BPR Racing team owner Bryce Kornbau has announced that he will have a five-rider team competing in MotoAmerica for the 2026 season, with official support provided by Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.
Kornbau himself will be aboard the #17 BPR Racing Yamaha MT-09 as he competes for the first time in the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship. A former MotoAmerica class champion aboard a Yamaha, Kornbau is also a formidable race bike builder and business entrepreneur. In addition to racing, managing the BPR Racing team, and building and tuning bikes for racers, Kornbau owns Kern County Powersports, a multi-line dealership and service center in Bakersfield, California, that sells Yamaha as well as multiple other brands of street and off-road motorcycles, ATVs, side-by-sides, personal watercraft, power equipment, and more.
“I am very excited to be able to be back in the MotoAmerica paddock for another season as a racer, and a team owner,” Kornbau said. “I have really enjoyed developing the Yamaha YZF-R9, and I am looking forward to developing the Yamaha MT-09, as well. As the years go on with the expansion of my race team, I am excited about this new venture into the Super Hooligan class, along with spending more time helping the team out from a technical side and as a development rider.”
Returning to BPR Racing in Supersport on the #4 BPR Racing Yamaha YZF-R9 is Josh Hayes, four-time AMA Superbike Champion and 2025 MotoAmerica Supersport race winner. Hayes continues to show his determination and relentlessness on the track, along with his poise and experience. As one would imagine, the ‘Mississippi Madman’ brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team, and he has been instrumental in the development of the YZF-R9 for BPR Racing.
Hayes commented, “Holy smokes, I still get to go racing! I’ve really felt honored to be able to keep racing at such a high level, and I have BPR Racing and Kern County Powersports to thank for that. I definitely try to bring a full career’s worth of experience to the team, bikes, and young teammates with whom I have the privilege of working. With any luck, the lessons learned from year one on the YZF-R9 platform will set us up to begin the 2026 season in a more competitive manner and show more of what BPR Racing can do.”
Joining Hayes in Supersport is Brenden Ketelsen, who will be aboard the #144 BPR Racing Yamaha YZF-R9 as he enters his first full season in MotoAmerica. Ketelsen is one of the nation’s fastest club racers. He is a multi-time AFM #1 plate holder and a dominant middleweight racer in CVMA at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway in Southern California. For years, Ketelsen has been going toe-to-toe with MotoAmerica talent at various club races in California, and typically winning.
“I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity with BPR Racing in the Supersport class,” Ketelsen said. “I have a great team around me to help maximize my chances for strong results, and I’m excited to show what I’m capable of.”
Competing aboard the #194 BPR Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 in Superbike Cup this year is Deion Campbell. The Californian earned his first MotoAmerica podium in the Stock 1000 Championship this past year at Mid-Ohio aboard a BPR Racing Yamaha R1, and he is looking to carry that momentum into the 2026 season while also kicking things up a few notches.
“Coming back to the BPR Racing team for the 2026 season is truly a blessing for me,” said Campbell. “Last season was a huge learning experience, and earning my first MotoAmerica podium was a moment I’ll never forget. I’m motivated to build on that, keep growing with the team, and see what we’re capable of in Superbike Cup.”
The fifth rider on the BPR Racing team is Andy DiBrino, who will be aboard the #62 BPR Racing Yamaha MT-09 in the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship as he competes alongside Kornbau on the popular, high-handlebar machines.
DiBrino finished on the podium in Super Hooligan last year, and he also set a new outright class lap record while earning the Superbike pole position at Ridge Motorsports Park. The Oregon native has been a Super Hooligan class regular since the series first began, and he is one of the series’ fan favorites.
“This is the kind of opportunity I’ve dreamt about my whole career,” DiBrino said. “To join an established team, and to have extremely accomplished teammates like Bryce and Josh who I can learn from, and who are so well-respected by their peers. I’ve raced with Bryce as far back as 2015 in our Superstock 600 days when MotoAmerica first began. I’ve always respected him as a racer, and the interaction I’ve had with him this off-season has made me respect him even more as I’ve seen the lengths he will go to for his team and customers. I’m confident the Yamaha MT-09 he’s prepared for me is going to be an absolute weapon in the class, and I look forward to putting it on the top step of the podium.”
The 2026 BPR Racing team is supported by Kern County Powersports, Yamaha Motor Corporation, Graves Motorsports, California Cubs, Dunlop Tires, Next Level Cycles, ASV Inventions, GBrakes, Superlite Sprockets, Evol Technology, TechSpec-USA, Zero Gravity, Öhlins USA, Kyle Racing, FT ECU, and Lieto Factory.
