Husqvarna announces Motocross Factory Team for 2014 season
Friday 30 August: Husqvarna Factory Racing has announced its intention to be a major player in the 2014 FIM World Motocross Championship series with a full factory team in the paddock for both MX1 and MX2 classes.
In
the MX1 class it will be South African born Tyla Rattray and Australian
Todd Waters who will wear the Husqvarna colors while in the MX2 class
Romain Febvre of France and Alexandr Tonkov of Russia are to represent
the new team.
South African Tyla Rattray Australian Todd Waters
Rattray,
former MX2 World Champion with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team,
has spent recent seasons competing in the AMA SX and MX competitions in
the US and in 2011 he was second overall in the AMA 250 MX class. Now
28, he first relocated from South Africa to Germany in 2000 to compete
internationally and qualified for his first GP races in 2001 at just 15.
Australian
Todd Waters joins Rattray in the MX1 lineup for Husqvarna. Winner of
five Junior National titles and 2012 MX1 Australian Vice Champion,
Waters is currently racing for the Motorex KTM Racing Team in Australia.
He has overcome injury in the current season to be in second position
in the 2013 National Championship after nine of ten rounds.
Finnish
Motocross legend Antti Pyrhönen, presently of Kimi Raikkonen’s Ice One
Racing is to manage the Red Bull Ice One Husqvarna Factory Racing MX1
team and brings with him a wealth of first hand experience in Motocross
and personal association with the Husqvarna brand.
"ICEONE
Racing is pleased to welcome our new riders Tyla Rattray and Todd
Waters, both from outside Europe, to the World Championship series. The
new Red Bull ICEONE Husqvarna factory team is aiming for the top. We
believe it can be reached by our dedication to the sport, and by the
commitment of our riders and their determined will to win,” commented
team owner Kimi
Räikkönen.
Russian Alexandr Tonkov Frenchman Romain Febvre
The
Husqvarna Factory Racing Team has acquired the services of two
promising young riders for the MX2 World Championship in Febvre of
France and Tonkov of Russia.
Despite
both riders missing rounds in the current season through injury, Febvre
and Tonkov have been stand out young competitors at other times and
finished well up the order in a number of individual races. Febvre took
two podiums in the season’s early overseas GPs and Tonkov picked up a
podium third in Loket, Czech Republic.
The
young riders will both be under the expert guidance of former 500cc
World Champion (Husqvarna), Belgian Jacky Martens, who will manage the
MX2 Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing Team. Febvre has already been
under Martens’ wing in the 2013 season with Marten’s Wilvo Nestaan JM
Racing KTM.
Jacky Martens:
"With Aleksandr Tonkov and Romain Febvre we have two talented riders
who are able to fight for podium positions. Both riders have shown great
things this season but due injury they have lost a lot of points. The
team will give them a better structure so they are able to grow in the
right way. We are looking forward to working with Alexandr and Romain
next year and we hope to see a lot
of
nice things from them in the 2014 season. As the factory Husqvarna Team
I am confident that we will score good results next year, and in the
years to come’’.