The Dream Team - Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
The Red Bull KTM Factory Team has been working away in the winter to have everything perfect for 2010. In what in many people’s eyes is the "dream team" the orange army will be coming to make their three year plan come true.
Stefan Everts and Pit Beirer made a deal with each other a little over three years ago to produce the FIM World Championship double with KTM riders winning both the MX1 and MX2 World titles.
The last two years they have taken the FIM World MX2 Championship in 2008 with Tyla Rattray and in 2009 with Marvin Musquin, and in 2009 they also finished with the runner-up in both the MX1 and MX2 class in Max Nagl and Rui Goncalves.
With Antonio Cairoli now working with KTM the resigning of Shaun Simpson (who was the early favorite to win the MX2 title in 2009 before injury), and also Jeffrey Herlings the Red Bull KTM Factory team have a stronger look than ever.
Stefan Everts will head to Spain with his riders at the end of this month and then the official team presentation will happen in Mantova, Italy early in February.
“We go down to my father’s training school again,” Everts said. “Of course we do our best to make it a good experience for the riders and it is also a chance to see how everyone is with their training and speed on the bike. After that we will race the Starcross in Mantova.”
KTM rider Rui Goncalves has been spending time with his family in Portugal, but yesterday started the long drive to Italy to pair up with Antonio Cairoli for some serious training and testing. Goncalves who was very unlucky in last year’s FIM World MX2 Championship has already spent time with Cairoli and can’t wait to continue the working relationship.
“We spend time together last year and we really got on well,” Goncalves said. “Obviously he is going to be fast this year, doesn’t matter which bike he rides. I was in Italy at the end of 2009 and while we didn’t ride a lot together, we did do some stuff together and he showed me some of the tracks to ride on. I feel really good with the De Carli team; they are good people and made me feel very welcome.”
With such a lineup this year KTM are going to be hard to beat. The top four riders from last year’s MX1 and MX2 Championship, plus riders like Simpson and Herlings makes this team very special and in a couple of weeks time the whole World will be able to make their own decisions – is this the dream team, can they reach the dream of Everts and Beirer and dominate a very, very competitive FIM World Motocross Championship?
The real work for all the leading Grand Prix riders will be at the Bulgarian circuit of Sevlievo on April 4, with a little luck in the pre-season and some hard work anything is possible for the orange army. Time will tell.
Photo: Marvin Musquin - Ray Archer image
Words by Geoff Meyer
