Toni Bou leads the standings after two consecutive victories. Gabriel Marcelli is fourth with 24 points.

This Sunday, the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona hosts the 47th edition of one of the most emblematic events on the X-Trial World Championship calendar. The Repsol Honda HRC riders arrive at the fourth round of the season ready to put on a show for the fans. Currently, Toni Bou heads the standings with 35 points, while teammate Gabriel Marcelli occupies fourth position.

It will be a very special weekend for Bou, who will be riding at his home event. The Montesa Cota 4RT rider has 17 wins in indoor competition in Barcelona, winning ever edition since 2020 along the way, and he will aim to continue this run of results -as well as the streak of two victories in the two most recent rounds this season.

Marcelli wants to improve the results he took at the last race held in Clermont-Ferrand, where he was fifth. Since his first participation in the Palau Sant Jordi in 2020, the Galician rider has achieved very good results in the Barcelona event with three podiums. He is still looking for his first victory in the indoor series.

Yamaha Motor Europe has presented its rider line-up for the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship as anticipation builds for the season opener at the iconic Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Australia next month. 

An unchanged rider line-up for both the fresh look Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team and GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team again sees four world champions set to take on the 2025 campaign aboard the Yamaha R1. 

2025 marks the tenth year of collaboration between Pata Snack, Yamaha Motor Europe and the Crescent Yamaha team on the WorldSBK project, which has seen a multitude of success over the past decade including victory in the 2021 rider, team and manufacturer championships. 

Six-time world champion Jonathan Rea returns for a second season with the official Yamaha team. with a year of learning under his belt with the R1 and the wider team, 37-year-old Rea is determined to make a step forward in 2025, looking to return to the sharp end and add to a sterling record that has already secured his place in the record books as the most successful rider in WorldSBK history. 

The Northern Irishman is once again joined in the team by 2020 Supersport world champion Andrea Locatelli, who will be looking to consolidate progress made in 2024 to search for further podium success. The 28-year-old secured five podium finishes in 2024, including coming tantalisingly close to a maiden WorldSBK victory in the season opener at Phillip Island. 

Lining up with GYTR GRT Yamaha for the third consecutive year, Remy Gardner and Dominique Aegerter are fired up and raring to go as the new campaign gets underway. Gardner, who won the Moto2 World Championship in 2021, achieved his maiden WorldSBK podium in 2024 and will be looking to fight for rostrums more consistently in 2025. After a 2024 season blighted by illness and injury, two-times Supersport World Champion Aegerter will be keen to return to the form that saw him fighting regularly in the top six in 2023. 

Ahead of the final European test in Portimão, the covers have come off the R1 machines Rea, Locatelli, Gardner and Aegerter will campaign in 2025. 

Pata Snack returns as the title sponsor of Yamaha’s official WorldSBK squad for a tenth consecutive season, with their distinctive logo not only featuring prominently on the bikes of the official team, but also the R1s campaigned by the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team.
Pata’s valued partnership with Yamaha extends throughout the classes with the Italian snack manufacturer also the title sponsor of the Pata Yamaha Ten Kate WorldSSP Supported Team.
Harris MAXUS, a brand of the leading commercial vehicle distribution company in the UK and Ireland, the Harris Group, joins the Official Yamaha WorldSBK Team as co-title partner for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. 

Elsewhere on the grid, a fifth world champion joins Yamaha’s ranks in WorldSBK for 2025 as the Yamaha MotoXRacing Team expand to a two-rider effort for the upcoming season, fielding 2014 Moto2 World Champion Esteve ‘Tito’ Rabat alongside Turkish young gun and former Yamaha BLU CRU Rider, Bahattin Sofuoğlu, who is set to make his WorldSBK debut in the coming season. 

Pata Maxus Yamaha are joined on track at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve by GYTR GRT Yamaha and Yamaha MotoxRacing for a final European pre-season test (27-29 January) before flying to Australia next month. Once ‘down under’, teams will undergo one final pre-season test at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit (17-18 February) before the season’s first races get underway between 21-23 February. 

