Who has Factory backing in 2016?
By Infront Moto Racing on 19th Nov 15
While KTM might have trimmed down their factory effort in the MXGP class 2016, we will still see minimum 15 factory backed riders lining up on the start line of the MXGP class at the opening round of the MXGP series at Qatar in late February. If Jeffrey Herlings does decide to move up to the MXGP class next year, then it will be 16 and what a magnificent 16 it would be.
Already we will have five former or present world champions in the class. Starting with Italian legend Antonio Cairoli, defending MXGP champion Romain Febvre, 2004 MX2 champion Ben Townley, 2013 MX2 champion Jordi Tixier, and this year's MX2 champion Tim Gajser. All these champions will race factory bikes and all in different teams. How brilliant is that?
Obviously leading the way is defending world MXGP champion Febvre who will race for the Monster Energy Yamaha team alongside Jeremy Van Horebeek, while Yamaha are still deciding what will happen to Valentin Guillod, who is assured a factory machine by Yamaha.
The Red Bull KTM Factory team who had three MXGP riders in 2015 will go with just two in 2016, and of course their main man Antonio Cairoli will lead the orange army into battle next year. It will be nice to see young Dutchman Glenn Coldenhoff move up. Winning a GP in the MXGP class this year showed he is ready for an even bigger season in 2016 and hopefully he can move into the season without injury, which wasn't the case this year. Of course Shaun Simpson will race on a factory KTM machine, but will race for a privateer team on the bike.
The Kawasaki Factory team have the services of the one man who probably has deserved a world title, but has come up short, and that is Belgian hard-man Clement Desalle. His team-mate in 2016 is 2014 World MX2 champion Jordi Tixier. Tixier is known to love the 450cc bike and his results might surprise many.
The Factory Suzuki team brings New Zealander Ben Townley back to the FIM Motocross World Championships and this is a really special return for the 2004 MX2 champ. Townley who rode the wheels off his Honda at the 2015 Monster Energy Motocross of Nations will be teamed with another veteran in Kevin Strijbos. The effort by new team owner Stefan Everts in bringing out the best in these two riders will be crucial in their performances.
HRC are going in hard in 2016, with three riders on the all new 450cc Honda. While MX2 champion Tim Gajser won't be inside the HRC tent, his Gariboldi Honda team are more than capable of making sure his bike is dialed in come Qatar. Also on the red rockets next year are world number one and world number two Gautier Paulin and Evgeny Bobryshev.
The only factory team without a former world champion is Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory team, although their riders are more than capable of producing some surprises, as Max Nagl showed this year. The German will be joined by Italian rider Christophe Charlier, a competitor who has the talent to move up the world rankings with the right backing.
