It’s full throttle for the GYTR Yamaha Junior Racing Team with 11 talented and determined riders ready to roost into the 2025 racing season.
With riders aged ten through fifteen competing on bikes from the YZ65 to the YZ250F and in motocross, supercross and off-road, it’s bound to be a big year for the future stars of the sport.
Four fresh faces join the team for 2025, highlighted by the introduction of two junior girl riders. Eliza Dennis and Stella Harding, both from New South Wales, will be Yamaha mounted and receive the full support of Yamaha Junior Racing. Both young ladies are as tough as nails on the track and more than capable of mixing it with the boys, and both are rewarded with full team support from Yamaha.
Dennis, who recently turned twelve, will compete on the YZ85 for most of the year but also look towards transitioning to the bigger bikes as the season progresses. Dennis is the current Girls 12 to 16 years 85cc champion and competed in the Australian Supercross Championship to continue her development as a rider.
Stella Harding is a pocket rocket who thrives on competition. She shows enormous promise at such a young age, and her star is only beginning to shine. Harding will race the YZ65 and YZ85 and be a force of nature on the track.
Also adding to the talent pool in the younger age groups, YJR welcomes Kye Sproule and Hudson Francis. Sproule hails from NSW and had a successful 2024 season, finishing on the podium at the Australian Junior Nationals in the 65cc class. He also notched up a second-place finish at the YZ65 Cup at the AUS-X Open and is looking forward to joining YJR full-time in 2025 and racing the 65cc and 85cc classes.
Hudson Francis is a ball of energy and already has a long list of results on his resume. Francis dominated his rivals at the Australian Junior Championships this year in the 7-10 years 65cc and will now make the step up to compete in 65 and 85cc classes.
And the full crew from 2024 are back for the new season. Lachlan Allen and Jobe Dunne are the team’s senior leaders at the ripe old age of fifteen. Both riders will compete on the YZ125 and the YZ250F as they had towards the senior ranks.
Heath Davy is making the step up for the bigger bikes. He simply out-grew his YZ85 in the later stages of 2024, so throwing a leg over a YZ125 and YZ250F will make for a pleasant change for the hard-charging teenager from Sydney.
Our sand-loving YZ85 pilot, Deegan Fort, will again make the trek across the country as he hails from Western Australia but often competes in East Coast events. No one racked up more miles than the Fort family in 2024 as they contested everything from state-based events to ProMX to Australian Supercross.
Blake Bohannon had a year that he will never forget. He won the 65cc Futures at the ProMX, won the Australian 9-11 years 85cc championship and then jetted over to England and won the YZ65 Cup at the Motocross of Nations. It’s a hard act to follow, but Bohannon is aiming high, and now on board the YZ85 Big Wheel, his learning curve continues to climb.
And it’s not just on the track that YJR finds talent; it’s also in the bush. Marcus Nowland and Harley Hutton are back and ready to bounce off trees like it’s no one’s business. Nowland, the J3 champ in 2024, moves to the J4 class in his final year of junior racing and will be out to finish his junior career with another championship.
Hutton, who finished second last year in the J2 class, will get off the YZ85 and make the move into the J3 class on either the YZ125 or YZ250F. Hutton is lightning quick in the bush, and his size will be rewarded on the bigger bikes.
“We are excited to reveal our Yamaha Junior racing lineup for 2025 and thrilled not only to bring in some young talent but also offer the opportunity to two very deserving young female riders in Eliza and Stella,” explains YJR manager Darren Thompson.
“With 11 riders, nine in motocross and two in off-road, it’s going to be a busy season but one that we are prepared for. We have some big announcements for team sponsors in the new year and look forward to welcoming them and our new riders for 2025,” Thompson ends.
2025 GYTR / YJR Rider Line up
Motocross
#268 Stella Harding – YZ65/ YZ85
#265 Eliza Dennis – YZ85LW
#409 Hudson Francis – YZ65 / YZ85
#280 Kye Sproule – YZ65/ YZ85
#262 Blake Bohannon – YZ85LW
#602 Deegan Fort- YZ85LW
#125 Heath Davy – YZ125/ YZ250F
#32 Jobe Dunne – YZ125/ YZ250F
#35 Lachlan Allen – YZ125 / YZ250F
Off-Road
#191 Marcus Nowland – YZ250F
#897 Harley Hutton – YZ125 / YZ250F
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