AmPro Yamaha Geared Up for the 2026 Off-Road Season
AmPro Yamaha Racing is ready to launch title campaigns at the 2026 GNCC season opener this weekend at Big Buck Farm / Feb 13, 2026 /
AmPro Yamaha Racing is primed for more title runs in the premier off-road series in the east, fielding a powerhouse lineup of championship-proven riders across the pro, amateur, and youth ranks. In the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series, eight-time GNCC XC1 Champion Kailub Russell and 2023 GNCC XC2 Champion Liam Draper return in 2026 to lead the team’s campaign in the premier class. Also returning for her second season with the team is Australian standout Danielle McDonald, who will battle for top honors in the WXC Championship.
“Randy Hawkins’ passion for Off-Road racing, which fueled him to win championships as a rider, continues to provide him with the motivation to build champions in all genres of Off-Road racing from youth to the pro class,” said Donnie Luce, the Amateur MX/ ATV / Off-Road Coordinator for YMUS. “He and his team have assembled another strong group of riders that will continue to showcase Yamaha models from the YZ85 to YZ450Fs in all the major series in the east. The BLU CRU is ready to turn podiums blue in 2026!”
Russell, the winningest rider in GNCC history, enters his second year with the team after overcoming adversity during his return to racing last season. Despite racing through a knee injury for much of the year, the North Carolina rider finished fourth overall in the GNCC XC1 Championship. With an already storied career that includes eight consecutive XC1 titles from 2013 to 2020, Russell added another victory at the penultimate round of the 2025 season, bringing his career win total to 68 XC1 victories. With a full season under his belt alongside AmPro Yamaha, Russell is eager to get the 2026 campaign underway.
“I’m excited to kick off the new season with a year under my belt back racing and with Yamaha,” said Russell. “I’ve learned a lot with the team and bike, and I’m ready for a great year of racing.”
Returning for his fifth season with the team, Draper looks to launch his title run in the GNCC XC1 Championship while also defending his U.S. Sprint Enduro Series Pro 1 Championship in 2026. After earning a pair of 250 titles with the team in 2023 – in GNCC and the National Enduro Series – the New Zealand rider continues to build on his momentum in the premier class. In his first full season competing in the XC1 Championship in 2025, Draper finished runner-up overall with six podium finishes. He also delivered a dominant performance in the U.S. Sprint Enduro Series, earning five victories and only finishing off the podium once en route to the Pro 1 title. This year, he will also race the premier class in the National Enduro Series.
“I’m looking forward to my second year on the 450,” said Draper. “We had a good off-season training, and are ready to get going.”
McDonald enters her second season with the team, looking to capitalize on her growing experience racing in the U.S. Despite missing the opening rounds of the 2025 season while returning from a knee injury, the young Australian enjoyed a strong GNCC debut, finishing fourth overall in the WXC Championship with six podium finishes. Before racing in the U.S., McDonald enjoyed a lot of success at home and overseas, with multiple national titles in Australia and two silver medals from the FIM World ISDE.
Also returning in 2026 is Brandon Gregoire, the 2025 AMA East Grand Prix Regional Pro and Pro 125 Class Champion, who will continue to lead the team’s title efforts in the J Day Off Road Series. Ryder Sigety, who has enjoyed continued success with the program, including earning the GNCC 150 A Championship last season, will compete in the Pro class in both the Tennessee Off-Road Racing Association (TOR) and East Coast Enduro Association (ECA) championships.
Continuing the team’s strong development pipeline, AmPro Yamaha is excited to announce their BLU CRU amateur support riders. Racing the GNCC A Lites class is 2025 GNCC 250 B Champion Dylan McDonald and Brayden Baisley, with McDonald also racing the U.S. Sprint Enduro Series. Returning champion Colton McQuarrie will advance to the GNCC 150 A class after earning the 150 B Schoolboy (12–17) Championship last year in dominant fashion with eight wins and nine podium finishes. Hunter Carey, the 2025 GNCC 85 Big Wheel Champion, captured the title with an impressive eight consecutive victories and will move up to the GNCC B Lites Championship in 2026.
AmPro Yamaha will also field a strong youth lineup for the 2026 season. Evan Porter, the 2025 GNCC 85cc (12–13) Champion, joins the team and will compete in the GNCC Big Wheel class aboard the YZ85 LW. Shawn Remington Jr., the 2025 GNCC 65 (10–11) Champion, returns with AmPro Yamaha and will move up to the GNCC 85cc (12) class.
“With the commitment from AmPro Yamaha for Off-Road racing and its riders, I believe we are going to have a very successful racing season,” said Randy Hawkins, the AmPro Yamaha Racing Team Owner. “I’m very proud of our factory and amateur riders. The BLU CRU team will be hunting race wins and championships this year.”
The AmPro Yamaha Racing team would like to thank its partners for their support: FMF, GYTR, Moose Racing, Factory Connection, Yamalube, Dunlop, Sunex Tools, Fastway, Yamaha Financial Services, Trammell Tire, Sidi, MotoSport, Cycra, Shoei, Senge Graphics, Seat Concepts, Matrix Concepts, DP Brakes, IMS, ODI Grips, Antigravity Batteries, E-Line, Evans Coolant, XTRIG, Specbolt, Hinson, Bullet Proof Designs, D.I.D Chains, VP Fuels, Works Connection, TM Designworks, Pro Filter, Motion Pro, Vortex Ignition, Flexx Bars, Wiseco, ProX, The Beech, and O2 Blast.
The 2026 GNCC season kicks off this weekend at Big Buck Farm in Union, South Carolina, on February 14–15.