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech3 have revealed the 2025 KTM RC16s for the manufacturer’s ninth year in the series and will enter the fray with its strongest line-up to-date.

Brad Binder (29, from Potchefstroom with 17 wins, 2 in MotoGP) and Pedro Acosta (20, from Murcia with 16 wins) will team-up for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. Enea Bastianini (27, from Rimini with 13 wins, 7 in MotoGP) Maverick Viñales (30, from Roses with 26 wins, 10 in MotoGP) are the charges for Red Bull KTM Tech3 this year and all 22 rounds of the championship that will visit 18 countries.

Binder approaches his sixth campaign in MotoGP and has classified in the top six for the previous four seasons in a row and in the top five for the last two. 2025 will be his sixth as part of the Red Bull KTM crew in MotoGP. The South African will be joined by Pedro Acosta, the youngest rider on the grid, for his second term and after an impressive rookie year in 2024 where he finished 6th in the championship and with five podium results. Like Binder, Acosta has sailed through the Grand Prix ‘pyramid’ in Red Bull colors and through the KTM GP Academy at every step.

Bastianini and Viñales are new recruits for the family but bring a wealth of experience, knowledge and potential into the camp. Bastianini stood on the box nine times (twice from the top step) last season as he finished P4 in the standings. The Italian has grabbed a podium trophy at least once in all four of his years in the MotoGP class so far. Viñales has enormous pedigree and has toasted success in the premier class with three different manufacturers; the last coming at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas in 2024. Maverick was 7th best last year, meaning that KTM will assist four racers from the first seven places in the rankings going into the new contest. 

Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing: “It is crazy to think that this is my sixth season in MotoGP already. To be honest 2024 was the year where I probably learnt the most. Coming into 2025 I feel that it has made me a much better rider. My goal for the season is to take what I learnt and make that step forward to fight with the guys at the front. We are not far. We finished 2nd in the Constructors championship so we have one left in front of us. When I see how hard people are working at the factory and how much energy there is behind the scenes it is clear we are going to get there.”

Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing: “For sure, 2024 was a good year, and we still have some goals that we keep in the pocket. I learned how to control a race, and how to adapt to MotoGP. It was a dream come true coming to the factory team after being in Moto3 and Moto2. Also having Brad as a teammate and helping develop the bike will be a very good point. It will help that he has a lot of experience in the class and I think we will make a good match together. The two main important points for 2025 will be the qualifying and then the first few laps of the race. Last year we saw that we had pace to fight for podiums or wins but we were struggling during qualifying. So, these two points will be the most important things to improve during this season.”

Honda Racing Corporation is thrilled to launch the Honda HRC Castrol team, set to compete in the 2025 MotoGP World Championship season.

This exciting new partnership builds on the rich history of Honda and Castrol delivering success together, over decades of motorcycle racing with numerous Championships and race wins.    Castrol brings a strong commitment to performance and innovation to the team along with a passion for motorcycle racing.

With a track record of 25 premier class Constructors’ World Championships, 21 premier class Riders’ World Championships and 313 premier class wins, Honda’s history and success in Grand Prix motorcycle racing is unmatched. Heading into the 2025 season, Honda remains committed to reclaiming its position at the forefront of the sport and this year is set to show Honda’s unwavering dedication to overcoming challenges and to rewarding the loyalty of their fans.

2025 marks the beginning of a new era for Honda in the MotoGP World Championship as Castrol joins to form a unique partnership. Under the new collaboration, Castrol, part of the bp group, becomes Honda HRC’s main sponsor and will provide lubricants, fuels and technical support – testing and developing motorbike lubricants in the most extreme race environment.

The Honda HRC Castrol team will feature the established pairing of double World Champion Joan Mir and six-time Grand Prix winner Luca Marini. Both riders have been cornerstones to recent developments of the Honda RC213V and will continue to work to return Honda to the top of the MotoGP World Championship.

