Canadian Cole Thompson will return down under for the 2023 Australian Supercross Championship and reunite with the Serco Yamaha team. Thompson made his debut in Australia with Serco Yamaha and raced to a second-place finish in the SX2 (250cc) championship last season on board the team YZ250F. “I had a great time racing in Australia last year and made a lot of new friends, so I was super keen to get back down there and do the 2023 championship,” Thompson explains. “Despite carrying an injury earlier in the year, I now feel good and looking forward to getting the championship started in Adelaide in October. “I feel a little more confident going into this year’s championship as I have experienced how their racing works, how the tracks are built and the riders I will compete against. The riders in Australia are talented and hard to beat, so I will need to be at my best if I am to improve on last years’ result,” Thompson ends.
He will race alongside Rhys Budd on the Serco Yamaha team. Budd finished inside the top five in the championship last year, highlighted with a race win at Newcastle.
American rider Josh Hill, will return to contest the championship with the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy team in the SX1 class. Hill will join 2023 team members, Aaron Tanti, and Luke Clout in a three-pronged attack on the YZ450F. Hill has been a regular visitor to Australia and a longtime friend and partner to the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team.
Another US based racer, Robbie Wageman, will also make the trip to Australia to join the WBR Yamaha team. Wageman will contest the SX2 class and be teamed up with Ryder Kingsford, while Bailey Malkiewicz will tackle the SX1 class on his YZ450F. This will mark Wageman’s first trip to Australia. He has been a consistent top 15 finisher in the US Supercross Championship recently so he will be more than competitive when he hits Australian shores.
The Yamalube Yamaha Racing Team will have Jayce Cosford and Kaleb Barham fly the flag in the SX2 class. Both riders are skilled at Supercross with Cosford a top five regular last season and Barham always near the front on the tighter stadium circuits. This year will see a three-round championship with the opening round getting under way on October 7 at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre before moving to Newcastle on November 12 and then Marvel Stadium in Melbourne for the final round on November 24-25.
