Travelers Rest, South Carolina (January 11th 2013) – After an incredible year of racing in 2012, the AmPro Yamaha Factory Off-Road Team is excited to announce that the ink is dry on the 2013 contracts!

Heading into the New Year, we have several announcements to make. The first and perhaps the most exciting, is that we have taken over the Factory Yamaha ATV Program for the entire 2013 GNCC Series. With several amateur Championships under his belt and multiple 2nd place seasons, Walker Fowler will be flying the AmPro flag and riding a 2013 Yamaha YFZ450R, with the goal of obtaining his first-ever national championship.

“I’m ecstatic to be riding for Randy Hawkins and the AmPro Yamaha Team for the 2013 season,” says Fowler. “I have seen firsthand the successes Randy’s team has had over the past few years and I’m very excited to see what he can bring to the table. With my skills on the track and Randy’s in the pits, I’m confident we will be a contending threat on the 2013 GNCC tour!”

As for the AmPro Yamaha motorcycle program, we are pleased to announce that the 2012 GNCC / OMA National Champion Paul Whibley will be returning to our team for another great year of racing! Paul will continue to ride his Championship winning Yamaha YZ450F for both the OMA Nationals and the GNCC Series.

“I’m looking forward to getting back into the States and down to the AmPro Yamaha Team base,” says Whibley. “We have a solid platform there and after spending the last 3 years building our program, it feels like we are heading back to our family! It’s been nice to chill here in NZ for a while but it’s time to get back to business. I have begun training again in preparation for the 2013 season, after what seems like an ever shrinking offseason. I’m looking forward to running the #1 plate on the bike and trying to fend off the challenge from the pack of hungry young riders!”

We are also very excited that the hard charging Jordan Ashburn will be rejoining our team, racing the full GNCC series and select OMA Nationals aboard his 2013 Yamaha YZ450F.

Another very exciting announcement is the addition of Jesse Groemm. Jesse is a New Jersey native and specializes in tight technical woods riding. He will be racing the entire National Enduro Series for the AmPro Yamaha team aboard a 2013 YZ250 two-stroke as well as select GNCC races aboard a 2013 Yamaha YZ250F.

“This is truly an opportunity of a life time for me”, says Groemm. “I can’t thank AmPro enough for giving me a shot at my dream. I love racing the National Enduro Series and look forward to a year of learning and mentoring from one of the best enduro racers in history.”