Triumph is Going Motocross and Enduro Racing

Triumph is going off-road racing, confirming development of a line of competition motocross and enduro models. The British brand says it will start a factory race program, committing to top-tier racing in both disciplines.

To that end, Triumph has enlisted the help of two of the best to ever compete: Motocross legend Ricky Carmichael (a.k.a. “The G.O.A.T”), and five-time Enduro World Champion Iván Cervantes. Carmichael and Cervantes will be active partners with Triumph, assisting in both testing and preparing for competition.

“This is an incredible opportunity for me to join this historic brand, and I am honored and humbled to be a part of the development and release of their off-road motorcycles,” says Carmichael. “Building something from the ground up is something that really is intriguing to me at this stage of my career.”

Full details about its motocross and enduro models will be announced in the next few months, but Triumph says we can expect a “comprehensive range” of motorcycles. At the very least, this should mean four-strokes in the 450cc and 250cc classes, but we can’t completely rule out other displacements or two-stroke models.

“Like me, everyone I am working with at Triumph is focused to make the bikes the best they can be,” says Cervantes. “I cannot wait to see the bikes competing at a world level, but I also look forward to when I can stand in a Triumph dealer and know I was part of this very special project.”

Triumph faces a big challenge entering the off-road realm. Producing a whole new motorcycle is a difficult task, let alone a range of models, especially in a whole new segment the company has no prior history in. Nevertheless, Nick Bloor, Triumph chief executive officer, says the company is fully committed to the task.

“Today’s announcement marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Triumph brand, which everyone at Triumph is incredibly excited to be part of. We are 100% committed to making a long-lasting impact in this highly competitive and demanding world, with a single-minded ambition to deliver a winning motorcycle line-up for a whole new generation of Triumph riders.”

Begin Press Release:

TRIUMPH ANNOUNCE THEIR INTENT TO ENTER THE MOTOCROSS AND ENDURO WORLDS

Triumph Motorcycles is excited to announce that development is well underway on a comprehensive range of all-new competition Motocross and Enduro motorcycles. Joining our class-leading and globally renowned motorcycle range, this all-new competition MX and Enduro (Dual Sport) family will bring all of Triumph’s engineering expertise to riders and racers worldwide.

This will be accompanied by a landmark moment for Triumph and the MX and Enduro racing world with an all-new Triumph factory race program and a commitment to top-tier championship racing in both Motocross and Enduro series.

Coming hand-in-hand with this commitment to race and win at the highest level in the sport, Triumph is proud to announce that global Motocross legend Ricky Carmichael and five-times Enduro World Champion Iván Cervantes have joined the Triumph family as active partners in both bike testing and preparation for racing.

An announcement of the timetable for the launch and reveal of the motorcycles, as well as the racing program and the full story on the product advantages the new Triumph MX and Enduro offer, will follow in the coming months.

Nick Bloor: CEO Triumph Motorcycles Ltd:
“Today’s announcement marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Triumph brand,
which everyone at Triumph is incredibly excited to be part of. We are 100% committed
to making a long-lasting impact in this highly competitive and demanding world, with a single-minded ambition to deliver a winning motorcycle line-up for a whole new
generation of Triumph riders”

Ricky Carmichael:
“I am thrilled to announce that I am joining the Triumph family and even more excited to be a part of their new endeavor into the off-road product category.

This is an incredible opportunity for me to join this historic brand, and I am honored and humbled to be a part of the development and release of their off-road motorcycles. Building something from the ground up is something that really is intriguing to me at this stage of my career. What is impressive to me is Triumph’s dedication, and passion to develop a top of the class product. Everyone that I have been involved with this project, from the engineers, design groups, R&D dept., etc., have shown extreme passion for what they are doing and that is a recipe for success and something that I love being a part of. We all share that same passion, and that’s to be the best.

If you are familiar with the Triumph brand, you already know the quality of craftsmanship is top shelf, and the off-road models will follow suit to their past!

Not only are these exciting times for me, but it’s an exciting time for the off-road industry to be adding another brand to the mix and the opportunities that lie ahead for all off-road consumers. I can’t wait to see the reactions when these models hit the dealer’s showroom floors.”

Ivan Cervantes:
“I have loved Triumph motorcycles right from being a small kid, seeing them in films and on television. So, to be working with Triumph from the beginning of this project is an amazing opportunity for me, not just because it is working with one of the world’s greatest motorcycle brands but also for being part of building something from zero. It is a dream come true for any racer!

Like me, everyone I am working with at Triumph is focused to make the bikes the best they can be. I cannot wait to see the bikes competing at a world level, but I also look forward to when I can stand in a Triumph dealer and know I was part of this very special project.”

Bio:
Ricky Carmichael – The G.O.A.T.

To many, this motorcycle hall of fame inductee will need no introduction. Ricky Carmichael is the greatest motocross racer of all time, aka “The G.O.A.T”. As an amateur RC won 67 National Championships, before turning pro at age 17. In his pro career, he won a record 15 motocross championships, with two perfect seasons, and a further five supercross championships. Over both motocross and supercross RC won an unsurpassed 150 races. Ever popular in the paddock and with fans, RC was voted AMA Rider of the year five times during his career.

Since retirement from professional level motocross racing as an athlete, RC has still stayed heavily involved in the sport he loves, from owning a championship winning team, designing tracks for the Daytona Supercross, running Ricky Carmichael University, commentating on the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, and working with Triumph as part of the most exciting development in his sport in decades.

Bio:
Iván Cervantes – El Torito

Five time World Champion Iván Cervantes’ racing career began in motocross, where the Spaniard won five national titles, before moving to enduro in 2002. At 23 years old, Iván made history by becoming the first Spanish champion in the EnduroGP E1 category. He followed this with a further three world championship titles in EnduroGP and an FIM Indoor Enduro World Cup championship title. In 2008, Iván became Spain’s first and only overall winner, in the 83rd edition of the International Six Day Enduro. Following his Enduro career Iván turned to the Dakar for his next challenge, where he competed three times and finished what is arguably the toughest motorcycle race in the world, twice.

After his retirement from professional level racing, Iván began his work with the Real Federación Motociclista Española, as the Sport Manager of Enduro in Spain. In this role Iván is the Manager of the Spanish Junior Enduro Team, and the track inspector for the Spanish National Enduro Championship. Iván’s focus on giving back to the sport that gave him so much, sees Iván joining Triumph for the once in a lifetime opportunity on working on a ground up new off-road project.

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