Josh Herrin will return to the factory Yamaha Racing team to chase the MotoAmerica Superbike championship next year alongside returning rider Jake Gagne.
Herrin replaces outgoing rider Cameron Beaubier on the Attack Performance Yamaha Racing entry. Beaubier departed the team to race in the Moto2 series next year.
Herrin returns to the Yamaha factory team after previously capturing the 2013 Superbike championship during his sophomore season at the top level of AMA-sanctioned road racing with Yamaha. He departed the team to chase the Moto2 championship in 2014, but returned to America the following year. Herrin continued his championship form with the Yamaha brand in 2016, taking the No. 1 plate in the Superstock 1000 class.
In 2018, he showed strength aboard the Attack Performance Yamaha R1, scoring two wins in a stacked premier class for the privateer team. He has earned eight Superbike wins during his career to date.
“After that tough year in Moto2 in 2014, getting back with Yamaha has been something that I’ve been dreaming about,” said Herrin. “To be able to not only come back to Yamaha but to have Richard and Attack running the team is amazing. Working with Richard in 2018, I think that was the best year I ever had. We didn’t win the championship, but as a small team, we were able to win races in Superbike. I felt the most comfortable on that motorcycle out of any other bike that I have ever ridden.
“I’m excited to get both of those partnerships back. I knew that combining Yamaha and Attack was going to be something really special.”
In addition, the team has announced that Fresh N’ Lean will serve as the title sponsor of the Attack Performance Yamaha Racing team beginning next year. Based in Anaheim, Calif., Fresh N’ Lean offers organic chef-prepared meals fit for any lifestyle delivered nationwide.
“It’s a thrill to see Fresh N’ Lean associated with such a great brand,” said Fresh N’ Lean CEO Thomas Asseo. “I’ve long been an admirer of Yamaha. They’ve never stopped making great products with an amazing attention to detail. Long before I ever dreamed that we might sponsor a race team, if I was considering a motorcycle or a piano – two things that matter to me – it was going to be a Yamaha.
“As a meal delivery service, Fresh N’ Lean holds the belief that food is fuel, and that the proper fuel makes all the difference. The athletes we work with represent a wide variety of sports and they have reinforced this belief by showing us how proper food enhances the potential of what they can achieve.
“As a racing fan and amateur racer, I can really appreciate the incredibly high-level of racing in MotoAmerica. Josh Herrin been a great ambassador for our brand and gave us a better sense for this space. He really helped make the sponsorship of a top MotoAmerica team a logical and very exciting progression; one that supports our plans for 2021. There are so many parallels between racing and running a business. The need to remain focused on seeking the right opportunity to make a winning move. Extracting the maximum potential from your set up today and working to make the motorcycle do more tomorrow. These concepts and philosophy are the force behind bringing this partnership to life.”