VOL. 55 ISSUE 34 AUGUST 28, 2018 P29
IT'S OFFICIAL: BARCIA, PLESSINGER
SET WITH YAMAHA
Y
amaha announced it has
reached multi-year agree-
ments with Justin Barcia and
2018 250SX East and 250MX
Champion Aaron Plessinger to
make up its factory supercross
and motocross team through
2019. Barcia started the year
as a fill-in rider for the team,
while Plessinger will make the
step from Yamaha's 250cc Star
Racing program to its full-on 450
factory effort.
"We're very happy and proud
to sign Justin and Aaron to
our Factory Team to race our
YZ450F," Yamaha's Keith McCar-
ty, Motorsports Racing Division
Manager, said. "We look forward
to great things in the future from
both riders in 2019 and beyond."
"I'm really excited to extend
my contract with the team,"
Barcia said. "It's an honor and a
pleasure working with everyone
at Yamaha. It started out as just
a fill-in ride and it turned into
something a lot more. I can't ask
for a better team, it's just been
awesome. We've really turned my
career around. I was in a really
tough place, struggling a lot and
I wasn't sure what I was going
to do next and Yamaha gave me
the opportunity to ride a really
good motorcycle and I went out
there and gave it my all and put
in some really good results. I'm
really excited for the future and
I hope to finish out my career
at Yamaha; that's definitely my
goal."
"Signing with Yamaha for the
450 class is amazing!" Plessing-
er said. "I've been with Yamaha
since 2008 and we have had an
awesome relationship ever since.
I feel like it's going to go really
well for me next year, just being
on a great team with good people
around. I can't wait to start test-
ing and get my bike dialed in!"
Former member Cooper Webb
is expected to sign with Red Bull
KTM as Marvin Musquin's new
teammate. CN
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
RAY
ARCHER
Aaron Plessinger will
step up to the 450cc
class next year
as Yamaha's new
factory rider, joining
Justin Barcia.
