Just two weeks ago, Spanish rider Oriol Oliver’s MX2 career met an unwanted crossroads after a main sponsor from the BTS KTM team withdrew after three rounds of the FIM Motocross World Championship, resulting in Oliver being without a team at a crucial part of his career. With the age limit for competing in the MX2 class capped at 23 years old, 2025 marks the Spaniard’s last roll of the dice to compete in the class. He was then provided a lifeline with the GABRIEL SS24 KTM Factory Juniors team; with German EMX250 rider Max Werner injuring his shoulder, sidelining him for the foreseeable future, the opportunity arose for Oliver to showcase his talent in the German’s absence. The announcement for the Spaniard to fill in for the GABRIEL SS24 KTM team came in the week of the MXGP of Trentino, and he certainly grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
Words by Edward Heather – Images by Juan Pablo Acevedo
In the final moto of the weekend in Pietramurata, Oliver reaffirmed his worth by showcasing his ability on the world stage. He got off to a great start and settled into 6th place by lap three, maintaining an impressive pace throughout the 30 minutes plus 2-lap race, finishing ahead of a long list of factory riders to cross the line in 6th position.
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“I did one and a half days [testing] with the team in Lommel before Trentino”, reflected Oliver. “That actually was good enough to come into Trentino and run a good race, also I am used to the KTM and the all the package from the bike is really good. I felt this instantly from my first lap at Lommel!”
With such limited time on the bike and with the team in general, the result demonstrates how impressive the platform provided by the GABRIEL SS24 KTM Factory Juniors team is. Led by team manager Shaun Simpson and a crew of Jake Sheridan, Ben Coffin, and Ollie Kingston, they have integrated Oliver into the team in such a short time, ensuring the Spaniard is comfortable and able to showcase his true potential. With the huge pressure on his shoulders to perform in the fill-in opportunity, the positive and professional atmosphere across the team further helped Oliver ride to the best of his potential.
“With the team, I am really happy”, affirmed Oliver. “We have a great and professional team that looks to get the best out of the riders, with some more time on different tracks to get more of a feeling on the bike, we can make even more steps forward to battle further upfront! I am really grateful for the opportunity after what I have been through to begin the season.”
The initial plans were for Oliver to race the MXGP of Trentino and then the following round in Switzerland, but it’s hard to see the opportunity not stretch past Switzerland after such a strong display in limited time.`
“Unfortunate circumstances with Max [Werner] being injured but we feel like we have landed on our feet a bit with Oriol in the MX2 class” said team manager Shaun Simpson. “It has definitely added some excitement and enthusiasm with the results from the weekend. Pretty impressive results with only riding the bike a couple of times, we barely changed a click on the bike from when Max last rode and we went from strength to strength”
“It’s nice to be riding in the top 10 of the MX2 class, that’s where I see him riding, between 6-10 but I was amazed on the weekend to already be riding in that ball park with such limited time on the bike! We are really excited to keep working with him for the next few weeks and try and put something together with him to possibly stay a bit longer then Switzerland, we will have to watch this space!”
It was a great weekend for the GABRIEL SS24 KTM Factory Juniors team and Oriol Oliver. We eagerly await to see how the Spaniard progresses with more seat time on the bike and more time with the team, as they head to Switzerland for round six this weekend.