From next January, the Tavullia Team will be named Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team. PT Pertamina Lubricants alongside the Team for three seasons.

Jakarta (Indonesia), October 14th 2023 – VR46 Racing Team and PT Pertamina Lubricants together in MotoGP for three seasons. The Indonesian lubricants brand, through the motorcycle lubricant brand Pertamina Enduro, will become title partner of the Tavullia crew starting from January 1st 2024, under the name of Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team.

A strategic choice and the birth of a new synergy, between the VR46 Racing Team, the team busy in the Motorcycling World Championship owned by the nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi, and the lubricants giant PT Pertamina Lubricants to give new impetus to two realities already established in Motorsport and thus becoming a true point of reference also in performance and technologies.

Common vision, shared values and great ambitions for the newborn Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team: a team animated by an immense passion for engines and two wheels, capable of combining the two biggest fan bases of the MotoGP circus in cheering and thus involving hundreds of thousands of fans from all over the world.

From the 2024 MotoGP season the Pertamina Enduro logo will be present on the Ducati Desmosedici GP bikes entrusted to Marco Bezzecchi and Luca Marini, the riders suits, helmets, technical spaces, as well as in all images, assets, materials and communications of the VR46 Racing Team.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler has won the 2023 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship! Claiming a dominant victory at the Hixpania Hard Enduro in Spain, the KTM 300 EXC racer secured back-to-back world championship titles with one round to spare.

Unbeaten throughout the 2023 FIM Hard Enduro season so far, Mani made it five wins in a row with his victory at Hixpania to secure his second consecutive FIM Hard Enduro title. It’s been an incredible year for Mani – starting with a win at the Xross Hard Enduro in Serbia, the 25-year old went on to dominate at Red Bull Erzbergrodeo, Red Bull Romaniacs, and Red Bull Outliers.

With the event’s opening prologue at Hixpania running as a non-point paying show race only due to safety reasons, qualifying was then carried over to Saturday’s Campoo X-Treme race – a 40-kilometer cross-country that circled the town’s reservoir. Mani got off to a great start to take an early lead, but was caught and passed by closest championship rival, Billy Bolt. Ultimately settling for third place, Lettenbichler secured one championship point and a strong start position for Sunday’s Hixpania Hard Enduro ‘Lost Roads’ main race.

Starting in a cave, Sunday’s main race promised to be even tougher than expected due do the recent rain and fog. Lettenbichler emerged in second place and immediately set about chasing down the early leader. As the course led the riders into the hills, Mani moved to the front and didn’t look back. From there, the KTM 300 EXC rider delivered a masterclass in hard enduro riding, steadily increasing his advantage over the rest of the field and commanding the race from the front.Battling his way up the final climb towards the checkered flag, Mani secured the Hixpania Hard Enduro win and with it, the 2023 FIM Hard Enduro crown.With the title decided, Lettenbichler has one final round of the series to face – GetzenRodeo in early November. You can be sure the young German will be aiming to complete his perfect season with victory on home soil.

Manuel Lettenbichler: “Here I am now, fifth race win in a row for this season and world champion. I had to push so hard today. I got a good start and was able to pass Billy almost straight away and from there I just focused and kept up a good rhythm. Honestly, the day could not have gone any better for me, the race was awesome. What can I say? I’m just speechless.”

FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Trystan Hart put in an outstanding ride on Sunday’s main race to secure fifth place. A small mistake on Saturday’s Campoo X-Treme, resulted in the Canadian being awarded a penalty, which dropped him down to 20th in qualifying. Despite starting over two minutes behind the front runners, Trystan mastered the rocky terrain and hillclimbs to fight his way through the field and ultimately secure a top-five result. With just the final round remaining in the 2023 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, Hart lies third overall and will be giving his all as always at GetzenRodeo next month.

