Eight Aussies to contest Yamaha R3 BLU CRU Asia-Pacific Championship
The ever-expanding Australian presence in the Yamaha R3 BLU CRU Asia-Pacific Championship will continue in 2026, with eight local riders to contest the six rounds across Australia, Indonesia, Japan and Thailand – the opening two hitouts at Sydney Motorsport Park (March 27-28) and The Bend (May 1-3) alongside the ASBK Championship.
Ghage Plowman, Alexander Codey, Hunter Corney, Jed Louis, Rossi McAdam, Adam Jordan, Connor Lewis and Phoenix O’Brien will be on the R3 Asia-Pacific grid in 2026, as well as New Zealander Hunter Charlett.
Plowman, Louis, McAdam, Jordan and Lewis are all moving into the championship after full-time campaigns in the 2025 BLU CRU Oceania Junior Cup (OJC), with Lewis emerging victorious after a gripping season-long battle with Chaz Williams.
Meanwhile, 2024 OJC champion Hunter Corney was a leading contender in the 2025 R3 Asia-Pacific title before injury curtailed his season, so it’s very much a case of unfinished business this year. O’Brien also finished on the Asia-Pacific podium five times in 2025, while fellow Aussie Valentino Knezovic was a multiple race winner en route to second overall ahead of Corney.
The balance of the 19-strong grid in the 2026 R3 Asia-Pacific Championship will be filled by riders from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
Hunter Corney
Plowman, Codey, McAdam, Jordan and O’Brien will also be competing in round one of the 2026 ASBK Championship at Phillip Island from February 20-22 – all taking the Supersport 300 route besides the Supersport-bound Plowman – as a final shakedown before the R3 Asia-Pacific opener at Sydney Motorsport Park.
That round will mark the R3 Asia-Pacific debut in Sydney, while the category visited The Bend in 2024 during its inaugural season when rookie Corney stunned the internationals with a 2-1 scorecard.
The R3 Asia-Pacific Championship utilises identical race-prepped Yamaha YZF-R3s, and was introduced as a pathway to help riders take the next step in their careers via an intensive training, mentoring and development program.
For more information on the Yamaha R3 BLU CRU Asia-Pacific Championship, click here.
