Jacky Martens starts new MXGP team for 2020!
Successful Belgian team owner and former world champion Jacky Martens has confirmed that he will convert his MX2 Grand Prix team into a premier MXGP team for 2020. He is expected to announce all details after the Swedish race in Uddevalla.
Two months ago the MXGP paddock was surprised by the split between Martens and Husqvarna after the partnership produced a string of top five/three MX2 championship results. The careers of Romain Febvre, Max Anstie, Thomas Covington and Thomas Kjer Olsen, among others, blossomed under the leadership of the Belgian. With its Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team, the Austrian brand had been the most important team to guide young people to the top for five years.
Martens' contacts and reputation in the sport have helped him through an uncertain period, and the 56-year-old from Lommel is now ready to announce a new chapter in his career as a team owner. “It's the right time,” he notes. “We have done some good things in MX2, but we think there is great potential in MXGP and I am about to confirm which manufacturer we will be getting support from. We think sponsor interest is greater for the toughest class – it's live on TV in Belgium – and we have extra support plus some old sponsors coming back. "
"I'm very happy, especially after a few months of sleepless nights thinking about how to fill a big hole in my budget.” he added. Martens is rumored to have links with Honda or Kawasaki and is working with Covington again, with the 23-year-old American apparently keen to return to MXGP after a disappointing 2019 season.
Tekst: Adam Wheeler
Photos: J.P. Acevedo, Cudby
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