Press Release- December 2025
Photos: Simon Cudby
Tim Weigand, FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Manager:”The 2026 season is here and FMF KTM Factory Racing is ready with a powerful seven-rider lineup competing across all U.S. national series. Every rider on this roster is capable of winning on any weekend, making this one of the most exciting lineups we’ve assembled. We can’t wait to see what this group achieves together this season.”
Antti Kallonen, KTM Group North America Director of Offroad Racing: “This team is built on strong leadership, clear direction, and racers who know how to win. We trust our people, we trust our process, and we’re confident in what lies ahead thanks to our Team Manager, Tim Weigand, who assembled one of the strongest rider lineups to date. I can’t wait to get the racing started.”
Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Champion Ben Kelley returns to defend his title equipped with a KTM 450 XC-F, joined by 2024 GNCC winner Johnny Girroir and XC1 Open Pro Class newcomer Grant Davis. The formidable trio is set to spearhead KTM’s charge for GNCC success in 2026.
Kelley delivered an exceptional GNCC campaign this season, with the 29-year-old securing two Overall victories and four additional podiums across the 13-round series, ultimately earning his second GNCC crown. In addition to GNCC, he will also contest the NE Pro1 Class of the American National Enduro Championship, while Girroir is set to enter the Pro1 division of the U.S. Sprint Enduro Series, with each program serving to complement their GNCC activities.
Two-time XC2 250 Pro Class GNCC Champion Grant Davis will graduate to the XC1 division for 2026, joining Johnny Girroir onboard KTM 350 XC-F FACTORY EDITION machinery following a dominant year in class last season, while also challenging for the Overall title. The 20-year-old claimed four GNCC Overall victories and three additional podiums on his way to finishing second in the final standings. He will also compete in the Pro1 Class of the U.S. Sprint Enduro Series next year.
Joining the lineup for 2026 is 21-year-old Jason Tino, who looks to rebound after an injury-interrupted 2025. He will pilot the KTM 250 XC-F in both the GNCC XC2 250 Pro Class and the American National Enduro Pro2 category, eager to showcase his potential across both series.
FMF KTM Factory Racing also welcomes Brandy Richards for her third GNCC campaign in the WXC Class. Richards, a five-time FIM 6DAYS Women’s World Trophy winner, will also look to reclaim the U.S. Sprint Enduro Pro Women’s title – which she previously won in 2024 – onboard the KTM 350 XC-F FACTORY EDITION next year.
In addition, FMF KTM Factory Racing standout Dante Oliveira will target a seventh-consecutive National Grand Prix Championship (NGPC) title in 2026, along with defending his National Hare and Hound (NHHA) Pro Class title equipped with the KTM 450 XC-F.
After clinching his fourth-straight U.S. Hard Enduro Championship last season, world-class Canadian Trystan Hart will also return with FMF KTM Factory Racing, piloting the KTM 300 XC in Hard Enduro. He will then aim to regain the AMA EnduroCross Championship – equipped with the KTM 350 XC-F FACTORY EDITION – later in the season. Hart claimed five Pro Class victories in U.S. Hard Enduro this year, alongside a hard-fought P2 result in EnduroCross.
