2025 EMX125 European Championship protagonist and promising teenage motocross prospect Aron Katona has extended his contract status with KTM Factory Racing. He will continue the following phases of his career in orange thanks to a long-term agreement.

The Hungarian was a top ten runner in the European series in 2024 with KTM 125 SX power. From the framework of the Racestore KTM Factory Rookies team in 2025, the 14-year-old (15 in August) has progressed with his speed and fitness to grasp his first podiums, moto checkered flags and overall victories. He rose to the top of the popular feeder series that filters to EMX250 and then to the FIM Motocross World Championship.

The KTM MXGP Academy star celebrated his maiden race win at St Jean d’Angely in France for the European Grand Prix, round two of twelve in EMX125, and followed the milestone with a double moto success and his first ‘overall’ at the Grand Prix of Sardinia. Aron also ruled the recent fifth fixture at the Swiss GP until a knee injury proved to be disruptive, and he is now on the recovery trail.

Katona, who impressed with his smooth and efficient riding style while benefiting from excellent backing from a supportive family, has inked a fresh deal to stay as part of the KTM Factory Racing structure and to maintain his trajectory up the professional motocross pyramid.

Aron Katona: “I’m really happy for this contract because I am coming closer to my dream with every step. It is unbelievable to be part of the KTM family like this. Thank you very much to everybody who has made it possible.”

Robert Jonas, KTM Vice President Offroad Racing: “Aron has been a great discovery, a real rough diamond. What impressed us was his advanced technique and riding: it stood out for a 14-year-old. We then got to know more about his attitude and his ambition, and these aspects match his talent. Together with our experience, our KTM SX and KTM SX-F machinery and our team structures we feel we have a powerful combination. Aron will bring us a lot of joy in the future.”

Lecuona and Vierge explore new WorldSBK circuit Balaton during a brief test session aboard a stock CBR1000RR-R Fireblade

The Balaton Park Circuit in Hungary will host a World Superbike round for the first time over the weekend of 25-27 July. In preparation for that eighth championship round, the Honda HRC team and factory riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge completed a half-day riding session at the track, alongside several other SBK teams.

Accompanied by Team Manager José Escamez and supported by two Team LCR technicians, Lecuona and Vierge rode a standard CBR1000RR-R on a sunny day, with temperatures in excess of 30°C. They completed 20 and 26 laps respectively, gaining some initial insights into this new track, which only opened in May 2023. It was the first opportunity for both riders to experience the 4.075 km layout.

“Balaton Park has done an amazing job – the facilities are very nice,” commented Escamez. “That said, it’s a challenging layout, and from a safety perspective, there may still be some improvements to be made. The riders completed a few runs on the stock bikes to get familiar with the layout. We’re very grateful to Team LCR for their support with this test.”

Xavi Vierge tried to make the most of the outing: “The track could be better, but at least today we managed to make some laps. Riding a bike is always a good plan, so I learned a new circuit while enjoying riding the street version of the CBR. Also, I did a bit of moto training, which was useful as I continue my recovery ahead of Donington”.

Iker Lecuona, who also took to the track for some initial laps, added: “Within two weeks I’ve ridden three different version of the CBR – my race bike, the Suzuka 8 Hour version and now the street version. It’s been fun! Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the Balaton track, I simply don’t like it!”

MT. MORRIS, Pa. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Tom Vialle charged to a hard-fought podium finish in Round 4 of the 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship at the High Point National, as 450MX teammate Aaron Plessinger impressed once again with an opening moto podium and fourth-place result overall.

Two-time MX2 World Champion and current 250SX East title-holder Vialle posted a strong performance at the fourth round of the season in Pennsylvania, powering his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to fourth position in the opening moto of the weekend.

An elevated P2 performance in Moto 2 was enough for the Frenchman to claim second overall – marking his second podium in the opening for rounds – and he maintains fifth in the 250MX standings in these early stages of the series.

Tom Vialle: "My last two results haven't been where I wanted them to be, so coming in here the plan was for sure to be on the box, and we accomplished that. Looking forward after the weekend off, I feel comfortable at Southwick, and we've done a lot of work these last couple of weeks, so I am looking at turning things around and hopefully getting another good result."

250MX teammate Julien Beaumer began his weekend with P8 in qualifying, before two difficult motos with 15-40 scores onboard his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION leaves the number 23 with his sights set on Southwick after the break. He is currently ninth in points following Mt. Morris.

