2018 KTM Motocross Racing Team

KTM Motocross Racing Team has confirmed their rider line-up for the 2018 season, expanding to three riders with former national champion Kirk Gibbs joined by the youthful combination of new recruit Luke Clout (formally racing for Honda) and reigning MX2 champion Egan Mastin. Here is the official news from KTM Australia…

The trio will form KTM Australia’s factory motocross roster for next season, with Kirk Gibbs and Luke Clout to campaign the KTM 450SX-F in the MX1 division of the MX Nationals, while Egan Mastin will defend his title aboard a KTM 250SX-F in the team’s official return to MX2.

At age 28, Gibbs will enter his sixth straight year with the KTM Motocross Racing Team after finishing runner-up in the 2017 standings, also performing strongly for sixth overall as part of Team Australia at the recent Motocross of Nations in Great Britain.
“It’s really good to re-sign with KTM and I’m happy with the line-up we have for 2018,” said Gibbs. “I think it’s good to bring some younger, fresh blood into the team and it’s obviously very good for me to be back at the KTM Motocross Racing Team for a sixth season. It doesn’t feel stale for me at all, it all feels really fresh and I think that collectively we will improve further for next season. I’m really looking forward to it kicking off 2018 when we start things in New Zealand and then following that I think we will have a really good shot at regaining the MX1 title here.”

Joining Gibbs will be 23-year-old talent Clout, who impressed as a rookie in MX1 this season and he feels that KTM will provide an ideal platform for him to further his career in the 450 ranks. The 2014 MX2 champion, who has immense international experience to his credit, is committed to a full motocross and supercross campaign in 2018, with him pointing out, “It was a goal of mine to get into the KTM Motocross Racing Team, the structure of the team and being close to my house really fits. To get this opportunity has been really good for me. I couldn’t be happier and more thankful to work with Jay and the entire team. Everybody knows how strong the team is as a factory program and I think it will be another piece of the puzzle that will enable me to go out there and do good things on-track.”  

At 19 years of age, Mastin was previously announced to be transferring into the MX1 ranks, however it has since been decided for the teenager to wear the number one plate in MX2 as he challenges for back-to-back motocross crowns.

On defending his title for 2018 Mastin says, “We decided that it will be good to stay another year in the 250 class to defend the title. There’s no rush for me to go to the 450, so we thought it would be positive to develop further and get better all-round, in both motocross and supercross. I’m looking forward to defending the MX2 championship as part of the factory team. It’s exciting to be on the four-stroke outdoors for next year and I think it will be even better for me considering the tracks we are racing on, so there’s a lot to look forward to for us as a team heading into 2018.”

KTM Motocross Racing Team Manager Jay Marmont – himself a multiple-time motocross and supercross championship winner – who will enter his second term as a leading part of the factory organisation in Australia is excited about the chosen riders for 2018, saying, “First of all, re-signing Kirk is great for us and we’ve got a really good bond with each other, so I feel that he is going to perform really well once again and challenge for the title. Alongside him, we’ve signed the top rookie in Luke, he’s at an age where he is ready to take his riding to the next level. He’s absorbing all of the information we’re providing and is looking for that factory team structure behind him, so to have him is extremely good for us as a team. On top of that, we will keep the defending champion Egan in MX2, work to develop him further and really build upon the experience he’s gained so far in motocross and supercross. We’re really happy to have these three riders on-board and we are confident of getting good results that will hopefully lead to more championships in 2018.”