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RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING READY TO RACE ENTERING AMA PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP

Reigning 450MX Champion Chase Sexton will commence his title defense this Saturday in Fox Raceway’s opening round of the 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship, joining Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammates Aaron Plessinger, Tom Vialle, and Julien Beaumer in the second phase of the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX).

Sexton was outstanding on his way to the 450MX title last season onboard the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, entering this year’s 11-round series as a title favorite and wearing the coveted number 1 plate. The 25-year-old Illinois native won seven rounds en route to the crown one year ago, motivated to pick up where he left off outdoors with a true READY TO RACE mentality.

Chase Sexton: "Preparation for the start of the 2025 Pro Motocross season is going well. I feel good and am healthy, so that’s a great start! There’s always a lot of industry talk about there being extra pressure when you come in as defending champion, but really for me, I just head into it the way I do any new season. I keep my head down, work hard, and trust the process. I’m excited for the new season to start this weekend at Pala."

Joining Sexton in the premier class and also equipped with the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, Plessinger has finished third in the standings for the past two years running and landed on the podium a total of six times in 2024. With momentum increasing and a new Red Bull KTM Factory Racing contract already signed for 2026, The Cowboy's focus is firmly placed on making his presence felt yet again in Pro Motocross.

Aaron Plessinger: "I'm super-excited for outdoors. It is my favorite series that we race and I've been doing motos, some testing, and everything's coming together nicely. I'm super-stoked, ready to get back out on the gate and show these boys what I've got for the outdoor series! 
We finished well last year, could have really done some damage if I had not had some bad races – hopefully I can contend for the title this season."

Already a two-time MX2 World Champion with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and now a double 250SX East title winner in AMA Supercross following Salt Lake City's finale two weeks ago, French standout Vialle will lead the team's 250MX charge alongside last year's 250 Class Rookie of the Year, Beaumer. 

Entering his third term of Pro Motocross in the United States riding the KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, Vialle is aiming to improve upon his P2 result achieved in the standings from last year, which he earned through racing to seven podiums and victory in Ironman's final round of the season last August. 

Tom Vialle: "I've been practicing outdoors for a little bit now, but didn't switch early because I was fighting for another Supercross title. Last week was really good, we did some testing with the team and I am happy with where the bike is, and I feel really comfortable riding outdoors this year. I'm excited, because
I think it's going to be my last 250 outdoor season. I was able to win two MX2 titles in the world championship and have won the two 250SX East titles now, so this AMA 250MX championship is the only one that I am missing in my 250 career – I really want to fight for that one this summer and I'm motivated for that. I'm looking forward to seeing where we are at when we get to Pala and then for the whole summer outdoors."

Teenage talent Beaumer spent last year learning the craft of professional competition on his way to the 250MX Rookie of the Year honors and, fresh from a breakout season in the 250SX West division where he established himself as a legitimate contender, the 19-year-old out of Lake Havasu, Arizona, has a clear target of now proving his capabilities outdoors on his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION. 

Julien Beaumer: "I'm looking forward to kicking my season off strong at Pala. Southern California is where I have grown up riding, so I feel right at home racing there. My preparation has gone according to plan, and the team and I feel we are in a good place together, so I'm itching to get this thing started this weekend."

Ian Harrison, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: "We are very excited to enter the Pro Motocross Championship with Chase and Aaron in 450MX, as well as Tom and Julien in 250MX this summer. Following Supercross, which was again a really positive and successful season for us as a team, it is always a mad rush to transition to the outdoors with the one weekend off in between. Thankfully, we have a lot to lean on from the previous years, so you generally use that experience as a base coming into Round 1, and then you continue to refine and build momentum from that point. It is always an exciting time, a lot of anticipation, and we are confident that we will be competitive when the gates drop this weekend and throughout the 2025 season."

The 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship will drop the gates this Saturday, May 24, at Fox Raceway in Pala, California, for the season-opener, set to span 11 rounds throughout the U.S. this summer and culminating at Budds Creek Motocross Park in Mechanicsville, Maryland, on August 23.

