- Debut Supercross season yields holeshots and Heat Race win
- Looking ahead to 11 round Pro Motocross series
- Joey Savatgy to make his racing debut on Triumph TF 250-X
Shaking up the world of motocross is no easy feat, but that’s exactly what Triumph set out to do in 2024 competing with the Triumph TF 250-X in both the Monster Energy AMA 250SX East Championship and Pro Motocross Championship. The full season of Supercross delivered holeshots, a Heat Race win, and fighting for podium positions. Now attention turns to the outdoor season.
Rider Jalek Swoll enjoyed his most successful season in Supercross on the all-new machine. Despite picking up a back injury early in the season, the 23-year old from Belleview, Florida, valiantly flew the flag for Triumph over the course of the nine-round Monster Energy AMA 250SX East Championship.
Although a debut podium fell just out of reach after a crash fighting for second place at Round 8 in Philadelphia, the #33 bike was consistently running top five pace, managed two holeshots and his – and Triumph’s – first Heat Race win. The aim was to finish the championship in the top five and Jalek placed seventh overall. If it wasn’t for two incidents outside of his control in the opening rounds, the nine points needed for that position would have easily been achieved.
The bright lights of the arenas now give way to the challenging terrains of the outdoor tracks when the 2024 Pro Motocross season kicks off on May 25 at the Fox Raceway in Pala, California. For the 11 rounds and 22 motos of the Nationals, Triumph Racing can count on the youthful exuberance of Jalek Swoll joined by his multi-time race winner teammate, Joey Savatgy, on the #17 Triumph TF 250-X.
Savatgy has spent all year preparing for the outdoor season, where previously in the 250 class between 2013 and 2018 he has finished twice in the top three overall standings, achieving 14 visits to the podium with seven of those being on the top step.
Jalek Swoll #33
“Being part of a legendary brand and being their only rider throughout the Supercross season made me proud. We certainly learned a lot about ourselves, as a team, and with the bike. A lot of credit goes to Triumph as the TF 250-X started out in a competitive way. The bike corners so well; it’s super light and nimble so I can move it around how I want to.
“Looking ahead to the Nationals, I feel really good. If I’m honest I prefer the outdoors and I’m definitely pumped and excited to showcase what I and the bike can do. The goal is to fight for podiums at each round as I’m plenty capable of being up there and the bike is, too. The Grand Prix guys are already outdoors and so we can fast forward a few things from what they’ve learned.
“The Nationals are something else. The depth of field on the gate is insane and all the fast guys are there, so it means a lot when you can put some good results on the table. You either love Pala or hate it. It’s certainly not my best track, but it’s the season opener and so everyone is pumped and ready to go, I know I definitely am.”
Joey Savatgy #17
“My off-season has been long! I’ve not necessarily been sitting around, but watching the racing and not being part of it hasn’t been easy. But those were the cards we were dealt with, so the time has been an extended training block with a lot of riding outdoors. We’ve made a lot of refinements with the bike and also with myself, both mentally and physically.
“From when I first rode the bike to now, we’ve made heaps of improvements, but we will continue to learn. We have a smart crew around us to get the boat pointed in the right direction. The vibe with the team is great; they’re so knowledgeable and with them having some good results in Supercross, it’s such a confidence booster to me. I would have loved to be out there with them, but my chance is almost here.
“My goal for the season is to go and win – I feel connected to the bike. A lack of gate drops is never ideal, but I know the Triumph TF 250-X well, my fitness is good and so I think we can do some damage. My experience will be an advantage with a long season and a lot of motos. For the times when it just isn’t clicking, it’s about maximizing the points and doing the best I can do. I’ll get the wins if they’re there, but on the weekends that don’t come as easy I’ll remember the long game and grab the points. If we can leave the first round in a good place mentally, it will set the tone for the rest of the season.”
Bobby Hewitt – Triumph Racing Team Principal (US):
“There was a lot of questions about the Triumph TF 250-X coming into 2024, but after nine races in Supercross, a lot of development and testing, the gap to our competitors is a lot smaller. I feel a lot better coming into the outdoor season than what I did for the indoors.
“If we can call this the midpoint of our year, there are two main highlights so far for me in 2024; lining up for the first round in Detroit was historical, and then of course there was Jalek winning his and Triumph’s first Heat Race in Philadelphia. Our toughest moment had to be in Indianapolis when we had a sensor issue and Jalek wasn’t able to complete the final race of the triple header. That hurt our position, points, and morale. But it was also a learning experience and something we’ve been able to remedy.
“The Nationals are very difficult for riders. In the past five seasons there’s been an average of 121 entries, and from those nine complete every race with just five of those scoring points in every moto. It’s tough! But Jalek’s had an incredible year so far with great moments, which gives him confidence and motivation coming into outdoors.
“Joey coming into the outdoors is a huge positive for the team and Jalek; it gives him a teammate to talk about different lines and other details. Sure, it does make our life busier each weekend, but this year has been very stressful having all of our eggs in one basket, so it’s nice to have two riders out on track.
