Andrea Adamo moves to MXGP class for 2026
By Team TMX on 6th Nov 25
Former MX2 World Champ Andrea Adamo is levelling up. The 22-year-old Italian hotshot will step up to the big-boy class in 2026, taking the reins of the KTM 450 SX-F for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.
Adamo bows out of MX2 with an impressive résumé - third in the 2025 world standings, 12 podiums, four GP wins, and title contention right up to the penultimate round. Since joining the orange army in 2023, he’s racked up 30 trophies and one world crown aboard the KTM 250 SX-F - one of the most successful bikes in MX2 history. Not bad for a lad who could technically have squeezed in one more season before hitting the 23-age ceiling.
Instead, Andrea’s ready for the deep end. He’ll start testing and training on the 450 in the coming weeks with his current crew, before firing into select pre-season races and then the 2026 opener on February 22.
“I feel very excited to move to the KTM 450 SX-F,” said Adamo. “It’s a new challenge, a new style - you can’t ride it like a 250! I’ll have a learning curve for sure, but I want to embrace it. The level next year will be crazy high, but I’m confident. I’m super-happy to stay with Red Bull KTM; it was a dream three years ago, and it still is.”
KTM’s Robert Jonas added:
“Andrea is a smart, hard-working racer who knows what’s ahead. We’re confident in our SX-F machinery and proud to continue our story together in MXGP.”
After watching Adamo’s relentless progression in MX2 - and seeing what Lucas Coenen managed straight out the gate this year - the idea of a fired-up Italian rookie on a 450 is enough to get anyone in orange twitching with excitement.
MXGP 2026 just got a whole lot spicier.