KTM NEWS

SECOND OVERALL FOR RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING'S JORGE PRADO AT BUDDS CREEK NATIONAL

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Round 10 of the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship proved to be another successful outing for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing at Budds Creek, with Jorge Prado claiming second overall in 450MX, while Julien Beaumer earned a top-five finish in 250MX. Following his second-place result at Unadilla last weekend, Prado qualified sixth aboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION at the rain-affected Budds Creek National, posting a 1:56.300 lap time before racing to P3 in Moto 1. The four-time world champion started Moto 2 from second and remained firmly in contention for the victory throughout the race. He ultimately settled for a spirited third position, securing second overall and his fourth podium of the season outdoors. With one round remaining in the 2026 Pro Motocross season at next weekend's Ironman National, Prado sits fourth in the 450MX standings and is currently third in the wider SMX World Championship rankings. Jorge Prado: "My riding was pretty good today and a podium is always nice. I need to get better at dealing with traffic in those last 10 minutes, so we’ll work on that, and it will help a lot with my results. Hopefully we can get a moto win or an overall at Ironman – I like that track and am feeling really good on the bike." Four-time 450MX champion Eli Tomac set the fifth-fastest time on the combined 450MX timesheets in qualifying, before featuring toward the front of the pack from the outset in Moto 1 aboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION. The 33-year-old finished a solid fourth in the opening race, before a difficult start in Moto 2 left him to recover to 13th, with Tomac completing the weekend ninth overall as his late-season momentum continues to build. Eli Tomac: "We had a much better weekend, even though the overall results may not show that – I was happier with my riding. I was battling for a podium position almost the whole first moto, and then in the second moto, I just put myself in too bad of a position off the start to really get to the front. At this point, I’m just getting stronger and stronger, and I feel like I’ll be in the podium fight for Ironman and for the SMX series." Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Aaron Plessinger continued his return to Pro Motocross competition at Budds Creek, with ‘The Cowboy’ converting a strong start in Moto 1 into a 10th-place result. Plessinger completed the opening lap of Moto 2 in sixth on board his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION and eventually claimed seventh, taking P7 overall for the round in his second race back since injuring his tailbone at RedBud. Aaron Plessinger: "Budds Creek went pretty good, I'd say! It was a lot better than my last few weeks at the track – practice was alright, then it started raining, and I got excited, but it stopped just in time for the track to kind of dry out a little bit before Moto 1. We got 10th in that one, which was decent given I am racing myself back into form, and then the second one I got a really good start, before being shuffled back early. From there, I battled around seventh and stayed there the whole moto to earn seventh overall. This is solid, it's good momentum, and we'll take the positives into Ironman!" Equipped with the KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION in the 250MX Class, Beaumer qualified 10th quickest on combined times, before racing to an eighth-place finish in Moto 1 amid technical, drying track conditions. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider charged forward from outside the top 10 in Moto 2 to take an impressive fourth-place finish. His 8-4 moto scorecard earned fourth overall for the weekend, maintaining third in the 250MX standings with one round remaining. Julien Beaumer: "P4 at Budds Creek. I struggled a little bit in Moto 1, but rode more like myself in Moto 2. I had to fight from around 15th to fourth in that second moto, so happy with the progress, and we will keep building. Let's finish this thing off strong at Ironman!" Next Race: August 29 – Crawfordsville, Indiana Results 450MX Class – Budds Creek National 1. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 2. Jorge Prado (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 3. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) 7. Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 9. Eli Tomac (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 10. RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna) 13. Malcolm Stewart (Husqvarna) Standings 450MX Class 2026 after 10 of 11 rounds 1. Hunter Lawrence, 442 points 2. Jett Lawrence, 441 3. Haiden Deegan, 376 4. Jorge Prado, 351 5. RJ Hampshire, 308 12. Aaron Plessinger, 129 17. Eli Tomac, 89 23. Lucas Coenen, 44 28. Malcolm Stewart, 31 Results 250MX Class – Budds Creek National 1. Chance Hymas (Honda) 2. Cole Davies (Yamaha) 3. Landen Gordon (Yamaha) 4. Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 9. Daxton Bennick (Husqvarna) 12. Landon Gibson (Husqvarna) 15. Ryder DiFrancesco (Husqvarna) Standings 250MX Class 2026 after 10 of 11 rounds 1. Cole Davies, 378 points 2. Levi Kitchen, 364 3. Julien Beaumer, 322 5. Ryder DiFrancesco, 291 13. Casey Cochran, 146 18. Daxton Bennick, 118 20. Sacha Coenen, 83

JULIEN BEAUMER AND RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING CONTINUE INTO THE FUTURE

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Red Bull KTM Factory Racing has re-signed Julien Beaumer through the 2027 SMX World Championship and beyond, continuing together into the future following a standout campaign to date in AMA Pro Motocross this season. Since joining KTM's factory program in 2024, Beaumer has emerged as one of the most exciting young riders in the sport. The 20-year-old broke through for a first-career 250SX victory in the AMA Supercross Championship last year on his way to second in the Western Divisional standings. Despite a serious back injury ruling him out of Supercross in 2026, 'Juju' has made a remarkable return to competition outdoors and is currently positioned third in the 250MX championship after winning his maiden overall at the Spring Creek National. In a multi-year agreement, Beaumer will enter his fourth season with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing in 2027, targeting title success across the SMX World Championship – including the AMA Supercross and AMA Pro Motocross Championships – equipped with the KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION. Julien Beaumer: "I'm really stoked to announce that I've extended my contract with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. I can't thank them enough for the belief and hard work they put in – these last three years have been amazing and I couldn't be happier to be with the group of people that I'm with. Let's win some races and fight for some championships! That's the goal." Ian Harrison, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: "Julien is one of the younger riders on our team, but with this contract extension he’ll become one of the veterans of our program. We couldn’t be prouder of the growth Julien has shown. He has demonstrated that even during challenging times, he can make smart decisions, stay focused on improvement, and continue working to become a better racer. We’ve all seen the tremendous progress he has made throughout the 2026 Pro Motocross season, both on and off the track. I have no doubt that Julien will continue to develop his racecraft and reach new levels in the years ahead. His future is incredibly bright, and we’re grateful for the trust he has placed in our team. We look forward to continuing to build on this success together."