Injury Sidelines
Ben Kelley
T
he FMF KTM Factory Team
had to make some last-min-
ute rider shuffling after GNCC
and AMA Enduro competitor Ben
Kelley, who was third in the XC1
GNCC Championship in 2023,
was injured in training.
Kelley is expected to be out
of action for at least six months
after tearing his labrum on his
hip, which required surgery.
Dante Oliveira will now step in
for Kelley in the GNCC Champi
-
onship, while Johnny Girroir has
been drafted in to compete in the
National Enduro championship.
This will be a significant change
of scenery for four-time National
Grand Prix Champion Oliveira. The
West Coast racer will contest five
of the opening nine GNCC rounds,
beginning at round one with the
Big Buck GNCC on February
17-18. The 23-year-old has past
GNCC experience, claiming sixth
at High Point and seventh at the
John Penton in 2020.
"I'm excited to challenge myself
for the 2024 season!" Oliveira said.
"I'll be giving GNCC racing my best
effort for five rounds."
CN
VOLUME ISSUE JANUARY , P25
FMF KTM's top GNCC
rider, Ben Kelley
(pictured), will miss
most of the season
with a hip injury. His
spot on the team will
be filled by NGPC
Champion Dante
Oliveira.
AmPro
Yamaha
Announces
2024 Off-
Road Team
T
he AmPro Yamaha off-road
racing team, headed by multi-
time champion Randy Hawkins,
officially announced its 2024
squad. The team will be made
up of three premier racers: Ricky
Russell, Liam Draper and new
-
comer Jordan Jarvis.
Russell will lead the charge in
the XC1 Pro class in GNCC, while
Draper will defend his GNCC title
in the XC2 Pro division. Jarvis, an
accomplished motocrosser, will
make her debut in GNCC's WXC
class.
The team also announced that
it plans to support Yamaha's bLU
cRU amateur racers in GNCC and
U.S. Sprint Enduro: Mike Delosa,
Nathaniel "Bubz" Tasha, Ryder
Sigety, Colton McQuarrie, and
Simon Johnson.
"I'm looking forward to an
-
other great year with the return-
ing riders and some new faces
to the program," Hawkins said.
"The new Yamaha YZ450FX is
also exciting. Yamaha is giving
the team a great platform with
the YZ250FX and YZ450FX, and
I'm expecting to see a lot of bLU
cRU on the podium and winning
championships in 2024."
CN
Liam Draper (1), Ricky Russell (212) and Jordan Jarvis (301) will
make up AmPro Yamaha's premier GNCC team.
