TRIUMPH’S MIKKEL HAARUP MAKES PRO MOTOCROSS DEBUT

Words and images courtesy of Triumph Racing

Triumph Factory Racing launched its 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship campaign at Fox Raceway. This event laid the groundwork for continued progress across the season. Mikkel Haarup delivered a solid performance in the highly competitive 250MX class.

He secured 15th overall and marked a promising debut for the Dane on American soil.

Haarup, racing in the United States for the first time in his career, was competitive from the start of qualification.

He appeared to be destined for a top 10 in moto one. Unfortunately, whilst fighting for one of those positions, he tipped over and was restricted to 15th at the chequered flag.

Hindered by a challenging start in moto two, he pushed forward to 16th at the finish line. This was via some impressive late-race passes that were made possible by his superior conditioning. A 15-16 scorecard secured him 15th overall at round one.

Jordon Smith impressed with a strong charge in moto one. This highlighted his raw pace aboard the TF 250-X. Ending lap one in 18th, he pushed to 10th by lap 12. A small mistake relegated him to 13th at the finish.

Smith was unable to build on that in moto two as he tangled in the first corner and started in dead last. Ultimately, he came up just short of points and exited Southern California in 19th overall via a 13-23 scorecard.

For Austin Forkner, Fox Raceway marked his first Pro Motocross event since 2023. Yet he immediately removed any rust with a sixth in the first qualification session. A crash on lap one of moto one halted that momentum and left a nasty gash on his leg that required stitches.

Desperate to battle on, he started the second moto and charged into the points after an early fall. A minor crash at the end caused him to drop to 22nd. Sadly, this crash left him with no points on the day.

Stilez Robertson withdrew from the race prematurely and will reevaluate his wrist. Updates on his condition will be posted in due course.