Yamaha’s Elite bLU cRU Athletes Win Multiple Pro Championships in 2022

Yamaha’s Elite bLU cRU Athletes Win Multiple Pro Championships in 2022 / Yamaha Racers to be Honored at Wall of Champions Ceremony at Barber Motorsports Park

Yamaha bLU cRU racers brought home several championships to cap off another successful 2022 racing season. Riders aboard the YFZ450R topped the podium in multiple race series, and the YXZ1000R SS (Sport Shift) continued to impress with multiple championships captured on a multitude of tracks across the country. Yamaha will honor this year’s bLU cRU titleholders during the 2022 Wall of Champions ceremony at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama this December.

In the Champ Off-Road Tour, Yamaha racers dominated the series once more, sweeping the Side-by-Side (SxS) classes in the pure sport YXZ1000R. Yamaha factory-supported racer, Brock Heger, returned to short course and once again took home the championship and $15,000 bLU cRU bonus in his YXZ1000R SS. In the PRO TURBO SxS class, New Zealander, Hamish Kelsey in his YXZ1000R SS secured the championship and bLU cRU bonus. Led by Colin Kernz, the YXZ also captured the top three positions in the PRO AM SxS class, as well as the top four spots in the Sportsman SxS class, with Jacob Blemke edging out the competition by only four points.

In the ATV MX circuit, Yamaha racers ruled the track on the podium-proven YFZ450R, finishing in four of the top-five positions in the AMA Pro division. After trading overall wins throughout 2022 with each other, Phoenix Racing’s YFZ rider, Joel Hetrick, capped off the season with the $15,000 bLU cRU bonus and his third ATV MX championship.

The GNCC series showcased multiple battles this year, several of which came down to the final round. Brycen Neal, secured the $15,000 bLU cRU bonus on his YFZ450R and was crowned the new XC1 Pro ATV titleholder in 2022. Also at the Yamaha Racing Ironman GNCC, Yamaha held a special retirement ceremony for bLU cRU racer, Johnny Gallagher, in honor of his 27-year career racing pro.

In support of the GNCC’s annual “Race for the Cure” at the Yamaha Racing Ironman GNCC in Crawfordsville, Indiana, raising breast cancer awareness and funding local breast cancer care and research for the Montgomery County Community Foundation (MCCF), Yamaha returned as a major contributor to the effort, committing $50 for each class win on a Yamaha, and an additional $50 for each 2022 Yamaha championship. Yamaha donated over $5,500 to MCCF, which will use the funds to continue their efforts to provide free mammogram examinations in the surrounding region.

With the aid of bLU cRU racers, Yamaha also held a special All Kids Bike activation in Indiana, assembling bicycles benefitting a local elementary school in Crawfordsville. Yamaha continues to support All Kids Bike through multiple grants and bicycle deliveries to schools across the nation, with more activations planned in the future.

Every Yamaha SxS and full-size ATV is proudly Assembled in the USA at Yamaha’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Newnan, Georgia, for worldwide distribution. For further information on the bLU cRU program, visit YamahabLUcRU.com. REALize Your Adventure and learn more about Yamaha’s Proven Off-Road line-up at YamahaOutdoors.com. Connect with Yamaha on social media via @YamahaOutdoors.