Trystan Hart: “Yeah, I started two and a half minutes back due to my penalty, and on this track, I had to fight through a lot of traffic. I was able to catch up to fifth and sixth on the second lap, so that was really good. But then I had a big crash trying to make a move and ended up bending my bars and breaking my starter button, so that knocked me back. I kept on pushing though and at the end, second to fifth were all in the final quarry together, so it was really, really close. Not quite the result I wanted but I’m super happy with my performance today.”

A steaming climate on the island of Lombok clinged to the Mandalika Street Circuit as Brad Binder and Jack Miller made it through 27 grueling laps for round fifteen of twenty in 2023 MotoGP and classified with 6th and 7th positions. The Indonesian Grand Prix was played out in front of a 73,000 crowd on Sunday and as the first of six events in the next seven weeks. Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Pedro Acosta succeeded in Moto2.

• Brad Binder negotiates the full Grand Prix distance in Indonesia and his competitive run to 6th after two Long Lap penalties makes up for the blameless crash during the Saturday Sprint
• Jack Miller improves his race starting prowess after the Saturday Sprint and pushes all the way to 7th only a few days before he enters a bright spotlight for his home Grand Prix
• Rounds sixteen and seventeen will take MotoGP to the flow of Phillip Island and the heavy braking and acceleration demands of the Chang International Circuit across the next two weekends
• Pedro Acosta wins for the seventh time to increase his Moto2 world championship margin to a 65-point advantage – almost three GPs - and with just five rounds to go

Mandalika shimmered and glistened in the October heat for the latest pulsating episode of 2023 MotoGP and with Red Bull KTM gritting their teeth for more rewards from the Indonesia Grand Prix in the wake of disappointment on Saturday. Brad Binder and Jack Miller started from 5th and 10th on the grid respectively and both had designs of improvement on the 9th position posted by Miller during the Sprint 24-hours earlier.

The relatively new track was hosting MotoGP for just the second time and - aside from the excessive heat - the dirty state of the asphalt away from the main racing line presented the biggest obstacle or risk for brave overtaking moves. On Sunday the track temperature reached a frying 57 degrees.

Binder started rapidly but contact with another rider on the second lap while jostling for 3rd meant that the South African had to take a Long Lap penalty and dropped from 5th to 10th. He responded through the rest of the race to fight back but another touch meant he had to swallow the sanction again and ended a dramatic day with 6th. Miller was impressively competitive in the mid-top ten and remained solid to collect 7th at the flag.

Brad remains rooted in 4th spot in the championship standings. He has a 72 point deficit to the top three but holds a margin of 34 over the 5th place runner. Miller is 9th while Red Bull KTM Factory Racing are inside the top four of eleven for the Teams competition. KTM retain 2nd position in the Constructors table. The fantastically technical, fast and flowing Phillip Island circuit is up next for the paddock and far cooler climes south of Melbourne for MotoGP’s next adventure.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Matthias Walkner has finished as third fastest on the opening stage of the 2023 Rallye du Maroc. Teammate Toby Price brought his KTM 450 RALLY home just over two minutes behind Walkner in fifth.

Stage one, the longest of this year’s event at 710 kilometers, proved to be a challenging one for all competitors. A long liaison from Agadir brought riders to the start of the 314-kilometer timed special that consisted of a mixture of rocky tracks, dunes, and technical sandy pistes leading to the finish at Zagora. With hot conditions and a long day in the saddle, it was an exhausting day of rally-raid.Riding well and delivering a strong pace from start to finish, Matthias Walkner set off as the 10th rider into the special and soon moved himself into the top five on time. Staying consistent throughout, the Austrian was able to maintain his pace to the finish line, where he posted the third-quickest stage result. With bonus time awarded on tomorrow’s stage two for the first three riders opening the special, Walkner is well-placed to defend his third place in the provisional standings and hunt down the riders ahead of him.

