“Rider and brand from Veneto, I already feel at home!”: Alberto Forato and Fantic, a story yet to be written

“After two difficult years, I’m more motivated than ever.” That’s the enthusiasm of Alberto Forato, who looks confidently toward the new MXGP 2026 challenge with the XXF 450 of the Fantic Factory Racing team. There’s a strong desire to write an important new chapter in motocross and to leave behind two nightmare years, to put it mildly. In 2024, first a left knee injury, then the serious training accident in March followed by a very long rehabilitation. This year, a premature end to the World Championship season due to a torn ACL and a partial fracture of the tibial plateau in the left knee in Argentina, a situation that worsened after returning to racing (details).

But it’s also a new challenge for Fantic, which has launched a new partnership by entrusting the management of the Fantic Factory Racing MXGP team to one of the longest-standing and most established structures in the paddock, guided by the experience of Jacky Martens, 1993 500cc World Champion. Alongside the 25-year-old from Cavaso del Tomba (Padua) will be 29-year-old Belgian Brent van Doninck, with continued commitment in the EMX125 European Championship with two young prospects: 16-year-old Sicilian Gennaro Utech, the reigning Italian Junior 125 Champion, and 15-year-old Dane Bertram Thorius. Building on the historic milestones achieved last season—the first moto win for the Fantic XXF 450, a total of seven podiums, and third place in the final championship standings—the Veneto-based brand is determined to maintain its presence at the highest levels of the Motocross World Championship.