Yamaha Shake-Up in Motocross? MX2 Exit on the Cards—Here’s Why

Yamaha currently doesn’t seem to have a factory team in MX2, and its sponsors and riders are also up in the air. How will it all play out?

If Yamaha’s situation in MotoGP is far from rosy, there’s little to celebrate in the Motocross World Championship either. This time, however, it’s not about results: rumours are swirling of several twists and turns that could leave Iwata without its official MX2 team. From sponsor Monster Energy, which, as in the motorcycle Grand Prix world, is reportedly close to calling it quits, to the team running the operation, which has already announced the end of its partnership with Yamaha and could leave the paddock altogether, and even the Reisulis twins, who are carefully weighing offers from other manufacturers.

Last June, it was officially announced that Hutten Metaal Racing and Yamaha would end their 10-year MX2 partnership at the close of the 2026 season. As reported by Gate Drop, the news has cast considerable uncertainty over future plans, although Yamaha may not have been sitting idle in the meantime. So far, talks with the Kemea team, Yamaha’s factory MXGP squad, do not appear to have worked out. Then there’s the question of Karlis and Janis Reisulis, who are expected to be key to Yamaha’s future: uncertainty over the possible departure of an MX2 team has inevitably prompted the two Latvian riders to look elsewhere for next year, and there is no shortage of interest, particularly from Honda and KTM. Add to these developments the departure of its major sponsor, Monster Energy.

It would be a major upheaval, given the success they have enjoyed together over the years. The partnership began in 2008, with immediate world championship success in the then-MX1 class with David Philippaerts. The turning point came with Romain Febvre’s 2015 MXGP title: the team was called Yamaha Factory Racing Yamalube (also known as Team Rinaldi, run by Michele Rinaldi). The following year, the partnership grew stronger and the team took on the name Monster Energy Yamaha Factory. According to the same source, the only certainty at this point is Yamaha’s MXGP programme, with lead rider Tim Gajser expected to have a new teammate, Ruben Fernandez, who is leaving Honda HRC. Maxime Renaux, meanwhile, is set to depart and is reportedly heading to De Carli KTM.

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