Plessinger's High Point National began with him setting the sixth-fastest time in 450MX qualifying, before taking his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to the lead during the early stages of Moto 1. 'The Cowboy' would go on to finish third in another positive outing.

A strong start in Moto 2 saw Plessinger again in the mix with the front-runners, however, the skies would open up and cause chaos for the field, with the number 7 entering the pits for fresh goggles. With the race red-flagged soon after, a P4 finish also earned him fourth overall, and he sits third in the 450MX championship.

Aaron Plessinger: “High Point was a good day. First moto, I got a good start, then Jett [Lawrence] stalled it and I led for a little bit, but I got a bit tight for a while there and I finished P3 in that one. Second moto, I didn't know it was going to rain and I picked the wrong goggles. [My] tear-offs were gone, had to pull in, and then pretty much straight after that, we got red-flagged. Overall, still P4, so I can't be too mad! We'll have a weekend off and get ready for Southwick." 

Honda HRC rider Lecuona secured a valuable ninth place in the Superpole race and a strong sixth place in Race 2 at Misano, while a not yet fully fit Vierge battled hard to finish inside the top ten in both of Sunday’s races – an impressive achievement, considering he had surgery to remedy four fractures to his right foot just over three weeks ago.

The sixth round of the Superbike World Championship has concluded today at Italy’s Misano World Circuit, bringing more important championship points for the Honda HRC team and riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge.

After a constructive early morning warmup, the factory duo prepared for the 10-lap Superpole race, which ran at 11am local time (CET). Vierge and Lecuona both made a strong start, moving straight up into tenth and eleventh place. Xavi was able to maintain strong pace, battling with Gerloff for ninth in the initial stages. Vierge and teammate Lecuona exchanged places mid-race, with the latter gaining a position and the former slipping back one place. In a group of three riders, Xavi was able to work his way back to tenth, a position he held to the line, with teammate Iker finishing just 0.1 of a second ahead, in ninth place.

Lecuona’s ninth-place finish in the Superpole race meant that he lined up for the weekend’s final race on row three of the grid, in ninth position. The track temperature had risen to 48°C by the start of this second race, the extreme conditions posing an additional challenge for the SBK riders. While Lecuona held tenth through the opening corners, Vierge got away very well from sixteenth and was straight up into eleventh, just behind his teammate. Both riders were able to pass Gardner in the early stages, with Iker soon able to close in on, and overtake Rea for eighth place. Setting his sights on the two Lowes brothers immediately ahead of him, Lecuona progressed to seventh on lap thirteen. Meanwhile, a gritty Vierge began to feel the physical toll of the demanding weekend, but continued to dig deep during the central phase of the race to climb to eighth. Iker was able to gain another position in the final stages, passing Sam Lowes to confirm a very positive sixth place finish, with Xavi gritting his teeth to join his teammate inside the top ten, ninth across the line today.

Mid-way through the 2025 season, Lecuona lies eighth in the general standings, with 84 points, while Vierge lies ninth with 83 points. While Vierge now will take a well-deserved rest and continue his recovery at home, Lecuona will fly to Japan to take part in an official Suzuka 8 Hours testing session, scheduled for June 18–19.

The Honda HRC team will be back on track at the Donington Park circuit in the UK over the weekend of 11-13 July for round seven of the WorldSBK championship.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler has won the Silver Kings Hard Enduro at round two of the 2025 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship. Delivering consistent top three finishes across the prologue and both offroad days, Mani secured the overall victory in Idaho, extending his championship lead to 18 points. FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Trystan Hart impressed with a standout performance of his own, finishing a close second after an exciting battle with Lettenbichler throughout the weekend.

Staged over three intense days, including a SuperEnduro-style prologue and two demanding offroad races on Silver Mountain, Idaho, the event proved a true test of skill and endurance.

Getting the weekend underway in spectacular fashion, Thursday’s prologue delivered tight, technical racing in front of a packed crowd. Trystan Hart impressed with a commanding ride to secure the win, with Mani slotting into third. Both KTM riders laid a solid foundation for the weekend with favorable start positions heading into the main offroad days.

Saturday’s first offroad day saw a fierce battle between the KTM duo. Lettenbichler took an early lead and kept his composure through the technical Milo Creek section, while Hart and the chasing pack struggled in the chaos behind. Closing the gap in the second half of the race, Trystan tailed Mani before launching a decisive charge in the final five minutes to take the win on the last hill climb. Hart claimed the day’s victory, with Mani crossing the line in second.

