Yamaha Star
Racing Adds
Amateur Riders
for 2027
M
onster Energy Yamaha Star
Racing has signed Levi
Townley, Jaggar Townley and
Easton Graves to multi-year
agreements for its amateur
motocross program. The three
riders will join returning team
member Carson Wood for the
2027 season.
Levi Townley, 16, is the son
of former professional moto-
cross racer Ben Townley and will
make his U.S. racing debut after
spending the past two seasons
competing in Europe. The New
Zealander won the 2024 FIM
85cc Junior Motocross World
Championship and has four
New Zealand motocross titles.
He also finished second in the
YZ125 class at the 2024 YZ bLU
cRU SuperFinale at Matterley
Basin, England.
Townley, who most recently
competed in the EMX125 Cham-
pionship with the MJC Yamaha
Official EMX125 team, will move
to the 250 class in 2027. He
is scheduled to compete in
250A and Open Pro Sport at the
amateur nationals, as well as
SMX Next, aboard the Yamaha
YZ250F.
His younger brother, Jaggar
Townley, 14, will also make his
U.S. racing debut. He finished
third in the 2025 EMX85 Cham-
pionship and second at the
2026 YZ bLU bRU SuperFinale
in Ernee, France. A former New
Zealand Junior Motocross
Champion, Townley will compete
in the 125 B/C and Schoolboy 1
classes aboard a YZ125.
Graves, from Louisiana, joins
the team after winning the
Supermini 2 Championship at
the 2026 Monster Energy AMA
Amateur National Motocross
Championship at Loretta Lynn's.
He also won an amateur national
title in 2023 and finished second
in the 65cc class at the FIM Ju-
nior Motocross World Champion-
ship that year. In addition, Graves
swept all three of his classes at
the 2026 Spring-A-Ding.
Graves will move to the 250B
class aboard the YZ250F and
is also expected to compete in
SMX Next.
"We are very excited about
the future of our team and
adding three talented riders
to our program," said Monster
Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250
Team Manager Jensen Hendler.
"They've gained valuable experi-
ence racing in Europe over the
past two years, and we're excited
to help them continue their de-
velopment here in the U.S."
The team's amateur program is
scheduled to begin its season at
the 54th annual Thor Mini O's, No-
vember 21-28, at Gatorback Cycle
Park in Alachua, Florida.
CN
Star Racing's amateur program
has signed three new riders,
including Levi Townley, the son
of former GP racer Ben Townley.
