Mikkel Haarup Joins Triumph For Pro Motocross
Mikkel Haarup is set to join the Triumph Factory Racing Team for the entirety of the 2025 Pro Motocross championship.
Haarup raced for the Triumph team in the 2024 MX2 division of the FIM Motocross World Championship and will fill in for Jalek Swoll as he recovers from a torn achilles which will sideline him until later this year.
The Danish rider is set to ride the Triumph TF 250-X in the 250 class.
Danish rider, Mikkel Haarup, will join the Triumph Factory Racing team for the 2025 Pro Motocross championship.
“First of all, I’m super excited for this opportunity,” Haarup said. “It’s always been a dream of mine to race in the US, and to be able to do it with a team that I trust and on a bike that I love to ride is just perfect.
Of course, it means I am stepping away from my development role for now, but it continues in safe hands with Clement Desalle and Ivan Tedesco continuing the work. My expectations for the season are hard to say.
It’s a new racing format for me and there are different rules with the bikes. But, overall, the initial goal is to improve round by round. From there, the goals may change after a few races. Round one is not far away now, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Haarup previously raced for the Triumph team in the MX2 division.
“The addition of Mikkel to our team for Pro Motocross is really exciting,” said Jeremy Coker, Triumph’s General Manager. “Not only for us, but for the series – as it’ll have another rider from MXGP on the start line. Mikkel has been with us for a few months now and he’s been great to work with, and testing has been going really well. When the outdoor season starts, I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do, and it should be a great summer of racing.”
Haarup will fill in for the injured Jalek Swoll.
“Having Mikkel based in the US for his 450 development role has put us in a unique position,” added Ian Kimber, the head of Triumph’s global racing. “We’ve been able to utilize his skills and experience to the benefit of our American racing program, as well as continuing to develop our 450 machine.
The 2025 AMA Supercross season has been tough, and heading into Pro Motocross, we won’t have our full line-up of riders competing until later in the season. With that in mind, we’ve drafted Mikkel into the Triumph Factory Racing team for the Pro Motocross series in the 250 Class, which has a lot of benefits for all involved.
We’ve been able to take our time, get him used to the US-spec bike, and develop his set-up, so he’ll be fully prepared going into the season. Keeping him race-sharp is important, and he also brings a closer connection between our US and MXGP racing programs.
I’m super excited to see how Mikkel progresses this summer, and I know first-hand that his input will be invaluable for the team. The experience will be great for him, and we’re all looking forward to seeing him on the start gate later this year.”
The #107 will make his Pro Motocross debut at Fox Raceway on May 24.
Thanks to his development role with Triumph, Haarup has been based at the team’s state-of-the-art training facility in Georgia, USA for a number of months. The Danish racer has been offered the opportunity to get back behind the start gate, and he is now busy preparing for his first assault on the AMA series while familiarising himself with the US-spec TF 250-X machine. The 23-year-old will utilise the time in the championship to stay race sharp, before returning to his testing role.
Haarup joined Triumph for its inaugural season in the FIM MX2 Motocross World Championship last year, giving the British manufacturer a number of top five results and a historic first Grand Prix podium at the opening round of the series. Mikkel enjoyed a strong year, concluding the season fifth in the standings.
The unique opportunity to race the outdoors is a childhood dream come true for Mikkel, who is naturally excited for the season ahead. Before the Pro Motocross tour begins, the Dane will compete in lower-profile events to fully prepare himself aboard the TF 250-X in a racing environment, having last ridden competitively at the Motocross of Nations back in October. Mikkel’s first outing with the team will be a Loretta Lynn’s qualifier event in South Carolina this weekend.
The 11-round Pro Motocross series kicks off on May 24 at Pala Raceway in California before concluding on August 23 at Budds Creek, Maryland.
