning at every track and the team has the knowledge and experience to help me become a better rider. I can’t wait to get to work with the team and start the next phase of my career.

“Thank you to all the people who have helped me get to this point and the years of hard work my family have put in. This is what we have all worked so hard for and now that I’m in this position, I won’t let anyone down,” Stauffer ends.

Back for his fourth year with YRT is Mike Jones. Since joining the Yamaha squad in 2022, Jones has been a model of consistency and professionalism on and off the track with results to prove he is one of Australia’s premier riders.

Jones was second in the 2024 championship, racking up round wins at Queensland Raceway and Morgan Park as well as race wins at One Raceway and The Bend as he took the championship chase all the way down to the final race of the season.

But coming so close to victory in 2024 is what is motivating him for 2025, and Jones already has plans in place for next season and is eager to continue his successful relationship with the team.

“My relationship with Yamaha and YRT has been very successful and one that we both wanted to continue,” Jones begins. “In the three years with the team we have finished first, fifth and second in the ASBK Championship and we’re focused on winning another one next year.

“YRT are a dedicated and professional team who I enjoy working with and I genuinely love the feeling of racing the Yamaha R1M. I’m also really excited to be teammates with Max next year. He is an exciting young talent, and we get along well off the track too. I think his youthful enthusiasm will be an added boost for us all and I look forward to another fun and successful racing season.”

Team owner, John Redding, anticipates both riders raising the bar again in 2025 and believes both are capable of outstanding results in the ASBK championship.

“Mike and Max will be a formidable team in 2025 as they are dedicated and determined riders willing to challenge themselves and the team to be better. Off the track they are also polite and well-respected riders among their peers and good ambassadors for the Yamaha brand.

“I would also like to take the time to thank Cru Halliday for his passion and efforts for YRT over the past decade. Cru had been with us for a long time and YRT has played a big part in his career, and he will always be a part of the Yamaha / YRT family. We wish him well for the future and YRT will always be there to assist him if required.

“The team are already hard at work for the 2025 season and the pre-season will come around quickly so there is no time to rest,” Redding said.

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The Yamaha Racing Team rider entered the final round in fifth place after some consistent racing in the opening rounds but with the big break in racing due to Covid border restrictions, it was a chance to Halliday to review and refresh. With about 20 points separating second through sixth positions plus the return of several international riders, anything was a possibility for the championship podium.

Halliday finished the day with 3-4 results in the two races conducted to take third for the day and leapfrog his way to third in the championship. Race one saw Halliday in the top five and looking to move forward when the race was stopped after a rider fell heavily. Officials re-stacked the riders on the grid for a three lap, all out sprint to conclude the opening leg. Halliday was able to make a last lap pass and to secure third place.

Race two and there was action all over the place on the opening lap, two multi rider pile ups in the opening half a lap saw competitors back on the grid and waiting for the track to be cleared. On the restart, Halliday was in fifth on the first lap before moving into fourth at the halfway stage. He made a late race charge on Miller but was unable to secure another podium for race two, forced to take fourth.

“The weekend has been positive all-round. Each session we were able to get faster and close the gap on the time sheets and I knew our strength would be the ability to maintain our speed during the race. In the races, I couldn’t quite run at the pace of the front couple and they were able to get a little gap, but from the half way stage on, the bike and tyres came into their own. Thanks to YRT and the Dunlop guys for giving me a good package all weekend. Thanks again to everyone at Yamaha and YRT who always work hard and its only two months before we are back on track at the first test for 2022, so there is no time to rest now,” Halliday ends. 

Team-mate Aiden Wagner also had one of his best outings, only a crash in race one dampened an otherwise productive weekend. Wagner finished the weekend outside the top ten, but his efforts were more than his results. The opening moto had Wagner in fourth and looking for a way around Jack Miller. After a lap of continuous pressure, Wagner made his move and slipped down the inside of the GP star before losing the front end and fell, taking both himself and Miller out of the race.

He regrouped for the final race of the year and moved into sixth place on lap five, where he stayed until the chequered flag. Like Halliday, Wagner improved his time in each and every session as the team worked hard to get the bike and suspension right for the tricky “The Bend” circuit. He even pulled out a top three lap in the warm-up on Sunday morning which is more indicative of what Wagner is capable of.

“Fourteenth on paper doesn’t look good, but I felt I gave it everything I had and rode as well as I have in some time,” Wagner explains. “Maybe I was pushing a little too hard when I went down in race one and I will own that, but I just wanted to get up the front and get a podium for myself and the team. Thank you to YRT and my supporters. 2021 has been tough for everyone but we kept swinging all the way until the end,” said Wagner.

Yamaha also won the manufacturers championship with 167 points, well clear of BMW in second on 95 and Ducati in third with 85. This brings the 2021 ASBK season to a close. With the first official test of the new year usually at the end of January, it will be a quick two month reset for YRT, who aim to be a major contender in the 2022 championship.

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Clout, on board his YZ450F in the premier MX1 division overcome some major hurdles at the opening round of the championship before barnstorming his way through the next two rounds, winning four motos in succession and finishing second in the other, to snatch the points lead at the end of the third round.

Unfortunately in the days after round three at Maitland, Covid gripped the eastern seaboard of Australia and riders based in New South Wales and Victoria were thrown into lock down, unable to move from their house for the next three months. The on-going Covid situation is the reason for the declaration of the Pro MX Championship after three rounds.

“It’s strange to think that I have won a championship while sitting on the couch, but I guess everything about 2020 and 2021 has been strange,” Clout begins. “It’s not the way I want or would like to win it as I am a racer and I just want to be out on the track challenging myself against the other riders, but I truly believe that I had put in the work, the CDR Yamaha team provided me with the best bike, and this championship was going to be mine.”

“This is my first MX1 championship of my career and regardless of the shortened championship, I’m proud of it. As a team we had to overcome challenges from round one. We had to rebound quickly to get back in the championship at Canberra, so everyone combined to get the job done by the end of round three we were back in front. Thank you to everyone on the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team and all of our great sponsors and partners. It’s easy to see why the team has such continued success and I can’t thank them enough for the work they put in.” 

The dominance shown by Clout in the shortened series showed he rightly deserves the Pro MX crown. He also took out the prestigious Manjimup 15000 event in WA to go with his Pro MX victory. The improvement in his riding since returning to CDR Yamaha has impressed team owner, Craig Dack, who enjoys another national championship with his team.

“Luke raced with us in 2019 before heading to the US for the 2020 season, but I can see he has returned a more dedicated and determined athlete. He now has more focus and takes his role in racing seriously and as a result, this championship victory wasn’t a surprise to me. Coming off a moto DNF at round one to get back the championship lead two rounds later was an amazing achievement and a real test of his mental strength to fight when his back was against the wall.”

“He put the work in, surrounded himself with the right people and executed his role brilliantly. He deserved the 2021 Pro MX Championship because he earned it with hard work and dedication,” Dack said.   

Teammate Hayden Mellross was in fifth place at the end of the third round after a consistent opening to the championship and well within striking distance of the lead group when the championship ended. Only 19 points separated the top five riders in the MX1 class. With Mellross looming large in the rear-view mirror of the four riders in front of him.

“Coming off a couple of major injuries the last 18 months, I was just beginning to find my feet with speed and fitness before the season was shut down. It’s a disappointing way to finish the year as I felt that I was on the upswing and had plenty more in the tank for the remaining rounds, but it was beyond anyone’s control and we just have to move on,” Mellross ends.

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