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THE TOOL AND THE TRADESMEN FOR SUPERCROSS

The biggest dirtbike racing series in the world is a demanding and spectacular stage for KTM’s SX-F flagship model, and we asked the Red Bull KTM crew in North America how they dial-in a production-based bike for an icon like Eli Tomac and his stadium supremacy.

By Adam Wheeler.

Eli Tomac opens the 2026 AMA Supercross Championship with a statement win at Anaheim. Picture: Align Media / Simon Cudby

The 17-round AMA Supercross Championship is the first component of ‘SuperMotocross’ in the United States that also includes 11 Pro National motocross fixtures and three ‘play-off’ events. The 31-weekend haul benefits from live NBC coverage and multi-million-dollar prize funding. Supercross stretches across the country in 20 weeks of racing and temporarily inhabits major sports stadia belonging to prominent NFL and MLB teams, drawing tens of thousands of spectators every Saturday.

The USA is the biggest market in the world for dirtbikes and aftermarket parts. Supercross has been an AMA sanctioned championship since 1974 and today only sits behind MotoGP in terms of global reach and commercial enterprise. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing are one of the major players in a competition that is based around strict production rules to limit costs. Those regulations mean minimal changes (mainly fine-tuning and bracing of homologated parts for elite racing) while the engine architecture, frame and swingarm must remain stock.

The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Supercross team for the 2026 season, with Eli Tomac, Aaron Plessinger, and Jorge Prado on the KTM 450 SX‑F Factory Edition, and by Julien Beaumer on the KTM 250 SX‑F Factory Edition. Picture: Align Media / Simon Cudby

Under the lights of Anaheim, Eli Tomac takes first place in the opening race of the 2026 AMA Supercross season. Picture: Align Media / Simon Cudby

The crew is based in the company’s Californian HQ of Murrieta but also with a hub on the east coast to maximize training and testing in different terrain and conditions. They run the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION and have gathered five championships in the last 11 years with the likes of Ryan Dungey and Cooper Webb and enjoyed race wins with more competitors like Marvin Musquin, Chase Sexton and Aaron Plessinger. They also collected two crowns with the KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION with Tom Vialle in the 250SX support class. In 2026 the competence and experience of the team, led by Team Manager Ian Harrison and with an engineering dept in Murrieta as well as all the factory resources in Austria, showed their expertise as well as the pliability of the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION with Eli Tomac’s seamless transition to the squad. His string of results put the six-time SX/MX title holder immediately into contention for the crown from the opening round in early January.

Eli Tomac alongside Team Manager Ian Harrison at the first round of the 2026 AMA Supercross in Anaheim. Picture: Align Media / Simon Cudby

“Eli had been a fierce competitor of ours for fifteen years,” Ian tells us. “We went neck-and-neck with him for championships over and over again with numerous riders. Word gets out about what these top tier racers like [from the bike] and what they don’t, and you learn a lot from watching them ride every weekend. Finally, Eli joined our team this year and we were able to learn about what made him tick and what makes him good. We could tell from the beginning that he liked a lot of power and the clutch was an important issue. From there we started to make the bike ‘his’. The handling side is always a bit of a mystery, so you start with a base platform that can be moved around to be softer or stiffer or higher or lower and you go from there.”

Built for Supercross dominance: the KTM 450 SX‑F FACTORY EDITION of Eli Tomac. Picture: Align Media / Simon Cudby

The Colorado native, who had won SX championships on rival equipment in 2020 and 2022, received his first taste of the SX-F steel frame technology and WP Suspension. “Red Bull KTM has really good data collection on the motorcycle, so finding averages and knowing my bike for things like ride height is a big deal,” Eli commented. “And of course, when I ask for an adjustment, it translates in the direction that I feel comfortable with, and the team feels comfortable with. We really have had a fluid relationship.”

A fluid setup process as Eli Tomac finds comfort and confidence in every adjustment with his KTM 450 SX‑F FACTORY EDITION. Picture: Align Media / Simon Cudby

Tomac slotted alongside former MXGP world champion Jorge Prado (who also gathered podium silverware in his first full campaign of supercross) as the new guys, and Red Bull KTM counted on continuity with Aaron Plessinger, although the charismatic American was luckless with injury in 2026. The variety of the riding styles among the trio with the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION presented challenges for the entire crew but also brought their skills as a team to the fore.

