Jed Beaton has been announced as a last-minute addition to the DPH Motorsport team following the shock departure of fellow MX2 contender Wade Hunter from the Yamaha-backed squad.

After a mixed rookie season in the MX2 class with the Serco Yamaha team, Beaton was not re-signed to the Queensland-based squad and found himself searching for a 2016 seat.

With an opening under the DPH awning due to Hunter leaving the team to fill the vacant Serco Yamaha ride of Luke Clout, the chance to join the DPH Motorsport team proves to be a lifeline of sorts for the Tasmanian teenager.

“I am really excited to join DPH,” said Beaton. “Before this opportunity came up I didn’t have a team and was looking to do my own thing. Joining DPH so close to the season is awesome and I cannot wait to start.”

A statement from DPH Motorsport released last night said: “It has been an interesting 48 hours for the DPH Motorsport team after receiving news that Hunter would no longer be part of the team late Monday. Hunter had been announced as part of the three-rider line-up for the team only weeks earlier, so his sudden departure came as a shock to all.”

Beaton will join fellow DPH Motorsport team riders Lawson Bopping and Maddy Brown to make up the three-rider squad, which will begin its 2016 campaign at round one of the 2016 MX Nationals series on 3 April at Horsham, Victoria.