KTM Announces The 2013 Factory FMF/KTM Team Riders

[caption id="attachment_18647" align="alignright" width="300"] Steward Baylor will debut aboard his KTM 250 XC two-stroke machine in his first full season in the GNCC XC1 class.[/caption]

The Factory FMF/KTM Offroad Racing Team, known as the most successful offroad racing team in the motorcycle industry, is excited to announce its rider line-up for the 2013 season.

The seven-rider team will feature reigning AMA National Enduro Champion Steward Baylor; former GNCC XC1 and National Enduro Champion Charlie Mullins; 2-time GNCC XC2 Lites Champion Kailub Russell; reigning AMA National Hare & Hound Champion Kurt Caselli; reigning WORCS Pro 2 Champion Ivan Ramirez; former 125cc Motocross National and WORCS Champion and reigning X-Games EnduroX Gold Medalist Mike Brown; and multi-time GNCC Women's Champion and X-Games Women's Gold Medalist Maria Forsberg.

Baylor, a former GNCC XC2 Champion, will debut aboard his KTM 250 XC two-stroke machine in his first full season in the GNCC XC1 class. He will contest the title against his teammates Charlie Mullins, Kailub Russell and the rest of the talented field. Baylor will also return to the AMA National Enduro Series to defend his 2012 title which he earned in his first-ever full-time season in the series.

Mullins, who suffered from a laundry list of injuries in 2012, is back to 100% and ready to compete in the GNCC XC1 and National Enduro Series. Mullins took one win in the GNCC XC1 Series in 2012 and is looking to increase that number in 2013. His teammate, Russell, will also return to the GNCC XC1 Series where he finished 2nd in 2012 in a finale that came down to the final race. Russell is more determined than ever to get his KTM out front in order to work toward securing his first GNCC XC1 Championship.

[caption id="attachment_18643" align="alignleft" width="199"] The Factory FMF/KTM Team has chosen 8-time ISDE Top American Kurt Caselli as its lead rider in the AMA National Hare & Hound Series.[/caption]

The Factory FMF/KTM Team has chosen 8-time ISDE Top American Kurt Caselli as its lead rider in the AMA National Hare & Hound Series where he is already a 2-time Champion. Caselli will compete with and mentor Ivan Ramirez in that series while also using the race time as added preparation for the SCORE/Baja Series. Caselli, Ramirez and Brown will all return to compete in the SCORE/Baja Series where they collectively earned 2nd overall this past season.

In addition to racing with Caselli and Ramirez in the SCORE/Baja Series, Brown, also plans to return to the AMA EnduroCross Series where he won his first main event last year as well as multiple podium finishes. Brown has stepped up his training program to put a bigger effort toward this series and securing more wins to put him in a better position for the championship hunt. Brown will be joined by special guest rider, Red Bull KTM's Taddy Blazusiak, at each round of the AMA EnduroCross Series.

The most successful rider of the 2012 Factory FMF/KTM Team, Maria Forsberg, is back for 2013. In 2012 alone, Forsberg secured the GNCC Women's Championship, X-Games Gold Medal and AMA EnduroCross Women's Championship. She plans to return to both series to defend her titles in 2013.

"I feel we have a very strong team for 2013," stated Factory FMF/KTM Team Manager Antti Kallonen. "We have put together a solid team of riders, each of whom is equally capable of winning a championship. We have a great group of riders and mechanics as well as the best offroad race bikes available and together we hope we have a recipe for success. We are looking forward to the 2013 season and a chance to win all the championships!"

For more on the Factory FMF/KTM Racing Team please visit www.ktmusa.com.

Source: KTM North America

2013 Factory FMF/KTM Offroad Racing Team Image Gallery

Photos by Mark Kariya, Drew Ruiz, and Shan Moore.