Matthias Walkner: “Honestly, that was a really tough day today. I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t raced for a while, but I felt that today. We were up early, then straight into a long road section. The special itself was like we’re used to here in Morocco with a mixture of terrain, but the first part was especially tough with lots of stone-covered tracks. I had a good day on the bike, I think I was riding well and was able to stick to a good pace over all the different types of ground. I’m in a good position now to attack the rest of the race too. This has only been the first day, so I’m sure there will be more tough stages to come. I’ll take it day-by-day and see where I am at the finish.”

Fourth quickest on the rally’s opening prologue, Toby Price chose to start seventh into today’s timed special. The two-time Dakar Champion moved up to fifth in the rankings by kilometer 43 and was able to maintain that position to the flag. Price lies in fourth place overall, and will enjoy a strong start position for Sunday’s 396-kilometer stage two.

Toby Price: “Yeah, not a bad day for me today. We started off with a long liaison first and then it was into the special. It was really rough and rocky to begin with and the navigation wasn’t too bad. But after the refueling things got a little tougher with a small section of dunes and then some riverbeds that meant you really had to stay focused to stay on the right track. All in all, I had a good day. There’s still a long way to go and I’m in a good position overall, so we’ll see what the rest of the rally brings.”

The start of the second ever Grand Prix at the modern Mandalika Street Circuit saw high competitiveness for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. Brad Binder had qualified 5th and was eying a podium finish in the Sprint until he was knocked out of the running in lap two and remounted for 19th. Jack Miller scored 9th and from a grid slot of 10th.

• Red Bull KTM Factory Racing return to Indonesia and to the impressive Mandalika setup on the Island of Lombok where they triumphed in a wet inaugural Grand Prix in 2022
• Brad Binder keeps at the top of the time screens on Friday for Q2 entry, qualifies on the second row and then uses his KTM RC16 to run with the leaders until the unfortunate race incident
• Jack Miller also makes it directly through to Q2, finds the 10th quickest lap and rides to 9th in the very first Indonesian Sprint
• Moto3™ second row for Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Deniz Öncü on the KTM RC4. Pedro Acosta rides to 4th place on the grid after a very tight Moto2™ Q2 session

Indonesian fans received their first dose of MotoGP Sprint action for what was just the second Grand Prix to take place around the Mandalika Street Circuit. Compared to the ‘monsoon’ conditions encountered in Lombok for the race action eighteen months previously, MotoGP sweated and slid through the 13 laps of the Sprint dash on Saturday afternoon and with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing as briefly one of the main protagonists.

On Friday Brad Binder and Jack Miller roamed the top of the time sheets. Binder was performing at the circuit where he qualified 4th in 2022 and scene of his personal best MotoGP Saturday until that point. Miller, racing one week before his home Grand Prix at Phillip Island, was also fast and the pair made Q2 directly. Qualifying saw Binder surge ahead for a second row slot and Miller was not far behind at the tip of the fourth row.

The Sprint took place a few hours later and in full glare of the Indonesia sunshine. Binder was running in the top five until he was crashed into by Aleix Espargaro. The South African was able to restart but was at the back of the field and reached the line in 19th. Miller fought for track space around the top five until a small misjudgment into Turn 1 meant he had to repeat the job. He eventually came home 9th.

The MotoGP Grand Prix will start at 09.00 CEST on Sunday.

After a week’s break, the Repsol Honda Team are back with Marc Marquez and Joan Mir heading east again for Round 15 and the start of the penultimate triple-header of 2023.

The most intense period in MotoGP World Championship history begins this weekend in Mandalika, Indonesia as the Repsol Honda Team prepare to contest six races in six countries across just seven weeks. For the second time, the Mandalika International Circuit will host the Indonesian Grand Prix after its exciting debut on the calendar in 2022.

Having achieved a romantic podium at Honda’s home round in Japan, Marc Marquez arrives in Indonesia aiming to keep fighting at the front. A bruising weekend in 2022 meant the eight-time World Champion was forced to withdraw ahead of his first Indonesian GP, but Marquez is eager to make amends and race in front of the Indonesian fans this year. With steady improvements in each of the previous races, the #93 and the Repsol Honda Team remain firmly focused on carrying this moment on into Indonesia and the end of the year.

