Image: Keith Muir.

Victorian-based DPH Motorsport will enter the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) within the Supersport division during 2017 with title contender Luke Mitchell.

The Yamaha-supported squad clinched the MX2 Australian Motocross Championship with Jed Beaton last season and will expand its operations with a road racing arm in 2017.

Mitchell will start out the season at Phillip Island on 24-26 February aboard the current YZF-R6, before taking delivery of the updated 2017 model later in the year. DPH is also looking at fielding at least one R3 with part-time motocrosser Boyd Hocking.

“Marty [Dowd] was spannering for Hayden [Mellross] in supercross last year and we got chatting about getting into road racing,” team owner Dale Hocking explained. “We sat down and worked it out that a lot of our sponsors support [Luke] as well.

Image: Alex Gobert (Foremost Media).

“It all worked out and it looks like my son Boyd is going to have a go as well in the R3 Cup series – he rode at Phillip Island and is really keen. That will work into giving Luke a hand, support him a little bit more and we will be taking the semi to as many events as we can.

“The plan is to help spread the DPH Motorsport brand and also to promote our sponsors in a different area as well. Virtually, what we have with DPH in motocross will crossover into road racing, but we are just finalising a number of things at the moment.”

Mitchell emerged as one of the sport’s top young talents last year and finished third in the Supersport standings. With Troy Guenther stepping up to the Superbike and Sam Clarke heading overseas, he will become the championship favourite going in.