TRIUMPH RACING: MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT

Triumph Motorcycles confirms plans to compete in the prestigious FIM Motocross World Championship in 2024, with a factory supported race programme under an all-new Triumph Racing banner.

This landmark new Triumph Racing Team has been set-up in partnership with Thierry Chizat-Suzzoni, one of the sport’s most experienced and successful team owners, who will field two of Triumph’s all-new 250cc 4-stroke MX bikes in the 2024 MX2 class and will add an entry into the 450cc 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 and highly successful 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.

The new long-term partnership between Triumph and Thierry reflects a shared goal and commitment to build depth and success into Triumph Racing’s approach to competition. As a part of Triumph Racing’s portfolio of commitments, Thierry and Vincent’s team will focus on the FIM Motocross World Championship – in MX2 and MXGP, together with development of technology and talent to build Triumph’s future strength in international motocross racing.

Thierry and Vincent’s past racing record speaks for itself – with over 80 MXGP World Championship victories and a huge reputation for technical and preparation excellence. Backed by Triumph’s in-house motocross design engineering department, which is responsible for the concept and development of its all-new MX and Enduro motorcycle range, Triumph Racing is committed to building its resources and performance capability with world-class knowledge and experience.

Triumph Racing is based at Triumph’s Global Headquarters in Hinckley, UK, where the brand’s research, design, engineering development and prototype build are located, and the Motocross World Championship team will be based at Thierry’s race facility near Eindhoven in Holland, where race team personnel, operations and competition development will be housed. Engineering groups at the Triumph factory and the race team are working closely together on continuously enhancing chassis and engine performance through an intensive testing schedule underway in the USA, UK and mainland Europe, building towards the first MX2 Grand Prix of the 2024 FIM Motocross World Championship.

Testing of the new Triumph motocross and enduro bikes is well underway and information on the specifications, performance characteristics and components of each model will be released in due course, along with more news on Triumph Racing’s entry into further top-tier Championships and categories.

Nick Bloor - CEO, Triumph:
“Our new partnership with Thierry demonstrates Triumph’s long-term commitment to competing at the highest levels of racing. We share a passion for delivering world-class performance, and the experience Thierry and his team bring will prove invaluable in our ambition to make our mark on a very competitive championship. Our entry into the FIM Motocross World Championship with a Factory supported Triumph Racing team signifies a landmark moment at the beginning of our new top-tier off-road racing campaign”.

Thierry Chizat-Suzzoni - Triumph Racing Team Owner (MX2 and MXGP):
“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 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”.

David Luongo – CEO, Infront Moto Racing:
“It is a great news! Probably one the most important in recent years. Infront Moto Racing will welcome a new manufacturer in the MX2 and MXGP World Championship. We are talking about one of the most emblematic motorcycle brands in the world. Triumph will join our championship from 2024 with a full program in MX2 and MXGP categories. This is a very important announcement and is a fantastic sign about the interest and the importance of MXGP in the international motorsport scene. During the last 20 years, MXGP has been growing and has established globally. With an average of 19 events per year, it gives the best platform for manufacturers to develop their bikes, components and to advertise them worldwide. From Asia to South America, going through Europe, MXGP is covering all the different markets and is touching most of the off road fans in the world. It is with a great pride and excitement that we welcome Triumph to MXGP and we wish them a lot of success in the years to come and a great competition with the other Factory Teams already present!”

Jeremy Appleton - Global Racing Manager, Triumph:
“The launch of Triumph Racing is a pivotal step in our journey to bring Triumph to the pinnacle of racing across an even wider range of disciplines. Building on Triumph’s success as the sole engine supplier to the Moto2 World Championship and our participation in Supersport racing, the move into MX2 and MXGP opens the door on a strategically important new chapter in top-tier off-road racing. We well know the demands of World Championship competition and that is the reason for forming the partnership with Thierry. Together with Vincent, their approach to racing and development of performance is impressive and we are looking forward to building the project together and adding to the success that they have already achieved in the Motocross World Championship”

Ricky Carmichael - Global Off-Road Ambassador, Triumph:
“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 have 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 at 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!”

– END –

For further information contact:
Lisa Jones, Global PR & Events Manager
lisa.jones@triumph.co.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Triumph Motorcycles

