For about 12 months, it has been common knowledge that Triumph is taking a serious left turn and is working on a range of MX and Enduro bikes. No timeline for introduction has been given, although it was assumed that they would appear sometime in 2023 for the 2024 model year.
Now an announcement has been made that the company will be entering the FIM Motocross World Championship with a factory team in 2024, utilising an existing team structure in the charge of team owner Thierry Chizat-Suzzoni.
This landmark new Triumph Racing Team has been set up in partnership with, one of the sport’s most experienced and successful team owners, who will field two of Triumph’s all-new 250 cc 4-stroke MX bikes in the 2024 MX2 class and will add an entry into the 450 cc MXGP class in 2025.
Under the new Triumph Racing banner, which will now cover all of Triumph’s racing-related activities including Moto2 and Supersport racing, the partnership between Triumph and Thierry will encompass his well-established team structure and facilities. Further underpinning the ambition and commitment to win central to this new partnership, Triumph is also pleased to announce that his long-standing Team Manager, Vincent Bereni, will continue leading the team with a full crew of highly experienced technical staff all focused on bringing Triumph to the pinnacle of motocross racing performance.
This is a huge move for Triumph who, up to now, has concentrated solely on road motorcycles. But it is clear that the company is serious about this new direction and no one should underestimate the ambition Triumph has in this direction.
Thierry Chizat-Suzzoni – Triumph Racing Team Owner (MX2 and MXGP) had this to say:
“Triumph have made a major commitment to build an MX bike and go racing in the FIM World Motocross Championship. I am happy that my team is going to be the official Triumph Racing Team in MX2 and MXGP. Nick Bloor and the Triumph Board of Directors have made their long-term ambitions for the project very clear and I see a huge amount of passion from everyone at the Factory. I am happy with the progress on the bike, it looks great, has speed on the track and Vincent and my staff are working with the engineers at Hinckley on building it into a competitive package for entry into the MX2 Championship in 2024. MXGP continues to grow around the world, I am very happy to be back and looking forward to going racing with Triumph”.
Ricky Carmichael, Triumph’s Global Off-Road Ambassador and himself a multiple world champion in MX and enduro, has been working closely with factory engineers and designers on the new models.
“I’m really excited about today’s news. It’s been a long time coming. Since the start of this project with Triumph, I have been amazed at just how hard everyone has been working. It must not go without mentioning, the whole R&D and engineering group that has been a part of the development of the motorcycles have done an absolutely incredible job. From the first stages of the prototypes, I was really taken back by how well the performance was, since then, being in the UK testing the newest developments, I can tell you that it has the capabilities of winning at the highest level and I personally believe the riders, from professional to amateur, across the entire range of off-road models, will really like what has been developed!”
This is a massive move for Triumph: entering a field that already has many vastly experienced manufacturers and teams is not something to be undertaken lightly and Triumph certainly aren’t in this to fail. What will be interesting is how far the company is prepared to go to win. Only time – and competition – will tell.
