The first rider in the new MX Beta rider line-up for the 2026 season has been unveiled. Yesterday it was all over the internet and today it is official.
Dutchman Rick Elzinga will take to the track in the 2026 MXGP Motocross World Championship with the Beta RX450 of Team Beta MRT Racing: an agreement has been reached between Team Beta and the 22-year-old rider born in Zenderen.

EMX 250 European Champion in 2022, Rick finished in the top ten, coming seventh, in the 2024 MX2 World Championship season, securing his first world championship podium in Portugal and another second place in the legendary Lommel.

In the 2025 season, which has just ended, Rick confirmed his qualities in the MX2 World Championship with consistent top ten finishes and thirteenth place in the final standings despite missing four GPs due to a collarbone injury. He returned to racing in good physical condition at the end of the season, narrowly missing out on the podium in the final GP in Australia, where he was third for most of Race 2.

Elio Marchetti: "We are proud to continue our relationship with Beta for the 2026 MXGP Motocross World Championship season, and we are already working on the first tests with the new RX450s. We would like to thank Ben Watson and Tom Koch for their hard work in 2025; for 2026, our team will still consist of two riders. Confirming our strategy of having a more experienced rider in the premier class and a young rookie to develop, we are pleased to announce the arrival of 22-year-old Rick Elzinga, who is already physically suited to the 450 and has an impressive track record that we will seek to enhance in his first year in the top category. We will soon announce the name of the other rider, as negotiations are currently underway. "

Rick Elzinga: "I would like to thank Betamotor and Elio Marchetti for this opportunity! I had the chance to try out the bike and I immediately liked it a lot. We will soon start working together and I confess that I am very excited about my first season riding a 450, an important "rookie season" for me! The team guys are very helpful and the goal now is to prepare as best as possible to arrive at the first stages of the World Championship with a good feeling with the bike and in good physical condition."

While the team and the Dutch rider are working hard to prepare for the start of the season, anticipation for the 2026 MXGP World Championship is growing, and the name of the other rider who will complete the Beta line-up for the 2026 season will be revealed shortly.