Daniel Milner is set to take on the US as part of the AmPro Yamaha Off Road team
Daniel Milner has cemented a spot on the Randy Hawkins led AmPro Yamaha Team in the United States in a joint Yamaha Motor Australia / United States/ AmPro Yamaha deal that will see the current Australian Champion compete for championships on both continents in season 2015.
Milner, a multi time Australian off road champion, burst onto the international scene with an impressive performance at the 2013 ISDE where he won the E2 class and finished an amazing second outright on a Yamaha YZ450F, beating some of the biggest and most established names in off-road racing.
He carried that form into 2014, where he again racked up his third successive victory in the Australian Four Day Enduro (A4DE) and finished second in the Australian Off- Road Championships (AORC) despite missing two rounds due to a broken ankle sustained during the year.
With his desire to compete on the International stage, the 23 year old Australian now makes the huge step into the US full time to be based in Travellers Rest, South Carolina, under the watchful eye of off road legend, Randy Hawkins.
Milner will compete in the US GNCC championship and the NEPGA National Enduro Championship in season 2015 as well as a range of selected events both nationally and internationally.
“I’m pretty pumped to get the deal done and race for such a successful organisation as the AmPro Yamaha team in the US. I wanted to remain in the Yamaha family as the CDR Yamaha team in Australia treated me so well and to be able to work with Randy and his team and race a full championship season in the US is a dream come true,” Milner said.
“I had options of going to Europe as well as even staying here in Australia but the opportunity to race in the US, with a great team and the best bike was too hard to ignore and it’s something I’m really looking forward to,” Milner ends.
Hawkins is equally optimistic about the deal with Milner and believes he will quickly adapt to the US and the GNCC style of racing.
“Australia has long produced successful off road racers and Daniel comes to the AmPro Yamaha team as well credentialed as any other rider in the past. He is obviously a talented and determined rider and during our discussions, I believe he will enjoy the challenge of racing here and be very successful at it.
“Yamaha US and AmPro are excited to have Daniel as part of our team in 2015 and we believe with our help he will be a contender to win the NEPGA and GNCC championships in his first year,” Hawkins said.
Yamaha Motor Australia’s Managing Director, Steven Cotterell, says the move proves that YMA’s policy of developing riders is paying off.
“YMA offers a platform for riders to stay with Yamaha as their career develops. The progress that Milner has made from a Yamaha dealer team to our CDR Yamaha factory off road setup and now onto the international stage demonstrates that the policy is working. This rider career development is reflected in our ‘customer for life’ philosophy. Good businesses retain good people,” explains Cotterell.
Milner’s first US assignment starts with the final two rounds of the 2014 GNCC Championship.
