Beaton, along with teammates Pauls Jonass, Arminas Jasikonis and Thomas Kjer Olsen will finally begin their championship campaigns, with the world championship series kicking off in Europe for the first time since 2012.
Heading up Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s MXGP effort, Pauls Jonass embarks on his second term in the premier class. With one season of 450cc racing under his belt, the Latvian is aiming to improve on his 2019 ranking of sixth in the series standings. The former MX2 World Champion claimed four runner-up moto finishes and earned three overall podium visits during 2019 and heads into 2020 focused on delivering moto wins aboard his FC 450.
Arminas Jasikonis begins his second season within the familiar surroundings of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing. Finding success in the highly-competitive 2020 Internazionali d’Italia Motocross Championship with a third-place overall result in the final series standings, Jasikonis is looking to carry his strong form into the MXGP series. With his confidence high following strong early-season performances, the 22-year-old lines up for the 2020 season fit, healthy and in the best shape of his career to date.
In the MX2 class, Thomas Kjer Olsen starts the season focused on the MX2 title, despite a recent injury that has forced him to take some time out from riding. Championship runner-up in 2019 with one GP victory and three race wins, the Dane has been a constant podium-threat throughout his time in the MX2 division. With 2020 marking Kjer Olsen’s final year in the MX2 category due to the under-23 age limit rule, the FC 250 rider is looking for a strong start to his year at Matterley Basin.
Another rider returning for a second season aboard Rockstar Energy Husqvarna machinery is MX2 ace Jed Beaton. A race and overall podium challenger during the mid-stage of his 2019 MX2 World Championship campaign, Beaton’s best race result was a third-place moto finish. After strong performances at two recent pre-season events, the 22-year-old will arrive at the series opener ready to establish himself as a title contender.
Completing the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna line-up, Kay de Wolf moves up from the EMX 125 series to join his MX2 stablemates aboard FC 250 machinery. Taking part in the nine-round EMX 250 championship, the young Dutchman will start his season at the MXGP of The Netherlands.
The FIM Motocross World Championship kicks-off this weekend at Matterley Basin, England, on March 1. The 20-round series will take Rockstar Energy Husqvarna on a world tour of four continents, 17 countries, and a see them compete on a variety of terrains that will test the riders and their machinery.
Antti Pyrhönen – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MXGP Team Manager: “Everything has been going great over the off-season and the whole team is looking forward to a new year of MXGP competition. Since the Motocross of Nations we’ve worked hard to improve our bikes and we feel that we are coming into 2020 with a lot of positive energy. Further preparation over the winter has been great and the riders have been working on fine-tuning their skills, so we’re in a good place ahead of Matterley Basin. After an intense period of testing, the pre-season races went very well for Pauls and Arminas, proving that the refinements made to their FC 450 machines in the off-season have worked well. Starts were a focus for us so we’ve worked on those a lot. Most importantly ahead of the new season, both Pauls and Arminas are healthy and confident and they’re looking forward to racing. As a team we can’t wait to get the season started as the lead-up has gone very well. We’re looking for some great results from both riders.”
Rasmus Jorgensen – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 Team Manager: “The entire team has been working extremely hard all winter long, and we can all feel the excitement to get this season underway. The riders are all really pleased with their FC 250 machines, and I am confident they all have a great base set-up on their bikes. Thomas is obviously coming in a little on the back foot after spending five weeks off the bike. It’s important for him to stay calm, take what he can from the early GPs and look at the bigger picture. After finishing second in the championship last season he is really motivated. Jed is in really good shape and has made great improvements over the winter. It’s a long season and he needs to stay consistent. Our EMX250 rider Kay De Wolf will join us in Valkenswaard for his EMX250 debut after making the transition to the FC 250 over the winter. We’re fully prepared and looking forward to getting the racing season underway.”
