2017 KTM Enduro Racing Team

KTM’s Australian Enduro racing team for 2017 is host to three fresh new faces in orange with multiple Australian Enduro Champion Glenn Kearney stepping into the shoes vacated by Team Manager, Ben Grabham, as well as the welcoming of four-time A4DE Champion Daniel Milner and exciting up-and-comer Lyndon Snodgrass.

Glenn Kearney is set to take over the reins of KTM Australia’s incredibly successful off-road racing squad, incorporating both enduro racing and desert racing teams. The team was without doubt the dominant outfit in Australian desert and off-road racing in 2016, and Kearney, who has spent the last three years juggling racing and Team Management roles with sister brand Husqvarna, promises to leave no stone unturned as he attempts to duplicate that success. Thirty-five-year-old Kearney officially retired from professional off-road racing at the conclusion of last month’s A4DE, deciding instead to devote all of his energies to the role of the management in 2017. Kearney doesn’t officially begin in the role but admits he has already begun preparations towards a successful season 2017.

Glenn Kearney – 2017 KTM Enduro Racing Team Manager: “I feel privileged to get offered the chance to try and replicate what Grabbo and KTM have done. Rider-wise, I’ve ridden and raced against all the guys that I will be hiring or working with and get along with them all that way. There’s definitely differences in the bike models and stuff but the fact that I’m not racing at the same time it won’t be such an issue for me.”

Daniel Milner should need no introduction to fans of Australian off-road racing, having won four consecutive Australian four-day enduro championships from 2012-2015, and finished second outright in the 2013 ISDE in Sardinia. After a year in the US, the 25-year-old from Lang Lang, south-east of Melbourne, has returned to Australia and taken up a long-term ambition to ride for KTM. Milner has been test riding KTM’s
450 EXC-F and 350 EXC-F, but his weapon of choice for season 2017 has not yet been fully decided.

Daniel Milner: “It’s something that’s always been in the back of my mind, to come and ride KTM, being such a strong team here in Australia in both desert and off-roads. I’ve looked up to the team since Wonka ran it with Toby and the boys and it’s a big move for me after being with another brand for the whole of my pro career. I’m really excited to get the opportunity to ride these bikes.”

His teammate, Lyndon Snodgrass is one of the most exciting young competitors on the radar, having scored outright podium finishes in this year’s AORC, and taken a well-deserved podium in the E3 category of this year’s A4DE just a month ago. The fact that Snodgrass achieved these milestones at the age of 18 has flagged him as a rider to watch for the future. Snodgrass rode a 300cc two-stroke with great effect this year, but it is not yet certain which category he will contest in 2017. KTM Australia’s desert racing team and support rider network will be announced at a future date.

Lyndon Snodgrass: “It’s awesome to get this opportunity. I can’t wait to get out there and work with the team next year. It’s been in the works for a while, so it’s good to finally get it happening. KTM has had a lot of dominance in the off-road scene with Chucky, Tye and Toby, so it’s definitely a great team and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Jeff Leisk – KTM General Manager: “­­­Obviously with Chucky leaving it left a pretty big hole for us to fill, so it’s exciting news that we have signed Daniel. As a company, we are really thrilled about the fact that both Toby and Chucky have gone on to bigger and better things. Daniel (Milner) had hoped that his American ride would lead to the EWC in Europe, but that never eventuated, and for next year he has become available to ride in Australia.”

As Jeff Leisk mentioned above, reigning E2 champ Daniel “Chucky” Sanders is leaving the team to take a ride in Europe to contest in the FIM Enduro World Championship (EnduroGP) in both 2017 and 2018. But what about the team’s reining E2-class AORC champ, Tye Simmonds? KTM has made no mention of Tye’s 2017 plans at this stage,  so stayed tuned for any developments. Could he be joining his former team boss, Ben Grabham, at Beta? You heard the wild speculation here first.