KTM’s factory and satellite supercross teams meet the press during an event at the factory headquarters in Southern California.
KTM Motorsports kicked off the 2015 supercross season last night with a special media event at its Murrietta, California, headquarters to officially announce its Red Bull KTM factory racing team and two satellite teams, BTO Sports and Troy Lee Designs, which will contest the 2015 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series.
Former Monster Energy Supercross Champion Ryan Dungey and new team member Dean Wilson will compete aboard works-prepped KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition machines under the guidance of team manager and iconic five-time World Motocross Champion Roger De Coster. Dungey was the 2014 runner-up in both the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series and Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. Wilson steps up to the 450cc SX class full-time after enjoying success in the 250cc SX class last season.
KTM’s 250cc effort will include Marvin Musquin, who won the 250cc class at the first ever Red Bull Straight Rhythm race last October. Musquin earned won the Washougal round of the 2014 Lucas Oil 250cc Pro Motocross Championship and finished fourth in the series after sitting out the entire 2014 Supercross championship with an injury. The Frenchman will contest the Monster Energy 250cc East Supercross Series. Justin Hill is the newcomer to the team and will race the 250cc West Supercross Series. Hill took a career-first Supercross win in 2014 and earned five podium finishes in the 250cc West Supercross Series, and he won the Las Vegas East/West shootout.
The BTO Sports KTM returns for 2015 aboard KTM machinery, with team veteran Andrew Short signed up to race another season with a new teammate, Justin Brayton. A former Yamaha rider, Brayton finished second during his debut event with the BOT Sports KTM team at the Red Bull Straight Rhythm race. Both riders will contest KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition machinery.
The new blockbuster alliance between KTM and Troy Lee Designs was announced earlier this year. The Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Red Bull/KTM Team is now an official KTM 250 SX-F factory team for supercross and motocross. The team has signed up Jessy Nelson, Shane McElrath and Darryn Durham to contest the regional 250cc Supercross series.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager Roger DeCoster said that all of the teams have been working hard to prepare for the upcoming Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series season, which kicks off at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, on January 3.
“Within the Red Bull KTM Factory team we have two new riders that have a lot of potential we hope to extract, while Ryan (Dungey) and Marvin (Musquin) are also revitalised for 2015,” DeCoster said. “It’s also great to have Troy Lee onboard with KTM, and we expect for this relationship to evolve over the next few years; they are certainly keeping us busy, and this is an exciting prospect for us. We’re also happy to continue our work with BTO Sports, as Andrew (Short) plays a pivotal role in development, and Justin (Brayton) looks very happy to be back with KTM. It’s going to be a competitive series as usual, but we are looking forward to getting started in the New Year.”
Your Privacy Choices