KTM North America officially unveiled its FMF KTM Factory Racing offroad team for the 2023 season, including six riders including Johnny Girroir stepping up and Taylor Robert fully focused on the ISDE in Argentina.

The 2023 FMF KTM offroad team will have some familiar but also new faces as it welcomes two newcomers Mateo Oliveira and Johnny Girroir. Neither will arrive as strangers to the Murrieta California based team having raced for the supported KTM team in Oliveira’s case and the close neighbours at GASGAS for Girroir.

After so many years of success in the 250 classes, Johnny Girroir will also make his step-up to XC1 Pro class in GNCC: “I’m really excited to join the FMF KTM Factory Racing Team and I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds! I am looking forward to lining up on the front row in GNCC, and ready to fight for wins and championships in both series.”

The new boys will join Trystan Hart, Dante Oliveira, Ben Kelley and Taylor Robert with Tim Weigand returning as Team Manager of the squad – the notable absence from which is Josh Toth who has already been announced as switching to GASGAS in 2023.

Thad Duvall is another rider turning GASGAS red by the way replacing Ricky Russell who has jumped ship to Am Pro Yamaha alongside, get this, Zach Osbourne. There’s more including a move for Stew Baylor which we’ll cover in more detail in a seperte story...

2022 WORCS and NGPC Champion Dante Oliveira will again head up the west coast racing series’ for KTM in 2023 and will be joined by multi-time champion Taylor Robert coming back from injury (again!).

Ben Kelley is another rider back from injury having broken his leg partway through ’22 and surely be ready to pick up where he left off in what was otherwise a totally dominant GNCC season.

Ben Kelley: “I’m looking forward to another season of GNCC and National Enduro racing with the KTM offroad team. I’m coming back from a major injury, and I’m determined to get back to my previous winning form and hope to fight to reclaim the GNCC Championship, while working towards my first National Enduro Championship during the 2023 season.”

Kelley and Girroir will be headlining the east coast effort, with Kelley competing on a KTM 350 XC-F in the GNCC Series and AMA National Enduro Championship, while Girroir will concentrate on the GNCC Series (XC1 Open Pro) and the AMA U.S. Sprint Enduro Series (Pro), also competing on the very capable KTM 350 XC-F.

Hart Hard Enduro king pin

Trystan Hart spearheads the Hard Enduro campaign for FMF KTM having successfully taken the 2022 AMA Hard Enduro Series and finishing runner-up in EnduroCross. It is expected Hart’s ’23 calendar will be a heavier to include the full FIM Hard Enduro World Championship season. “Winning Erzberg is very high on my list for 2023” says the Canadian.

On the west coast, Dante Oliveira will be defending his AMA National Grand Prix Championship (NGPC) title on a KTM 450 XC-F, as well as competing in the AMA West Hare Scrambles Series (WHS). Meanwhile, Dante’s brother, Mateo Oliveira, will make his full-time Pro-class debut in NGPC and WORCS events, also aboard a KTM 450 XC-F.

 Dante Oliveira: “I’m happy to be working with the team for 2023! I’m going to be changing it up, getting back to where I started out racing dirt bikes in West Hare Scrambles, also working hard to defend my GP Championship.”

Brother Mateo says, “it’s  been a dream of mine to get to race for this team and to be following in my brother’s footsteps, alongside him, is surreal. Working with Timmy and the crew is going be a blast, I can’t wait to get started!”

Welcome back (again) Taylor!

Taylor Robert returns to action after missing most of last year due to a season-ending injury he sustained in April. In 2023, Taylor will ride select events on a KTM 450 XC-F in preparation for his goal of leading team USA to a third World Trophy at ISDE, which will be held in Argentina.

Taylor Robert: “I am very excited to be a part of the FMF KTM Factory Racing Team for my 10th year in a row. This year is all about raw speed for me. I’m going to go out there with the objective of being as precise and fast as possible. Using select races throughout the year to prepare me for the end goal of helping team USA win its third World Trophy at ISDE.”

Tim Weigand, FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “It is with great pleasure that we announce the 2023 FMF KTM Factory Racing offroad team. We are as strong as ever, with six very talented and determined riders that are ready to tackle the new year. We are looking forward to another successful year.”

Antti Kallonen, Director of Offroad Racing: “Once again, we have been able to strengthen our team by securing the current and future champions of the sport. Tim manages the team very well and has assembled the best possible support to find success. The strengthened partnership with Ranch Russell will provide our athletes with state-of-the-art facilities for the physical and mental training needed to win races and championships.”  

Photo Credit: KTM North America