2026 Athletes

Kailub Russell | Boonville, NC

The winningest rider in Grand National Cross Country Series (GNCC) history, makes his highly anticipated return to full-time racing in 2025. With an already storied career, earning an unrivaled 8 consecutive XC1 titles and 67 overall victories from 2013 to 2020, the North Carolina rider is looking to add to that tally as he makes his debut with the team aboard the AmPro Yamaha YZ450FX.

Daniel McDonald | AU

Hailing from Australia, McDonald joins our program as a highly credentialed rider, having won national several championships in Junior MX and Off-Road, as well as the Women’s Off-Road division and a podium in the 2024 Women’s ProMX Championship. Danielle will be base here in the U.S. for the 2026 season where she will contest the AMA GNCC Championship in the Women’s division on board the YZ250FX.

Liam Draper | Auckland, New Zealand

Returning for his fourth year with the team, Draper looks forward to his first full season in the XC1 class. In 2023, he made a stellar debut with AmPro Yamaha and earned a pair of 250 titles. The New Zealand rider has also enjoyed success aboard the YZ450FX, making an impressive GNCC premier class debut at the end of last season with four consecutive overall podiums in XC1 and finished runner-up in the U.S. Sprint Enduro Series Pro 1 Championship. This year, Draper is primed to race for the title in both the GNCC XC1 and U.S. Sprint Enduro Pro 1 Championships.