World MX Championship Riders along with AMA Pro-Outdoors and Supercross Racers partnership with Brands, a legacy from initial years of the sports history.
Riders-Brands agree on terms and conditions within a contract, subject to change come re-newal, aims for win-win arrangement whereby Rider gains Brands support to race and Brands gain industry and public recognition of product.
Given all above: financial input of Brands to Rider, time, work, effort, maximising Team morale to support Rider’s achievement of results, it’s little wonder questions are raised when Riders switch Brands.
Who wins: Rider making most of potentially better opportunity to race under new Brand/Team/Bike? Or Brand: making most of one door closes and another is yet to open- welcomes New Rider?
Both scenarios are potentailly accurate- one could argue either way: Rider comes first when achieving results for Brand/Team, AND Brand/Team has put in all hard yards for Rider to be able to race, and achieve podiums/wins.
Case in point WMX Riders: NZ’s Courtney Duncan switched Brands in 2019 from long-time support from Yamaha NZ and Europe to Kawasaki.
Having raced Yamaha from early years to end of ‘018: results were impressive achieving FIM Junior MX World Championship 6th place YZ 85cc, through to nailing win at Hangtown Women’s Triple Crown on YZ125cc in 2013, to winning WMX debut Round in Qatar YZ 250F in 2016. Duncan now races under UK based BIKE IT DRT Kawasaki.
Equally, WMX Race 1 holeshot and second place- getter R1 GP of The Netherlands March 30th, Amandine Verstappen switched from KTM to Yamaha for ‘019 season.
As # 274 states: ‘After my victory in Loket in 2017, taking Race win then 2nd Overall- Yamaha talked with me and gave me a good proposition. But I had never tried Yamaha bike and already had good proposition from KTM so I stayed with KTM for 2018 season. But during the season I tried Yamaha bike and decided to switch because I felt better riding Yamaha’.
And, staying with WMX Sara Anderson– finishing 6th R1 GP of The Netherlands this weekend, made move to KTM – making point clear, bike felt good to ride:
#325: ‘KTM wanted to help me for 2018, and I like the KTM better, so I changed Brand. The electric start made it easier for me, and I also had problems with the clutch on the Yamaha, which I have never had on the KTM. Both brands are good, but I feel better on the KTM, especially the new 2019-model’.
Rider-Brand partnership ever evolving, to suit needs of Rider with new contracts on table have to make sport challenging to Brands bottom line.
Take-out in the words of NZ’s first ever World MX Champion 500cc (KTM) Shayne King– ‘changing Brands, sponsors, product endorsements are all part of the sport- it just matters that each contributor places significance on their part in supporting a Rider’s Motocross career‘.
Header Photo: WMX GP of The Netherlands Credit: MXGP
Words: Sharon Cox
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