MXGP: Yamaha takes its team in-house and quits MX2

Yamaha Motor Europe is restructuring its programme in the FIM Motocross World Championship: the brand is bringing its factory MXGP team in-house and ending, with immediate effect, its official involvement in MX2. The announcement came on Wednesday 14 October 2026.

What changes

Yamaha Motor Europe takes direct responsibility for the day-to-day management and technical development of Yamaha Factory Racing MXGP. The team therefore comes under the brand's internal control.

The reorganisation follows the opening of the new motorsport research and development facility at the Yamaha Campus in Gerno di Lesmo, Italy. MXGP development will be centralised there, following the model Yamaha already uses for its road racing and rally raid programmes.

• Factory MXGP team: managed in-house by Yamaha Motor Europe;
• MX2: end of factory involvement, with immediate effect;
• EMX250 and EMX125: these programmes are also being restructured;
• development: centralised at Gerno di Lesmo.

The stated goal

The changes are part of a broader strategy: concentrating resources to bring Yamaha back to the top step of the podium in the premier class, MXGP.

A tribute to former partners

In its statement, Yamaha thanks Hans Corvers and the Kemea Team for their contribution in MX2 and MXGP, including Maxime Renaux's 2021 MX2 world title. The brand also thanks Wim Hutten and the Hutten Metaal Team for their EMX250 success, including titles for Thibault Benistant, Rick Elzinga and Andrea Bonacorsi since 2020.

What is not yet known

Yamaha has given no timeline and no names: the team's management structure and the full rider line-up will be announced later. The sources consulted also do not say what happens to the riders currently under contract in MX2.

Key takeaways

• Yamaha is taking its MXGP team over directly;
• it is leaving the factory MX2 team immediately;
• development is being concentrated at Gerno di Lesmo;
• the line-up and management are still to be announced.

The editorial team