For the first time since 2014, Yamaha Motor Europe will enter a Factory team into the highly competitive FIM MX2 World Championship. Building on a fruitful 23-year relationship, the previously named Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha MX2 team has been renamed the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 team for the 2020 season and has retained its strong contingent of MX2 protagonists Jago Geerts and Ben Watson for a third season.  Yamaha/Redeye image

Both riders will be campaigning the works version of Yamaha’s popular YZ250F, the YZ250FM. After finishing third in the 2019 MX2 World Championship where he proved his promise as one of only three race winners, 19-year-old Belgian sensation Geerts is a hot favourite for the title. Despite the pressure, the talented youngster remains calm. “I had a really good season last year” admitted the humble teenager, “I finished third overall in my second year of MX2. Now I’m working hard and looking forward to the next season where I just want to go out there and have fun and then we will see where I end up”.

Yamaha Motor Europe’s enhanced commitment to the MX2 series has given Geerts an added boost of motivation, “in the MX2 class there are really a lot of riders who can win” he said, “you need to work hard during the season and keep working. I think it will be an exciting year.”

Unlike Geerts who has four years left in MX2, Watson will turn 23-years-old in June and due to the class’ age restriction will be forced up into the premier class at the end of the year, and after a turbulent 2019 season, the Briton still sees himself as a title contender.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself for a solid 2019 season”, he said, “a lot of things didn’t go my way. Luck wasn’t on my side. I do see myself as a title contender. I just want to go out there and make sure I am enjoying myself. When I am enjoying myself, my riding will show in itself.”

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