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Red Bull KTM officially announced that Eli Tomac and Jorge Prado will join Aaron Plessinger for 2026, making a three-rider roster in the 450 division. Julien Beaumer will be the sole 250 rider for the brigade, but is not expected to mount up until the start of the Pro Motocross season in May. “It’s that time of year again when we start preparing for the upcoming season with new riders and bikes,” said Ian Harrison, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager. “We are really excited to continue working with Aaron and Julien for another season, while we also welcome both Eli and Jorge into the team for 2026.” Tomac left Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing at the end of the 2025 SuperMotocross season after giving them 50 podium finishes and two championships. He swept the Monster Energy Supercross and Pro Motocross series in 2022. Tomac was well on his way to another Supercross title in 2023 before injuring his Achilles tendon in the next-to-last race of the season in Denver. “It is always interesting to bring in a rider such as Eli, who we have raced against over the last decade and we’ve always looked for ways to beat him, but now we are focusing on how we can support him to win,” Harrison continued. “I am confident that our team and all of the riders will benefit from his experience and maturity.” Prado will also move to Red Bull KTM after a disappointing season with Monster Energy Kawasaki that saw rider and team end their relationship one year into a three-year contract. “In addition, Jorge, on the other hand, had been in the KTM family for a long time with a lot of success in Europe prior to this past season,” Harrison said. “He trained alongside our team at the beginning of 2024, so for us it is an opportunity to have him back where he feels most at home, and to help him achieve his goals in the United States.” Plessinger returns to the team for his fifth season on a KTM. Sidelined toward the end of the 2025 season with health issues, he finished eighth in the Motocross series and sixth in Supercross. “This year started strongly for Aaron, and after spending an extended period on the sidelines, he is focused on getting back to where he was,” Harrison said. “We are all looking forward to having ‘The Cowboy’ back at the races with the team – he is chomping at the bit to get going.” With Prado added as a third 450 rider, the team will field only one 250 racer. Beaumer’s 2025 teammate Tom Vialle will return to Europe and the MXGP series. Beaumer will miss the 2025 Supercross series to recover from a burst fracture to his L3 vertebra. “ ‘JuJu’ is doing all that he can in his recovery, so even though there is still a long way to go and we don’t expect him back until Pro Motocross, we know that he’ll be competitive once he’s in a position to do so, and we are supporting him every step of the way,” Harrison said. “Collectively, the team dynamic is really strong leading into the new year, everybody is quite familiar even if 50 percent of the rider lineup is new for next season. Right now, it’s time to keep our heads down and to keep progressing leading into Anaheim 1, and we will be ready to go racing together come January.” More SuperMotocross News
