Blake Young will return to Yoshimura Suzuki, while Chris Clarke opened his cheque book to replace Tommy Hayden.

Yoshimura Racing and American Suzuki Motor Corporation have announced plans for the 2012 AMA Pro Superbike Championship.

Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s returning rider, Blake Young, and new teammate, Chris Clark, will be aggressively-campaigning for the 2012 championship aboard a pair of Yoshimura-prepared Suzuki GSX-R1000s.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Young is coming off of a strong season in 2011 that found the 24-year-old Wisconsin native with the most race wins for the year but falling just short of the championship at the last race in New Jersey. This will be Young’s fourth season aboard the GSX-R1000 with the Yoshimura Suzuki squad.

“I’m really excited for 2012,” said Young. “I know I’ve got the best bike in the paddock with the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000. It’s been like riding a real rocketship for me and I learned a lot about what it takes to win a championship this year.

“We came up just a little short and I don’t want to be in that position in 2012. We’ve got a great crew – the best bike – and a smarter rider; and I just want to go out and win races and bring home that championship for the team. I’m gonna do everything I can to make sure that happens.”

Young’s teammate Clark is new to the Yoshimura Suzuki team for 2012. The 20-year-old Las Vegas native turned pro in 2009 and was the recipient of the prestigious AMA Horizon Award, which recognizes the top amateur competitors with the best prospects for a professional career.

Clark has shown promise in his first couple of outings on the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 and is looking forward to his first year on the team.

“I’m really happy,” said Clark. “We just had our first real test in Daytona and the GSX-R is an amazing machine. I’m really looking forward to working with the team and I know I can learn a lot from them. They always have very solid results and they have an incredible amount of experience winning championships. I’m really excited to be with Yoshimura Suzuki for 2012.”

Yoshimura Racing President Don Sakakura said: “We’re really looking forward to this next season. Blake was very close to pulling off the championship last year and I know he learned and matured a lot during that season.

“He’ll be coming into Daytona ready to fight for the 2012 title. Chris Clark is a welcome addition to our team. He had a solid test in Daytona and I know he’ll represent Suzuki and Yoshimura well.”

Team Yoshimura Suzuki Racing’s season kicks off at the first round of 2012 AMA Pro Superbike Championship series at the Daytona International Speedway on 15-17 March, 2012.