With everything to play for on Sunday, the fight for the overall win went down to the wire. Racing his KTM 300 EXC CHAMPION EDITION, Lettenbichler dug deep and delivered when it mattered most, taking the main race win with a narrow 20-second advantage over Hart. Mani’s consistent 3-2-1 results were enough to secure him the overall Silver Kings crown, with Trystan finishing as runner-up.

Continuing his strong run of form following his win at round one’s Valleys Hard Enduro, Mani’s victory in the USA extends his championship lead to 18 points, with five rounds left to race.

Next up for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing is the legendary Red Bull Romaniacs on July 22-26, where Mani Lettenbichler will be aiming to secure his sixth victory at the iconic event. The FIM Hard Enduro World Championship then resumes with round three at Abestone in Italy on September 6-7.

Manuel Lettenbichler: “It’s been a really good race! I felt good on the bike from the first day and it showed in my results. The mountain race was awesome, and I enjoyed it a lot, especially battling with Trystan [Hart] and Mitch [Brightmore]. The main race was gnarly and the battle between me and Trystan was super fun, we must have passed each other 20-25 times! I’m happy to take the overall win and hope to come back here again!”

Seventh place for Joan Mir after an Aragon GP full of battles and challenges, fending off all competitors to take his best Sunday result since 2023 and deliver crucial points for Honda HRC Castrol.

From Saturday frustrations to Sunday elations, Joan Mir put any doubts to bed with an aggressive ride through the field from 11th place. The target was clear for the 2020 World Champion as the lights went out, Mir immediately thrusting himself into the battle for the top ten. Duking it out with Miller early on, Mir quickly dispatched the Australian and set his sights further ahead. Quartararo on his tail, Mir rapidly closed in on Di Giannantonio and Viñales and spent the middle stage of the race passing and then holding them off.

Waiting for the perfect moment, Mir broke away from his competitors to open up a gap of over a second as he crossed the line in seventh place. This marks his best result on the Honda RC213V since the 2023 Indian GP when he was fifth, and his best result of the 2025 MotoGP World Championship season.

It’s straight back to work as Mir and Honda HRC Castrol will remain in Aragon for the second in-season test of 2025.

The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team finishes the Sunday race at MotorLand with Franco Morbidelli in fifth place and Fabio Di Giannantonio in ninth. 

At MotorLand, it was a Sunday packed with great battles for the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team riders, in the Aragon GP they proved to be combative and the showed again a great potential: at the chequered flag, Franco Morbidelli was fifth, while Fabio Di Giannantonio ended in ninth place.

The #21 rider started from the front row, and he tried to defend his third position right from the start. He stayed in the fight with the top guys keeping a great pace and making fast laps. Franco was a great contender in intense battles until the finish line, where he arrived in fifth place. With today’s Top5, Morbidelli keeps sitting in fourth in the World Standings with 115 points. 

Di Giannantonio made steps forward, he started from the tenth place on the grid, and he tried to replicate his Sprint come back. Fabio was a great contender too in Sunday race, with strong overtakes and battles full of adrenaline, so he was ninth at the chequered flag. The #49 rider gains a position in the World Standings and he’s back in fifth place with 99 points.

The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team stays in MotorLand Aragon for a test day scheduled on Monday. Then, it’s time to go to Mugello, where the Italian Gran Prix will take place from 20th to 22nd of June.

Pedro Acosta scorched to a P4 finish at a steaming MotorLand Aragon today for the eighth round of 2025 MotoGP. The Spaniard blazed around the slick asphalt in eastern Spain for the Grand Prix of Aragon and for his second top five result of the season. The event was also notable for Alvaro Carpe claiming 3rd in the Moto3™ outing and Deniz Öncü’s amazing Moto2 success.

Some progress, performance and points: the Grand Prix of Aragon was another beneficial episode for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech3 teams as the squads build their competitiveness to suit different circuits and different conditions. The race lasted for 23-laps, took place in hot summer temperatures and in front of 50,062 spectators around the 5km greasy track.