Joan Mir starts his third season with Honda in MotoGP, a period exemplifying the determination that led the Spaniard to two World Championships before the age of 25. Now the rider with the most Honda experience on the grid, Mir has the opportunity to take yet another step in his personal development. With a two-year contract extension in hand, future prospects are bright for the #36 as both he and Honda affirm their commitment to the project.

Entering his second year as a Honda rider, Luca Marini showed tremendous capacity for growth and demonstrated advanced technical knowledge and feedback throughout his debut with the team in 2024. The 27-year-old enters 2025 with pieces in place to continue this trend and be a key player in Honda’s ongoing development after a steady upturn in results throughout the course of 2024.

Alongside a brand-new look livery, the latest evolution of the Honda RC213V continues to undergo a number of harder to spot changes. Developing the 2025 Honda RC213V has been the main focus of everyone involved over the winter, Honda HRC’s engineers continuing to work to take full advantage of the open engine development, test days and wildcards afforded to them.

The team will be supported by Stefan Bradl, Aleix Espargaro and Takaaki Nakagami as the role and scope of the Honda HRC Test Team continues to expand.

The Honda HRC Castrol team will make its on-track debut at the Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia for the first MotoGP pre-season test on February 5. March 2 will see the season start in earnest at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram as the Thai GP kicks off the 2025 MotoGP World Championship.

Red Bull Factory Racing’s Daniel Sanders has won the 2025 Dakar Rally, marking KTM’s 20th victory at the iconic event. Claiming his first Dakar victory, Daniel secured five stage victories and led the event from start to finish to win by close to nine minutes. Dakar rookie Edgar Canet delivered a sensational debut, topping the Rally2 category with four stage wins and finishing an impressive eighth in the overall standings. Luciano Benavides achieved his best-ever Dakar result, finishing fourth after claiming two consecutive stage wins. Despite his early withdrawal, Kevin Benavides showed great determination, delivering strong performances during the first week of racing.

Daniel Sanders dominated the 2025 Dakar Rally, culminating with a sixth-place finish on stage 12’s 61-kilometer, mass-start special that crowned him the overall champion. From the outset, Daniel showcased his speed and skill, winning the prologue, the opening stage and the ultra-tough 48-hour Chrono stage to take an early lead. Claiming two further stage wins on his flawless KTM 450 RALLY and never giving up his overall advantage, Sanders is only the second rider in history to lead the Dakar Rally from start to finish.

Daniel Sanders: “So we have just won the Dakar Rally! It’s a massive accomplishment from myself and the team after a tough year, and I can’t thank everyone enough for the support. It’s been a long journey, and I can’t wait to celebrate with everyone! Now it’s time to kick back and relax after a long two weeks.”

Double the power, double the strength: Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech3 will throw away the covers of their 2025 colors, riders and ambitions for the new season with their official digital presentation.

Get Thursday, January 30, 10.00 (CET) in the agenda to see Brad Binder and Pedro Acosta as well as new recruits Enea Bastianini and Maverick Viñales in their fresh Red Bull KTM liveries with the record-setting KTM RC16s and to hear about their expectations for the 22-Grand Prix season ahead.

Save the date: Thursday, January 30, 10.00 (CET) at ktm.com.

The 2025 AMA Supercross season kicked off on Saturday at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, with Honda HRC Progressive rider Jo Shimoda claiming the first 250SX West main event of the season with a wire-to-wire victory. Meanwhile, his teammates, Hunter and Jett Lawrence, both experienced misfortune in the 450SX main and notched frustrating results just outside the top 10, but they expect to bounce back next weekend in San Diego.

Shimoda delivered an outstanding performance in the 250SX West class, leading from start to finish aboard his CRF250RWE to secure a dominant victory and the red plate heading into round 2. Other than a few small mistakes early on, Jo rode smooth, consistent laps until finishing 4.7 seconds ahead of the runner-up rider.

