Kawasaki Motors Pty Ltd has announced that Kawasaki Racing Team (KRT) has signed Cody Mackie to race the Kawasaki KX250F in the Pro Lites Class of the 2007 Australian Motocross Championship.
The 19 year old will team up with KRT Pro Lites young gun Mitch Hoad, when he takes to the track in his first official race for the Kawasaki Factory Team at Round One in Broadford, Victoria on 20 April, 2007.
With two KX250F Factory riders contesting the Championship, Kawasaki is expanding its presence in the Pro Lites Class and is certain to cause double the trouble for competitors throughout the 2007 season.
After a three month stint in the USA mixing it up with the world's best and training alongside Kawasaki Open Rider and current World Supercross Champion, James Stewart, Mackie is heading home to Oz to take up a Pro Lites ambassador role for KRT.
Mackie believes the move to KRT is a logical step, in growing his reputable racing portfolio.
"I am looking forward to joining KRT and riding alongside Hoady throughout the 2007 season. I definitely think signing with Kawasaki is a great opportunity for me not only for this season, but for my long term racing career. Kawasaki has really stepped up its Factory Team operations and I know that I will have plenty of support from the Team and their Sponsors" Cody said.
Cody is no stranger to the Kawasaki KX250F, having contested both the 2006 Motocross and Supercross Pro Lites classes onboard the Troy Lee Motul Pro Kawasaki Team prepared race bike. The Team was headed by the then Team Manager Brett Whale, where Mackie posted promising results.
Now the new KRT Racing Manager, Whale is excited to have Cody back in the country and is positive that he will quickly prove his worth riding for the Factory Team.
"Cody is an extremely talented young rider with a solid work ethic and we believe he has a big future ahead of him at Kawasaki. He displayed an abundance of talent when racing for the Dealer Team, which resulted in him being spotted and poached to train with Bubba in the USA" Whale said.
"Cody showed the world that he has the talent to mix it with the worlds best, when he qualified and scored points in the opening round of the 2007 AMA Series in Anaheim. Unfortunately Cody sustained a broken wrist while racing in the second round, cutting short what was to be an explosive first season of racing in the USA".
Cody's new team mate Mitch Hoad is excited at the prospect of having an internationally experienced team mate who he can plot and plan race strategies with in the Pro Lites Class.
"I'm really looking forward to Cody joining the Team. It will be great to have a classmate who I can prepare and race with. Having an ally out on the track will be a real benefit to me and the team as we plan our assault on the opposition".
With an increasing 'green' on track presence in 2007, Kawasaki is looking to draw on its top riders experience and leadership, to help continue the Teams impressive results throughout the race season.
Main Photo: Cody in action in 2006
Credit: Garry Morrow / click28.com