Joan Mir returns to action after the short break after two confidence building weekends in India and Japan, his feeling with the Honda RC213V constantly improving. Battling to sixth in a soaking wet Indonesian GP in 2022, Mir has shown speed around the 4.3km of Mandalika in the past and is hopefully he will recapture it once again on the Honda.

The Indonesian Grand Prix in Mandalika is the first of two triple headers which will finish out the 2023 season. Saturday, October 14, will see Indonesia host its first Sprint Race which will run across 13 laps. On Sunday, the MotoGP field will contest the main event – 27 laps around the Mandalika track and the fourth Grand Prix to be held in Indonesia since 1996.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Maxime Renaux thrilled the home crowd with a spectacular victory in the Open class at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in Ernee, France. Renaux, along with his French teammates Romain Febvre and Tom Vialle, conquered the pressure of the boisterous home crowd, to reclaim the Chamberlain Cup for the first time since 2018.

The 76th edition of ‘MXoN’ in France was one for the memory bank. In front of 102,000 passionate racing fans, Renaux powered his YZ450FM to an impressive 1-3 score card, to end his 2023 season on the top step of the podium.

At the same time, Yamaha enjoyed added podium presence with Dean Ferris contributing to Team Australia’s silver medal efforts, while Hutten Metaal Yamaha Official EMX250’s Andrea Bonacorsi helped Team Italy to third.

Bonacorsi, who had received a last-minute invitation to race a 450cc for the Italian team, and having committed the entire year to the EMX250 Championship, delivered an awe-inspiring performance aboard a YZ450F for third overall in the Open class classifcation, while Ferris contributed to the Austalian teams success by rounding out the top-five.

In the MXGP class classification, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Jeremy Seewer, representing Team Switzerland, finished fifth overall, while Team Belgium’s Jago Geerts lined up for the first time on the all-new YZ450FM and finished eighth.

The rider of the Mooney VR46 Racing Team underwent surgery this morning to reduce the fracture suffered yesterday in training. 

Tavullia (Italy), October 8th 2023 - Successful surgery for Marco Bezzecchi this morning to reduce the fracture in his right collarbone. The rider of the Mooney VR46 Racing Team crashed yesterday in the usual training session at the Motor Ranch in Tavullia.

Marco reached the Orthopedics and Traumatology Unit at UNIMORE where the Team coordinated by Professor Porcellini performed the operation to reduce the lesion. The operation was successful. Marco will begin the rehabilitation process immediately: his return on track will be evaluated in the next 48 hours.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia has secured the 2023 FIM Enduro1 World Championship. Battling through the scorching conditions on day one of the final round of this year’s series in Portugal, Garcia topped the overall standings to clinch the E1 title with one day to spare.

Following his double win at round six of the FIM EnduroGP World Championship just one week ago, Josep came into the final round of the 2023 series fit, on form, and hungry to claim maximum points in both Enduro1 and EnduroGP classes.

Enjoying a 32-point lead in the E1 category coming into round seven, an eighth-place result or better would have secured Josep the title on day one in Santiago do Cacem. Never one to take things easy, the young Spaniard gave his all as usual and not only topped the class, but also the overall EnduroGP standings.

In taking the 2023 Enduro1 title, Garcia secured his third career world championship, all achieved aboard KTM machinery. This new title complements his Enduro2 victories from 2017 and 2021. It's been a stellar season for Josep, with an impressive nine E1 victories from the 12 days raced so far. With one day of competition remaining in the 2023 season, the EnduroGP championship is still to be decided. And although Josep is unable to earn enough points to claim the title, a strong performance on tomorrow’s day two in Portugal could see him finish as runner-up in the class. 