The KTM 450 SX‑F Factory Edition machines of Eli Tomac, Aaron Plessinger, and Jorge Prado – built to fight at the front of the 2026 AMA Supercross Championship. Picture: Align Media / Simon Cudby

“The data is super-interesting to have and for sure they all ride differently,” Harrison reveals. “Aaron’s bike is very different to Eli’s and so is Jorge’s. It all starts from the same KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION base but then they choose their preferences. Some like the engine power softer or the suspension softer. Others like the bike balance lower. I find when you have a very good rider on the team then it elevates everybody, including the other riders and the mechanics because they have a good gauge to look at. Eli has been in the game a long time now, so we are lucky in that he knows the way in which he wants to go. It’s easy for him to point you in that right direction and there is not a lot of guessing. That was really nice.”

“Dialing in your suspension dampening for supercross is absolutely critical for the amount of force that the bike goes through to do triples and quads,” Tomac says. “It’s really unbelievable force; so being able to find comfort with stiff enough dampening that allows you to push the rhythms fast is a must.”

Final setups in the paddock on Eli Tomac’s race machine before heading into Round 2 of the AMA Supercross season in San Diego (CA). Picture: Align Media / Simon Cudby

The KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION was clearly an attractive base, considering how swiftly Tomac was able to create race-winning speed (and was joined on the opening podium of the season at Anaheim by Prado) but then the personalization factor was part of the package that made the #3 fly. An example of which was Tomac’s choice to switch clutch systems. “The cable clutch is a personal preference for me; the way that it allows a certain ‘slip’ feel is unique to a cable. This is key for me when doing technical seat bounce jumps out of a corner,” he explained. Tomac won the first two rounds in California and then triumphed again in Seattle and Daytona with five further podiums finishes heading into the finale at Salt Lake City. 

Eli Tomac at the final round of the season, Round 17 in Salt Lake City (UT). Picture: Align Media / Simon Cudby

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Everyone kind of knows about the clutch but he also likes the clutch pull to be really light,” expands Harrison. “He doesn’t like it heavy. Those were important factors. It’s challenging to work on that while making sure that you don’t burn it out. We really put our heads together and I’m really proud of the guys in Austria and also over here of how they came up with a good plan for a really solid package with the engine and the clutch. Sometimes you think you know everything but then you get a new guy and a whole bunch of new things comes along!”

 

The KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION has evolved in concept and creation. Harrison says the “platform from 2015-2021 was just an incredible motorcycle. You could put any good rider on it and they’d be super-competitive” and then in other seasons there was “more jumping around a bit, and trying different things…and we got back to being competitive in ’24 and ’25 fighting for nearly every supercross title there was, outdoors as well.”

Ian Harrison, Team Manager of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Supercross team. Picture: Align Media / Simon Cudby

Riders have become fitter, stronger, more technical and can race faster for longer so the constant evolution to keep up with the progress of speed and performance is essential. Tracks have become more punishing and sometimes unpredictable in terms of degradation. Red Bull KTM are masters of their domain but the link with Austria and the MXGP world championship development projects (Grands Prix can run prototype equipment) has become tighter, easier and more beneficial as technology advances. “Having data from MXGP and AMA Motocross here allows us to see parallels that work,” Ian explains.

 

“When the bikes pull in after practice and we download the information, it goes to a server. Not only can we see it right away in the trailer but Austria can as well. If we are having any kind of doubts about things like mapping then a technician at home can quickly see the information at the same time. This was not the case ten years ago. Data collecting has become much cleaner and more concise and more precise. It’s a great tool.”

From the data to the dirt, it’s still the athlete that pulls the throttle. Tomac’s enduring pace at the age of 33 is something that Ian says “blows my mind” but he appreciates the attitude and ethic the rider brings as Red Bull KTM maintain their outstanding supercross story. “It’s amazing how dedicated he is to his job and his sport,” the South African says of his charge. “There is no messing around when it comes to testing or practice days. On race day he is so focused and the information is very clear. He just gets the job done. Guys like him are wired differently. I think we’re truly lucky to have him at Red Bull KTM.”

Another victory for Eli Tomac and the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team at Round 8 in Daytona Beach (FL). Picture: Align Media / Simon Cudby

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