Triumph Racing to join MXGP

Triumph has revealed its intentions to compete in the prestigious MXGP World Championship, as testing for its new motocross and enduro models ramps up.

The British firm says it will run a factory-backed race programme in the MXGP series (which acts as the FIM Motocross World Championship) from 2024 onwards.

Triumph announced its entry into the motocross and enduro markets in July last year and, while testing is well underway, detail on the new models is still a closely-guarded secret. It is believed, however, that the power units will be developed in-house, rather than sourced from another OEM.

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Former Kawasaki Racing Team (KRT) boss Thierry Chizat-Suzzoni will take the reins of the new Triumph MXGP operation, which will be branded as Triumph Racing.

Chizat-Suzzoni ran KRT for 13 years as the owner of MX ESCA, however the Japanese firm ended its relationship with MX ESCA following the 2021 season and switched to Kimi Raikkonen’s IceOne outfit. KRT rider Romain Febvre finished second in the MXGP standings in MX ESCA’s final season.

Joining Chizat-Suzzoni at the new Triumph Racing team will be his former KRT team manager, Vincent Bereni, and a full crew of experienced technical staff.

The wider Triumph Racing will be based out of Hinckley, however the MXGP team will operate from Chizat-Suzzoni’s race facility in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Eindhoven is home to the iconic Valkenswaard circuit that regularly features in the MXGP series.

Triumph’s move into the off-road world is significant as it will be the first new brand in the motocross and enduro markets for some time. The British firm will likely draw inspiration from off-road heavyweights such as the KTM Group and the Japanese big four manufacturers (Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki).

Former AMA Motocross and Supercross champion, Ricky Carmichael, has played an important role in the development of the new Triumph machines, as has enduro star, Ivan Cervantes.

While MXGP is certainly a big move for the brand, it is likely that it will also target the AMA Pro Motocross and AMA Supercross championships, as well as the new World Supercross Championship.

It is also expected that the brand will compete in various enduro competitions including the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship and the FIM EnduroGP World Championship. A tilt at the fabled Dakar Rally is also not outside the realms of possibility.