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MX season for Red Bull Teka KTM Factory Racing in 2011
In 2010 the Red Bull Factory Racing team gave KTM their best ever MX World Championship season with titles in MX1, MX2 and WMX. That looks like a hard act to follow but all indications are that this team of top talented riders is "Ready to Race" and read to deliver a stunning line-up of results in 2011. Any KTM factory rider is quick to point out that riding for this racing stable means being much more than a team member; it is a true family affair. That is why an essential part of the pre-season preparation was the joint training session at Benicasim in Spain at the MX training facility owned and run by team boss Stefan Everts and his father Harry, both multiple MX champions. This was an occasion for the entire KTM offroad factory contingent to get together when KTM's Enduro riders joined Tony Cairoli, Max Nagl, Jeffrey Herlings, Jeremy van Horebeek, Stefan Everts, Pit Beirer, head of the KTM Racing Department and selected media representatives. Ken Roczen, the final member of the factory squad has been competing in the AMA SX West Lites series with the US Red Bull KTM Factory Team and rejoins the team in time for the first GP in Bulgaria.
Looking ahead to the World Championship GP season
Meanwhile in MX2 all indications are that there will be some amazing track action from the two most junior members of the factory lineup, Ken Roczen and Jeffrey Herlings. Since joining the KTM family in January 2011, Ken has captured a lot of attention by delivering some thrilling performances on the AMA SX Lites track. He has also had two rides in the SX Open class on the 350 SX-F proving he can more than hold his own in both classes. Ken turns 17 in April and that means 16-year-old Jeffrey Herlings is the youngest of the lineup. The Dutch teenager is fit and ready to race after shoulder surgery that corrected the injury from the Czech GP that sidelined him for the final races in the 2010 season. But as a mere 15-year-old, he also turned many heads last year with his performance on the track in the first half of last season. Now a year older and physically more developed, he is an absolute podium contender. Ken and Jeffrey are joined in the team by Belgian ride r Jeremy van Horebeek, also new to the full factory team in 2011. Jeremy is no stranger to KTM after having raced with the Jackie Martens KTM-supported team in 2009.
All the Red Bull Teka KTM team are primed, fit and ready for the 2011 season but as Pit Beirer says, striving for perfection means there's always plenty of work to do. "We had a sensational season last year but that has set the bar very high. No doubt we have a lot of work to do to maintain that high standard. We're fortunate that we have plenty of talent in the team and we are working with excellent bikes. Now all we have to do is to go out and win races," he said.
Check out the Red Bull Teka KTM Factory Team Video in Benicasim,
Spain! Detaisl
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As
well as working out on- and off the track, the team took care of media
presentations and photo and video shooting activities. But a major part of
this now traditional pre-season get-together was team building and
solidarity, elements that lay the groundwork for good cooperation and
dedication during the season. There was also time for some pursuit of
personal interests - Tony and Jeremy went fishing and Jeremy took a swim
in the ice cold sea water, illustrating perhaps the same courage as he
shows on the track!
Tony
is again joined in MX1 by Max Nagl of Germany, a rider who is well known
for his attacking style and brilliant starts. This year Max swaps his 450
SX-F for the 350 SX-F[mh1] . A seasoned member of the Orange factory team
Max picked up his first GP win in Italy in 2008, was MX1 vice world
champion in 2009 and in 2010 finished a very creditable fourth after being
forced to miss two races in France in the middle of the season.
In
the women's competition, WMX world champion Steffi Laier continues as a
full factory rider for Red Bull Teka KTM and in pre-season races looks the
favorite to retain her honors. Steffi had two stunning wins in the opening
races of the Dutch WMX Championship in Gemert, taking the second moto by
well in excess of a minute. As Steffi wants to up her game, she has opted
for another pre-season ride in Genk, Belgium this time together with the
MX2 riders. She has been testing on a range of tracks and surfaces in the
pre-season period and reports that she feels 100% in tune with her KTM
factory bike. This year the women's GP season opens in Bulgaria with the
men's but then follows the MX3 competition schedule.
MX
GP Calendar 2011