In the 450SX main event, Jett and Hunter Lawrence encountered difficulties on a tricky track that caught out many riders throughout the night. Jett became caught in the Tuff Blocks off the start and rounded the first turn in last place. He began working his way forward, only to fall again a couple of laps later, this time in the sand. That put him in last place once again–this time with a larger gap to the front. He did his best to mitigate the damage but could only climb to 12th before the checkered flag flew.

Meanwhile, Hunter had started in sixth, and he advanced to fourth by about the midway point. Unfortunately, the sand that had claimed his brother also caused Hunter to fall, but he remounted and managed to finish just ahead of Jett, in 11^th. The showing was obviously not what the brothers or team had hoped or worked for, but they nonetheless remain optimistic for the season ahead. Quadlock Honda Racing’s Shane McElrath had a respectable showing in the main event to finish in 13^th.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Chase Sexton have started their 2025 AMA Supercross Championship in spectacular form by taking victory in the Anaheim 1 season-opening round, on a night where teammate Julien Beaumer earned the runner-up result in 250SX West.

After qualifying third-fastest, Sexton and his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION were unstoppable for the rest of the night, as the reigning Pro Motocross Champion took the holeshot and comfortably won his heat race by more than seven seconds.

Quick moves in the Main Event saw the 25-year-old Sexton surge into the lead during the opening laps. From there, he managed the race and claimed his first-ever Anaheim 1 victory.

Chase Sexton: "I’m still kind of processing tonight. It’s cool to win Anaheim 1 since it’s a pretty hyped race! I’ve come close in the past, so it was nice to come out on top tonight. I had a lot of fun riding today, had a good time on the track, which was really busy, and I think that kind of plays into my favor. We put a lot of work in during the off-season to get back to where I need to be, so it’s been a long road, but it makes this win feel even better."

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450SX teammate Aaron Plessinger experienced a steady night on his way to ninth in the Main Event. The 28-year-old qualified ninth fastest, then finished his Heat Race in P6. A chaotic start to the final saw Plessinger have to fight his way forward from near the back of the field, eventually crossing the finish line in P9.

Aaron Plessinger: "Anaheim 1 didn't go the way I wanted it to, but we’re walking out healthy. I was kind of sluggish all day, and I didn’t get off to a very good start in the Main Event, which made things harder for me. I’m going to go back and do some more testing this week, do some work, and come into San Diego with an improved feeling and aim to get back on the box."

It was also an exceptional opening round for Beaumer in the 250SX West division. Equipped with the KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, the 18-year-old charged to the top of the qualifying leaderboards, then won his Heat with a well-timed pass late in the race.

A strong start to the Main Event saw him quickly slot into P2 and he put in a series of calculated, fast laps to end his night with a well-deserved runner-up result – signifying his first career Supercross podium.

MURRIETA, Calif. – A returning four-rider Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team will feature Chase Sexton and Aaron Plessinger in the 450 Class alongside 250 Class duo Tom Vialle and Julien Beaumer in the 2025 SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX), inclusive of the AMA Supercross, Pro Motocross and SMX Finals series.

Equipped with the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, the 31-round marathon will see 25-year-old Sexton out to reclaim the 450SX title that he earned in 2023, before he aims to defend his 450MX championship outdoors, and then will target a first-career 450SMX crown in the post-season. With a full season with Red Bull KTM complete, the pair are in a strong position to build upon their success together into the new year.

Chase Sexton: “We’re getting close to the season now and I had a good off-season, took around five weeks off of the bike, so I feel refreshed and we’ve made a lot of progress – compared to last year I’m in a much better spot for 2025. The goal this season is to win more races than last year, so I feel good, and I’m ready to start the season.”

Alongside Sexton, Plessinger, 28, is entering his fourth term with Red Bull KTM and is coming off the strongest season of his career in winning a Supercross Main Event in San Diego. ‘The Cowboy’ finished third overall in Pro Motocross, before racing to P4 at the conclusion of the SMX season. Those results mean that Plessinger will enter Anaheim 1 with confidence on his side and with even larger targets to achieve.

