Thompson comes into the team as regular contracted team rider, Jesse Dobson, sits out the championship as he recovers from a shoulder injury sustained during the ProMX series earlier this year. The 29year old Canadian makes his first appearance in Australia after a professional career that has seen him race in the USA and Canada for several season and he brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Serco Yamaha line up.
He will campaign the championship proven YZ250F for the team in the four round series, that takes in Melbourne, Adelaide, Newcastle and Wagga Wagga and is exciting to get the opportunity to race in Australia as well as experience the sights and sounds of the land down under.
“I have heard so many good things about Australia so when Serco Yamaha reached out to me, I was all in from the moment I got the call,” Thompson explains. “Every rider who has been to Australia in the past always says what a great time they had and how good the riders and teams are here, so the only decision I could make was to get on the plane and come down.
“I also understand the level of racing here is very high and Australia has produced so many riders that have been on the world stage, so I’m looking for to pitting myself against them in their own country and see how I go.
“I have only just landed and had a chance to meet everyone on the team, but Gavin and the guys have been so welcoming, and the bike feels great so with a couple more weeks to prepare, I think we will be in good shape heading into round one.
“My aim here is to compete with the best guys in SX2 and hopefully give Serco Yamaha a championship result we can be proud of. I can’t wait to get things started in Melbourne on October 20,” Thompson ends.
Bailey Malkiewicz will continue to ride his Serco Yamaha YZ250F, and preparations have been going well as things start to heat up prior to the championship starting. Malkiewicz has been able to manage a knee injury sustained early in the year and after some time off the bike is back in full swing and riding well on the practice track.
Malkiewicz finished third in the ProMX Championship and hopes to continue the good form in Supercross.
“It’s been a while since I have been on a supercross track, maybe 2018, but things are going well and I feel I have adjusted both my bike and myself for what supercross demands,” Malkiewicz begins. “The first day or so, it’s just a matter of getting your timing back on the jumps, getting a flow to the track and keeping your breathing under control. Once that was sorted, then we worked on some speed and intensity and I think things are going well.
“The team have the bike in a good place, so now it’s just a matter of fine tuning a few things and then heading to round one to see where we stand. It’s exciting to be back racing inside a stadium again and I hear crowd numbers are looking good at each round so hopefully the grandstands are full, and the public continue to support supercross because it has been missed and it’s awesome fun for the riders,” he ends.
2022 Australian Supercross Championship Calendar
Round 1: Marvel Stadium, Melbourne- October 21
Round 2: Wayville Showgrounds, Adelaide- October 29
Round 3: McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle – November 26
Round 4: Wagga International Speedway, Wagga – December 3
Serco Yamaha Take Thompson and Malkiewicz to ASX
The Serco Yamaha team have enlisted multi-time Canadian Supercross Champion, Cole Thompson, to join Bailey Malkiewicz to contest the four round Australian Supercross Championship, starting in Melbourne on October 21.