The South African made a better getaway from P6 for the Grand Prix and Pedro Acosta (P5) was also in the mix at the front. Maverick Viñales (P8) had to rally back from 12^th on the first lap and Enea Bastianini had to recover ground starting from P17. The long distance was an exercise in grip management and tire preservation. Acosta and Binder hovered in the top five and with a close view of 2nd and 3rd until Brad crashed on lap 12. Pedro continued and went on to equal his season-best classification, achieved at Le Mans. Bastianini managed points with 12th.

Viñales had to chart a steady path back from 12th on the first lap. The Spaniard made some calculated passes and used his positive feeling to cut through to 8th but then spiraled out of the turning/braking phase into Turn 15 in the closing laps. He was able to recover the bike and ended the day 18th.

All four riders and the two teams will circulate MotorLand again on Monday for the second official one-day test of the season. MotoGP will next attack the Grand Prix of Italy in two weeks’ time. The date at Mugello will open a busy spell of four rounds in five weeks with trips to the Netherlands, Germany and Czech Republic to follow.

Pedro Acosta, 4th and 8th in the championship standings: “Taking the hard front tire was the right choice. I’m a guy that needs the front tire to go faster and yesterday it was a handicap. Today it was fantastic. We didn’t have the speed for the top three; it was a battle we would have lost but I really enjoyed the first five laps. We were losing a bit into the entry of the corners – we need traction and turning - but this was the race where we had a smaller gap to the winner. This is a positive.”

Heavy rainfall overnight drenched the Kegums track in Latvia, giving the riders another muddy circuit to start the day with, but as the circuit dried, Honda HRC’s Ruben Fernandez showed his speed in the sand to finish just two points off the podium.

Given the nature of the track, starts were once again a crucial factor for all the riders and Fernandez utilised his fourth gate pick to great effect. The Honda CRF450R rider rounded the turn around the top five in both races, which made his life a lot easier for the rest of the moto. In the first race, he was able to move through from sixth to fourth as he showed real grit and determination to maximise his points after a tough week of recovery.

Race two started off in a similar fashion with the #70 in fifth place as they crossed the line for the first time. He then moved into fourth after making a nice pass early on but around the mid-point of the moto, he was trying his best to hold on and eventually had to let a couple of riders through to finish in sixth place with 33 points. That gave him fifth overall, which was an excellent haul considering there were doubts he’d be fit enough to ride in the immediate aftermath of his crash in Germany last weekend.

Valerio Lata’s day in the MX2 class didn’t go very well, as technical issues early on in each of the motos meant he had to pull off the racetrack. After the highs of Teutschenthal, it was a real shame for the young Italian to miss out here, but he’s keeping a positive frame of mind and excited to try again in two weeks’ time, when they head to the UK for the magnificent challenge of Matterley Basin.

Unfortunately, Ferruccio Zanchi has received disappointing news from medical professionals following his recent crash in Germany. The young Italian rider has sustained a knee injury and, as a result, will be sidelined from competition for the foreseeable future.

Further medical evaluations are scheduled in one month to monitor his recovery and determine the appropriate next steps. For now, doctors have advised complete rest and avoidance of any physical activity.

This development is a significant setback for the Honda CRF250R rider, who had shown promising form earlier in the season with a moto victory and podium in Cozar, Spain. However, Zanchi will receive the highest standard of medical care as he focuses on recovery and a potential return to racing.

LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Aaron Plessinger raced to a hard-fought third-place finish in Round 3 of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship at the Thunder Valley National, earning his second-consecutive 450MX podium result.

Colorado began with Plessinger posting the second fastest qualifying time, before powering his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to the front group of Moto 1 out of the gates. After briefly making a late pass for the race lead, ‘The Cowboy’ would reach the checkered flag with a convincing P2 result.

Another strong start in Moto 2 saw Plessinger in the mix with the front-runners once again, navigating ultra-technical track conditions to claim fifth position, and third overall for the weekend. He's also currently positioned third in the 450MX standings.

Aaron Plessinger: “That first moto was a lot of fun and I was really amped! I didn’t feel fatigued after that one, and then I made a small bike change going into the second moto, which I should have just left alone. That was on me, and I struggled that second moto, but it was just a good day. I had some really good lines in the first one, but being in the battle and making passes on those guys is all I can really ask for. Back to work this week – we’ll come back next weekend looking for that elusive win.”

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle posted a consistent performance at the third round of 250MX competition, racing his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to sixth position in the opening moto. A P5 ride in Moto 2 on a deteriorating track was enough for fourth overall, and an important haul of championship points.