First established in 1902, Triumph Motorcycles celebrated 120 years of motorcycle manufacture in 2022. For more than three decades, Triumph Motorcycles has been based in Hinckley, Leicestershire, and has produced iconic bikes that perfectly blend authentic design, character, charisma and performance.
With more than 83,389 motorcycles delivered in calendar year 2022, and on track to reach a milestone 800 dealers across the world in 2023, Triumph is the largest British motorcycle manufacturer.
This focus, innovation and engineering passion has today created a broad range of bikes suited to all motorcycle riders, including the stunning Speed Triple 1200 RR, Tiger Sport 660 and Trident 660, all-new transcontinental Tiger 1200 and epic Tiger 900, world leading Rocket 3 R and GT, the new high-performance Street Triple 765 RS, iconic Scrambler 1200, and the legendary Triumph Bonneville family including the Bonneville Bobber, Thruxton RS, Speed Twin 900 Twin, Scrambler 900, and the iconic Bonneville T120 and T100 and the stunning Chrome Collection modern classics.
Triumph currently employs around 3,000 personnel worldwide and has subsidiary operations in the UK, North America, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan, Sweden (Scandinavia), Benelux, Brazil, India, China and Thailand as well as a network of independent distributors. Triumph has manufacturing facilities in Hinckley, Leicestershire, and Thailand plus CKD facilities in Brazil and India.
The Triumph Bonneville, famously named to celebrate Triumph’s 1956 land speed record on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA, was the original British superbike and a race-winner straight out of the crate, chosen by famous motorcyclists of the past for its legendary handling, style, and character. Recently updated with even more performance, capability and style, it’s that handling, character and iconic looks, married to modern rider-focused technology that makes the new Bonneville family THE authentic modern classic choice today.
Triumph has a glorious racing history, competing in and winning races in almost every class and field of motorcycle sporting achievement. From winning the second ever Isle of Man TT in 1908, through to 1960s road and track domination in Europe and America, right up to contemporary racing achievements with the Triumph triple powered 2014 and 2015 Supersports titles and World SuperSport racing, Isle of Man Supersports TT wins in 2014 and 2019, courtesy of Gary Johnson and Peter Hickman, plus an average speed of over 130mph 2023 by Peter Hickman on his Triumph STR765, and a thrilling last-lap victory at the legendary Daytona 200 by Brandon Paasch on the Street Triple 765 in 2022.
Triumph’s racing legend continues as the exclusive engine supplier to the FIM Moto2™ World Championship since the start of the 2019 season. Triumph Motorcycles provides all of the teams with race-tuned 765cc triples, each of which is based on the class-leading Street Triple RS powerplant. Redefining the class and breaking record after record in the inaugural year, including the first ever +300km/h Moto2™ top speed, the 2020 season got even faster with another 11 all-time lap records and seven different winners from 15 races. Reflecting these great successes, the wonderful feedback and partnerships that Triumph have had with the riders and their teams, and the incredible response from Triumph fans across the world, Triumph and Dorna, in 2021, decided to extend our relationship and sign a new contract for another three years of racing: 2022 – 2024. The 765 Triumph Triple has so far achieved 73 race and outright lap records, enabled 21 different riders to win a Moto2™ race, with 8 different winners in 2022 alone. A 300km/h top speed has been reached at least once in each season, with the bar being moved even higher during practice at the 2023 Italian Grand Prix, when both Celestino Vietti and Darryn Binder recorded the highest ever top speed in Moto2™ of 301.6 km/h. Triumph 765cc triples have raced more than one million kms, proving the engine’s outstanding performance and reliability.
Triumph’s racing activities are further bolstered by a return to the World Superbike paddock in 2022 with a factory-supported race team, Dynavolt Triumph, in the World Supersport Championship.
In 2021 Triumph announced their forthcoming entry into the Motocross and Enduro worlds as well as a new factory racing effort, with a commitment to top tier championship racing in both Motocross and Enduro series.
In 2022 Triumph revealed their partnership with Thierry Chizat-Suzzoni, one of the sport’s most experienced and successful team owners, who will field two of Triumph’s all-new 250cc 4-stroke MX bikes in the 2024 MX2 class and will add an entry into the 450cc MXGP class in 2025, and with Team Principal Bobby Hewitt and Team Manager Stephen ‘Scuba’ Westfall to field its all-new Triumph 250cc 4-stroke MX bikes in the 2024 SuperMotocross World Championship, which is comprised of the Monster Energy Supercross World Championship, and the Pro Motocross Championship, with three season-ending SuperMotocross rounds. For the 2025 season Triumph will additionally field its new 450cc bike in the SuperMotocross World Championship.
In July 2022, Iván Cervantes secured victory in the Baja Aragón. Cervantes dominated the 450km race and crossed the finish line 1 hour and 6 minutes ahead of his rivals in the Trail category. In the scratch classification, which included professional riders with light 450cc rally motorcycles, Cervantes achieved an even more remarkable 11th position, clearly demonstrating the Tiger’s ability to compete at an elite level of competition.
In 2023 Triumph officially claimed the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for ‘The greatest distance on a motorcycle in 24 hours (individual)’. Riding a factory-specification Tiger 1200 GT Explorer on the High-Speed Ring at the Nardò Technical Center in Italy, 5x Enduro World Champion and Triumph Global Ambassador Iván Cervantes travelled more than 4012km in a 24-hour period, beating the previous record of 3406km by a huge margin of more than 600km.
In 2023, Triumph launched the Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 X: two all-new models. Designed from the ground-up with a brand-new single engine platform at their heart, these new models have been designed to deliver a fun, agile and confidence-inspiring ride for riders of all ages and experience levels. Conceived and designed in Hinckley, UK, these accessible new models represent incredible value for money and bring Triumph’s iconic style, quality and performance to a whole new generation of Triumph riders.