Matt Moss: "Australian rider, Australian team, Australian championship"

Matt Moss has signed with CDR Yamaha in a bid to become the first local rider to win the Australian Supercross Championship in almost a decade.

The last Australian rider to win the SX1 title was Daniel Reardon in 2015. America’s Justin Brayton had a stranglehold the title from 2016 to 2022 (the ’20 and ’21 seasons did not take place), while Scotland’s Dean Wilson prevailed in 2023.

Moss will team up with Jed Beaton on the Australian-based CDR Yamaha outfit and is hopeful of returning the Australian flag to the top step of the championship standings.

“We share the same goal for this season,” Moss said about CDR Yamaha. “To be an Australian rider, on an Australian team, and to win an Australian championship that has been dominated by US riders in recent times.”   

“The Yamaha YZ450F is the bike I feel the most comfortable on and had my best results on since returning to racing and with the support of Craig and his CDR Yamaha Team, this is the best opportunity to get back that number 1 plate.”

The task won’t be easy, with the 2024 Australian Supercross Championship set to be one of the most competitive seasons to date. Dean Wilson is looking to defend his 2023 title, while Brayton could also return. The finale of the five-round series will feature superstars Jett and Hunter Lawrence, and Cooper Webb.  

Moss is one of Australia’s most decorated riders, having won nine national titles across motocross and supercross.

A four-year ASADA ban threatened to end his career in 2016, but he returned to racing in 2021 and worked his way back into form.

The 35-year-old is no stranger to the CDR Yamaha team, having worked with the Craig Dack-run team earlier in his career. Dack is happy to have Moss back in the squad.

“Matt and I have had our battles off the track over the years but that’s one of the things I admire about him, he is a fighter and doggedly determined when on the racetrack,” Dack begins.

“The contrast between the riders will work well as Moss brings years of experience at every level of supercross, while Beaton will need some time to learn the ropes and find his feet again, but I have confidence in them both representing CDR, Yamaha and our sponsorship at the highest level.”

The Australian Supercross Championship kicks off at Redcliffe’s Kayo Stadium on October 12. It concludes with the return of the AUS-X Open to Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium on November 30.