Two of the brightest rising stars of ANZAC motocross racing, Maximus Purvis and Alex Larwood will return to the WBR Bulk Nutrients Yamaha Team for 2021, but with a slight twist.Both will make their debut in new classes for ’21 with Purvis making the leap to the MX1 (450cc) class while Larwood will step into the MX2 (250cc) class.

Purvis, the current New Zealand MX2 champ, is keen to return to Australia for the new season and 2021 marks his third year with the WBR Yamaha team. During the break in racing this year, Purvis was able spend time on the Yamaha YZ450F back in his NZ base and found the bike exactly to his liking.

When the discussion of 2021 came up, Max expressed a wish to race the YZ450F and was delighted that the WBR Yamaha team were able to make that happen and support him in the same manner as previous years.

“2021 needs to be a huge year for me and one that establishes me in Australian motocross,” Purvis begins. “The move to the 450 class is one that excites me as I have been riding one in New Zealand for the last eight months and I feel really comfortable on the bike and suits the way I ride. I love the horsepower it generates and think that I’m now at the right size and age to step up and make a go of it.

“Being back with WBR Yamaha is also great. We have a great working relationship that has grown over the past few years and they are a good group of guys to go racing with. The dealership is also close to where I base myself while in Australia, so they are always available if I need anything.

“My first goal is to defend my New Zealand MX2 championship with JCR Yamaha and then head over to Australia in March to get set up and ready for the Pro MX championship starting in April,” Purvis said.

Continuing into his second year with WBR Yamaha, South Australia’s Alex Larwood will move into the MX2 class and is set to rattle the cages of the big names in the class. Larwood was slated down to race the MXD (under 19) division in 2020 but with the cancellation of racing and also a change to the class structure in 2021, he will make the transition into the MX2 class.

Reports early in the 2020 season had Larwood down as superfast, but a broken leg halted that progress. He is now healed up and returning to full training in preparation for the new year and will no doubt be a force to be reckoned with when national racing gets under way in April.

“It’s great to be back with WBR Yamaha again and racing the MX2 class on the YZ250F. I had put in a lot of work at the start of 2020 and was feeling great on the bike but my leg injury kept me sidelined for a while and that has only made the motivation stronger.

“I’m looking forward to racing the MX2 class and going against the best guys in Australia. It will be a big step but I have been training with a lot of riders already in that class and feel comfortable riding with them.

“The leg is nearly 100% and I have a full program ready to go in the off season to ensure I hit round one in great shape.

“I can’t wait to get started,” finished the 17 year old.

WBR Yamaha is a motorcycle dealer in the Victorian border town of Echuca. Ran by the Whitten family, the racing arm of the business has become a great promotional tool for WBR Yamaha and one that owner, Travis Whitten, is passionate about.

“Our whole family is into racing and as the business has grown, so has both our and Yamaha’s investment in racing with us. In 2021, we will be fielding two riders in the major classes and I’m confident in both the talent and determination of Maximus and Alex to succeed.

“The knowledge that we learn from racing can be feed directly back to our customers and we can provide them with real world information that can make the most of their purchase.

“2021 is a step-up up for our race team and one that we are looking forward to and the season can’t get here soon enough so we can be back at the track and doing what we love with two riders determined to achieve their goals.”