The Yamaha US-backed Estenson Racing team has announced their 2020 plans and they are pretty exciting.
JD Beach - is racing full-time in the SuperTwins class. AFT's new SuperTwins class demands that riders commit to the series not pick and choose races, which is what JD and others have for a variety of reasons. JD was the first rider to win a GNC twins race on a Yamaha in 41 years when he won the 2019 Arizona TT. He also won a MotoAmerica Superbike race for Yamaha in 2019, the first time a racer has won a national level flat track and road race in the same season since Nicky Hayden in 2002 (according to AFT).
Read our JD Beach interview in SB33.
Kolby Carlile (above, art by Tim Easley for SB39) - joins Beach in the two-rider SuperTwins class. He won the Singles title for Estenson in 2017, came third for the team in the 2019 Production Twins class.
Read our Kolby Carlile interview in the new Sideburn.
That means Jake Johnson is out. I assume Roger Lee Hayden will be stand-in rider if either of the SuperTwins pair are injured (rules state the teams must field two riders at each round).
Mikey Rush - leaves Honda to join Estenson in the Singles class. He was second in 2019, just 6pts behind Gauthier and with the same four wins.
Dallas Daniels - last year's race-winning rookie, stays on a 450 and, like JD, will concentrate on dirt. I'm not sure what this says about the rise of pro flat track compared to pro US road racing, but it's certainly a trend with returning flat tracker James Rispoli is part of it too.
There is lots of talk in the press release about new personnel and new team members, but no details. I'd love to know what's happening there and we'll update you when we find out.
If you're a Yamaha fan we have the only Yamaha twin to win a National championship for over 40 years in Sideburn 39 - Cory Texter's G&G Racing MT-09.