Although this year marks the first season that Michael Byrne will race for the Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing team, he is no stranger to Suzuki or to Rockstar. The former Australian Champion raced for the now-defunct Rockstar Suzuki team last year in AMA Supercross and AMA Motocross, finishing in seventh- and eighth-place overall respectively. Now moving up to the factory team, Byrne is enthusiastic about the upcoming year and his new team.

“I’m really excited about the move back to a factory team,” said 28-year-old Byrne, who’d raced for a factory effort in the past. “Not too many people get a second chance so I’m very happy about that. I just want to train really hard, which has been made a little bit easy for me because the new fuel-injected RM-Z450 is so good. Right now, overall, I’m just excited about the season.”

Because Byrne has been on a factory-supported team in the past, joining the Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing team is not a completely unfamiliar experience. He is eager to work with Suzuki’s professional staff and to focus on helping develop the new Suzuki RM-Z450.

“Whenever you’re on a factory team, you’ve got organization and structure that is better than any privateer team,” he explained. “To be back with people who have a lot of knowledge and who are very, very good at what they do is exciting and I’m happy to be a part of it again. It’s amazing – the availability of things that we can try and test and develop on the new bike. Also, obviously, having Team Manager Roger DeCoster’s experience in coming from a racing background has been really good too.”

Even as Byrne praises the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team for its experience and professional structure, he also is excited about what he can do for the team and his teammates.

“I think I’m pretty easy-going and I get along with most people,” he said of settling into the new team. “I have a lot of experience with testing and I think I can help out with that a lot and hopefully give the team a better motorcycle. But so far, the new RM-Z450 is pretty good. The biggest thing I’ve noticed is how smooth the power is. With the fuel injection, the power is so smooth that it makes the bike easy to ride. It helps you ride the bike harder because you’re not getting as tired. Also, the power is much more usable and really helps build your confidence on the track when coming to jumps and obstacles.”

With a strong team behind him and a technologically superior motorcycle to race, Byrne couldn’t be happier about racing in 2008. In fact, when contemplating potential challenges, he is most concerned about maintaining his physical well being. “I just need to stay healthy this year,” he said, having suffered season-ending injuries in the past. “We have one less weekend off during this season, I believe. So, it’s going to be really important to have good recovery after each race. It’s going to be a tough season and a long season, with so many races in a row. Mentally and physically, I’m going to have to be smart with my training, not peak too early, put in some solid races to start and keep building from there.”

Height: 6’0”

Weight: 165 lb.

Classes of Racing Entered:
AMA Supercross, Supercross Class AMA Motocross Championship, Motocross Class

His Motorcycle:
Look for the yellow No. 26 Suzuki RM-Z450, tuned by mechanic Tony Berluti

Personal items:
Born: June 10, 1979. Single, Michael Byrne lives in Newnan, Ga., though the Australian splits his time between Georgia and Southern California, where he comes to test and race the West Coast events. When he does have some infrequent down time, Byrne enjoys mountain biking, and playing basketball and golf.

Noted Accomplishments:
2007 Seventh overall with two top-five finishes and nine top-10 finishes, AMA Supercross Eighth overall with seven top-10 finishes, AMA Motocross 2006 Sixth over all with one podium, five top-five finishes and 11 top-10 finishes, AMA Supercross 13th overall with one top-five finish and three top-10 finishes, AMA Motocross 2005 15th place overall with one podium and five top-10 finishes, AMA Supercross Two podium finishes, US Open of Supercross in Las Vegas Sixth overall with two top-five finishes and eight top-10 finishes, AMA Motocross 2004 Sixth overall with two top-five finishes and 11 top-10 finishes, AMA Supercross Sixth overall with two top-five finishes and seven top-10 finishes, AMA Motocross

Racing History
Byrne started riding at age 7 after his older brother bought a dirtbike. Raised on a farm in Australia, the young Byrne spent many days riding dirtbikes on his family’s property before he started racing. Once he discovered the competition, he went on to win multiple amateur championships and three Australian titles. Byrne turned Pro at age 16 in 1997, and came to the United States for six months in 2001 to ride for former Supercross Champion Jeff Emig. The following year, he moved stateside permanently to race full-time. This is Byrne’s first year with the Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing team.

2007 Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series
Supercross Class – 7th place overall
10th place – Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA
6th place -- Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix, AZ
5th place -- Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA
8th place -- SBC Park, San Francisco, CA
5th place -- Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA
6th place – Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX
6th place – Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA
14th place -- Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA
15th place – Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, MO
12th place -- Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL
12th place -- Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL
9th place-- RCA Dome, Indianapolis, IN
7th place -- Texas Stadium, Dallas, TX
15th place -- Ford Field, Detroit, MI
7th place -- Qwest Field, Seattle, WA
10th place -- Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, NV

2007 Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP
Supercross Lites Class
15th place – Rogers Stadium, Toronto, ON, Canada
19th place – B.C. Place Stadium, Vancouver, B.C., Canada

2007 AMA Toyota Motocross Championship
Motocross Class – 8th place overall
9th place – Hangtown Classic, Sacramento, CA
8th place -- High Point National, Mt. Morris, PA
16th place -- Motocross 338, Southwick, MA
10th place -- Budds Creek Raceway, Mechanicsville, MD
10th place-- Red Bud Track ‘n’ Trail, Buchanan, MI
14th place -- Unadilla Valley Sports Center, New Berlin, NY
13th place -- Thunder Valley MX Park, Lakewood, CO
11th place -- Washougal MX Park, Washougal, WA
8th place -- Spring Creek MX Park, Millville, MN
8th place -- Steel City Raceway, Delmont, PA
8th place – Freestone County Raceway, Wortham, TX
14th place -- Glen Helen Raceway, San Bernardino, CA