Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1513380
2024 Monster Energy Yamaha 450 Team Healthy, Ready T he Monster Energy Yamaha Team says every- thing is going as planned and they will be ready for the start of the 2024 Monster Energy Super- cross season with its three-rider squad. Eli Tomac says his recovery from injury is going well, and he is ready to try and win back the num - ber-one plate. "I'm feeling ready to go for the new season," Tomac said. "My recovery has been good, and I've been on track. I haven't had any hiccups with it, and I feel like I'm in a good position to be competitive for round one at Anaheim. We're on the same mo - torcycle [as last] year, and we feel good about the package that we have." Cooper Webb is back with his old team after win- ning two Supercross titles with KTM and is revitalized with a change of scenery. "Getting back on the Yamaha has been great so far, and we've had a great off-season," Webb said. "We've just been putting in the work here in Tallahassee and at The Farm [Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing's facility, formerly known as Ricky Carmichael's Goat Farm]. I had a good test last week with our suspension guy, so we made some progress there. I think we're right on track with where we need to be. I like where we are at. I'm feeling healthy, feeling strong, and feeling confident." Justin Cooper will be making his debut as a full-time 450cc rider in 2024. CN WIND IN THE P46 A healthy Cooper Webb (2), Eli Tomac (3) and Justin Cooper (32) are ready to go for the Monster Energy Yamaha factory team. Star Racing 250 Team Set With Eight-Rider Squad T he Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing Team will have a huge presence in the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross and outdoor Pro Motocross Championships. Eight riders will make up the team's all-250cc roster. The team will be made up of 250cc Super - Motocross Champion Haiden Deegan, Jordon Smith, Nate Thrasher, Stilez Robertson, Nick Romano, Daxton Bennick and newcomer Enzo Lopes. Gavin Towers will compete in the Su- percross Futures amateur program. Romano is perhaps more anxious to get the 2024 season started than anyone. The New Yorker was sidelined for the entire 2023 sea- son with a knee injury. He is fully healed now and ready to race again. Haiden Deegan comes into the new year after a stellar 2023 rookie season. "We've been working hard during the off-season and trying to focus on what we can do to bet- ter ourselves from 2023," Deegan said. "We picked out a lot of things because I won a few races, but I wasn't consistently winning every race or almost winning every race. So, there were things to work on, and we studied those, figured them out, and have been working to apply them." CN The Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha Team will have a large presence in 2024 with its eight-rider team.