Josep Garcia: “It’s amazing to have this winning feeling back after such a tough year. Despite my crash in Sweden, I never gave up and kept on pushing myself as I knew I had the pace to do it. Slovakia was tough, but after that we had a long break where I was able to refocus and work on my speed and fitness again. After the summer break, I won both days of round six and now the overall here on day one at round seven. It’s great to win the E1 title with one day left, but I’ll still give it my all tomorrow and hopefully move higher in the overall EnduroGP standings. I have to say a huge thank you to the whole Red Bull KTM Factory Racing family for all their help and support, and for believing in me all season. It’s great to be able to pay them back with this result.”

The 2023 FIM EnduroGP World Championship concludes with day two of the GP of Portugal, tomorrow, October 8.

Glory belonged to Tom Vialle and Andrea Adamo as Team France and Team Italy classified 1st and 3rd at the 76th Motocross of Nations. The steep valley setting of Ernee in northern France basked in hot sunshine and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing officially closed the 2023 motocross season in front of a momentous crowd at the biggest international off-road motorcycle event of the year. Vialle rode to 1st overall in the MX2 class while Adamo was 4th with their KTM 250 SX-Fs. Liam Everts was an excellent 2nd overall in the MX Open category with the KTM 350 SX-F as Belgium classified 5th.

• The annual Motocross of Nations reaches edition #76 and visits the atmospheric Ernee circuit after previous incarnations in 2005 and 2015 at the hard-packed, narrow and windy French track
• The unique team race in motorsports is watched by a capacity 100,000 attendance (weekend figure) and warm, sunny autumn weather for both days of action as 37 different countries fill the entry list
• Vialle shines for winners France with 2-8 against the bigger bikes and Adamo take 4-18 for Italy as both riders walk the MXoN podium for the first time. Liam Everts is Belgium’s best rider with 3-10
• Red Bull KTM Factory Racing were also represented by Aaron Plessinger for Team USA as the KTM 450 SX-F, KTM 350 SX-F and KTM 250 SX-F all shred French terrain
• The 77th ‘MXoN’ will take place at the expansive Matterley Basin circuit in the UK for 2024; the third time that the Grand Prix staple will welcome the event

Located a short distance west of Le Mans, Ernee has created its own motorsport folklore and a special place in the hearts of off-road motorcycle racing fans. The venue has been a semi-regular host of the French round of MXGP for decades but also staged rapturously received Motocross of Nations events in 2005 and 2015. Once more the crowds, colors and craziness descended on the circuit outside of the quaint and historic town to watch the best three riders selected from each country compete on a single day for the Peter Chamberlain trophy.

Team USA were reigning champions and counted Red Bull KTM ace Aaron Plessinger among their triple for the charismatic racer’s second appearance for his country. ‘AP’ struggled for set-up and feeling around the track on his first visit outside of North America. He rode to 5-18 as the Americans classified 8th.

Double MX2 World Champion Tom Vialle returned to European dirt after a debut season in AMA competition in 2023. Vialle wore the livery of the home nation and was passionately cheered on every lap of a bright and sunny raceday on Sunday. Vialle, whose last meeting in Europe was his memorable 2022 title win at the Grand Prix of Turkey, was fast and motivated and the best MX2 racer on the day as he lined-up against 450s in both outings. Tom’s 2nd place in the second moto saw him just 0.8 of a second from Team France teammate Maxime Renaux. Tom conquered the MX2 class in just his second career run for his flag.

The successor to Vialle’s 2022 MX2 world championship was Andrea Adamo and the Red Bull KTM man was in the spotlight for Team Italy. A crash in the first moto meant Andrea’s 18th was the ‘joker’ result that squad dropped but his excellent 4th place in the second race was the highest of the day for the Italian. He was the 4th best MX2 rider in Ernee.

Making his third appearance for Team Belgium, despite his tender 19 years, was Liam Everts who entered the MX Open category and elected to steer the KTM 350 SX-F. Liam was the best for his country thanks to a 3-10 and a very decent runner-up ranking in MX Open. The Belgians were 5th in the final standings, tying on points with Switzerland but earning the top five thanks to their superior scores.