“I have one goal and that’s to win the championship; everything else is just the process of getting there. We know the bike a lot better, have a solid base and a motivated team and riders. For Pala, if both riders are in the top 10 of both motos, I’d be very pleased about that. By the time we reach High Point Raceway, the fourth round of the season, we will have experienced different track types, conditions, and weather, so after that I’d be expecting top fives and podiums from the mid-season.”
Ian Kimber – Triumph Head Of Off-Road Programs
“We’re all excited by the transition from Supercross into the outdoor season. The results in Supercross, coupled with the competitiveness we have seen in MX2, give us confidence in the capabilities of the Triumph TF 250-X to perform in a multitude of conditions. We hope to see the same kind of holeshots, and front-running pace that we have seen in our other races so far.
“We’ve witnessed Jalek having his best ever Supercross season and now heading outdoors with Joey finally joining the squad not only sees us bolster our rider line-up, but also adds an experienced hand to the race team. Although the rule change didn’t go in our favor for Supercross, it has given Joey the extra time to prepare for the outdoor season and he’s keen to show everyone what he’s capable of.”
ABOUT TRIUMPH RACING
- First established in 1902, Triumph Motorcycles has a glorious racing history, competing in and winning races in almost every class and field of motorcycle sporting achievement. From winning the second ever Isle of Man TT in 1908, through to 1960s road and track domination in Europe and America, right up to contemporary racing achievements with the Triumph triple powered 2014 and 2015 SuperSport titles and World SuperSport racing, Isle of Man SuperSport TT wins in 2014 and 2019, courtesy of Gary Johnson and Peter Hickman, plus an average speed of over 130mph 2023 by Peter Hickman on his Triumph STR765, and a thrilling last-lap victory at the legendary Daytona 200 by Brandon Paasch on the Street Triple 765 in 2022.
- Triumph’s racing legend continues as the exclusive engine supplier to the FIM Moto2™ World Championship since the start of the 2019 season. Triumph Motorcycles provides all the teams with race-tuned 765cc triples, each of which is based on the class-leading Street Triple RS powerplant. Redefining the class, Triumph broke record after record in the inaugural year, including the first ever +300km/h Moto2™ top speed. Reflecting these great successes, the wonderful feedback, and partnerships that Triumph have had with the riders and their teams, and the incredible response from Triumph fans across the world, Triumph and Dorna decided to extend the relationship in 2021 and again in 2023, signing a new contract for another five years of racing: 2025 – 2029.
- In 2021 Triumph announced its forthcoming entry into the Motocross and Enduro worlds with the single-minded ambition and commitment to develop a championship winning team.
- In 2022, the appointment of Team Principal Bobby Hewitt and Team Manager Stephen ‘Scuba’ Westfall was announced. The team will be located at a dedicated new state-of-the-art private race facility in the USA.
- In 2023, Triumph announced its intention to compete in the 2024 MXGP/MX2 and SuperMotocross World Championships and confirmed the appointment of two top class riders to lead its race development testing. Clément Desalle joined as test rider for the Triumph Racing MXGP/MX2 Team, run by Thierry Chizat-Suzzoni, and Ivan Tedesco joined as full-time test rider for the Triumph Racing US SuperMotocross World Championship Team, led by Bobby Hewitt.
- In September 2023, Triumph’s new 250cc motocross bike was revealed in public for the first time, at the SuperMotocross World Championship Final at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in California.
- In October 2023, Monster Energy was unveiled as the title sponsor of the MX2 team, named ‘Monster Energy Triumph Racing’ and the race bike was unveiled at the Motocross of Nations. In November the riders Mikkel Haarup and Camden McLellan were announced.
- In January 2024, the Triumph Racing SuperMotocross team line-up was announced with Jalek Swoll and Evan Ferry racing the 250SX East Supercross series, while Joey Savatgy joins them for the Pro Motocross series later in the year.
- In February 2024, Triumph Racing competed at its first ever Supercross event in Detroit in the 250SX East category with its new Triumph TF 250-X, while the Monster Energy Triumph Racing competed in Spain as a pre-season warm-up for the MX2 World Championship, followed by a further pre-season race in France.
- On March 10 2024 Triumph lined up for its first ever FIM Motocross World Championship event with the Monster Energy Triumph Racing Team in Patagonia, Argentina. Mikkel Haarup made history by taking a podium third for Triumph’s inaugural outing with the TF 250-X, scoring 5-2 results across the two motos including a holeshot award for an incredible start in the second race. His teammate Camden McLellan went 11-6 for an impressive ninth overall.
- Jalek Swoll took Triumph’s first Heat Race win with the TF 250-X in Philadelphia at Round Eight of the 2024 AMA Supercross 250SX East Championship on April 27. The Triumph racer went on to demonstrate the bike’s strong capabilities, battling for the podium the majority of the Main Event, although he ultimately crashed out while making the pass for second position in the closing stages of the moto.
- 25th May 2024 the Triumph Racing team will line-up for the AMA Pro Nationals for the very first time with riders Joey Savatgy and Jalek Swoll.
SOURCE: TRIUMPH