Aaron Plessinger: “I’m super-stoked for the 2025 season! I’m ready to start where we left off in Supercross last year, where I won my first Main Event, and I only think we’re going to get better this year. The bike’s good, I’m feeling strong both physically and mentally, so I’m ready to show these guys that I’m here to stick around and that it ain’t no game. I’m ready to see the fans and have a good time doing it!”

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s 250 line-up will once again be headlined by the exciting combination of 24-year-old Vialle – the reigning 250SX East Champion – and talented young American prospect Beaumer, each competing aboard the KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION.

Already a two-time MX2 World Champion prior to his arrival in the United States, French standout Vialle will enter 2025 in search of a second 250SX title, while also firmly targeting his maiden American outdoor championship in 250MX. The Red Bull KTM rider placed runner-up in both Pro Motocross and SMX this year, showcasing his capabilities across the board during his second year being based in the U.S.

Tom Vialle: “Everything has been going good this off-season, I was able to win the Paris Supercross, and we have done a lot of testing with the team already. I’m really happy with the bike, the suspension, and also, we have some engine upgrades, so everything so far is working good together. I’m going into my third year of Supercross and was able to win the 250SX East Championship this year, and now I am working hard to try and defend it in 2025. I’m really happy to win my first title indoors and the goal is to win another one next season. It’s a little bit of extra pressure, but I wouldn’t say a lot.”

At 18 years of age, Beaumer is preparing to enter his second full season of professional competition after debuting with Red Bull KTM one year ago. He finished as Rookie of the Year in both 250SX and 250MX, before going on to capture a breakout 250SMX podium result during the SMX Playoffs. Added experience will be instrumental for ‘JuJu’ when the racing commences next season.

Julien Beaumer: “The off-season’s been going really good for me, I’m excited to get going, and the goal this year is to win. I’m in a spot right now where I’m confident that I have the fitness and speed to do that, because I’ve been feeling good on the bike and we’ve made a lot of progress. Last year I had speed, but I made quite a few rookie mistakes, so I have been learning to eliminate those and I’m confident that this upcoming season will be a lot better for me.” 

Ian Harrison, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “We’ve had a good off-season to prepare so far, and we are ready to start our second year with Chase, so hopefully we can expand on our success and get even better with him for 2025. Aaron had his best season ever this past year, and the plan is to improve on that too. Tom is the defending champion in 250SX East, it will be great to see the number 1 on our bike when the Eastern Region begins. Julien is going into his second season with us, so we are hoping that after a strong pre-season he will be in a position to really shine also. It’s always an exciting time leading up to Anaheim 1 and we are ready for the challenge ahead.”

The first African rider to ever win the World Rally Raid Championship

Hero’s Botswana rider Ross Branch, who is also a triple former South African Cross Country racing champion, wrapped up his World title with a fine third place in the Moroccan Rally this last month.

Congratulations go to Hero’s Ross Branch on becoming the first African rider to ever win the World Rally Raid Championship, on a newcomer manufacturer Hero to Rally Raid racing who have taken the world by surprise to achieve this incredible success in such brief period against all odds from leading manufacturers.

Hero’s Ross Branch commenced his 2024 World Championship campaign with a brilliant second place at the Dakar Rally in January. He repeated the feat with second in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge a month later, as he moved into the lead of a championship he would not lose, backing that up with fifth place in both Portugal in April and in Argentina in June.

This was enough to ensure that Ross needed only to finish in Morocco to take the title in the 2500 km Rallye Du Maroc, made even tougher by unseasonal rains. That was never enough to stop Ross from riding his Hero home with a fine third overall to wrap the title up with his third podium, and fifth top five finish in five 2024 starts.

Hero’s World Champion Ross Branch will now focus on Dakar 2025, where the objective simply must be to go one better on his second place this year. The World Championship also visits South Africa for the first time in 2025, when local fans will get the chance to support their Rally Raid heroes firsthand at the third round South African Safari Rally at Sun City from 18 to 21 May 2025. The new season commences at Dakar ‘25 on 3 January.