What a fantastic season it was for Slovenian talent, Jan Pancar, as he finished an impressive eleventh overall in the 2025 MXGP World Championship.
What makes his achievement even more remarkable is the fact that he’s competing with a privateer structure. It is a small but dedicated team consisting mainly of himself and his father, Igor, alongside support from his girlfriend and mother.
Despite limited resources, the Pancar family operation continues to punch well above its weight. The season ended on a real high at the Motocross of Nations in Ironman, where Pancar helped Team Slovenia to a historic fifth overall finish – their best-ever result at the prestigious event. Pancar himself also shone individually, finishing fifth overall in the Open class.
After the event, we caught up with the Slovenian to get an update on his plans for 2026, and at the time he admitted it was looking likely that he would be continuing with his own setup:
“It’s really hard to push someone out of the factory team, you know, because all the spots are full, so unfortunately it looks like I’m not getting a spot. So, yeah, it’s really sad, but it looks like we can be competitive in the setup we have. We will try our best next year and that’s why I want to train as soon as possible to be, you know, one step better next year and really be there as a top five rider.”
Since the Motocross of Nations, we understand that Pancar has received a couple of offers from teams, but nothing has materialised at this stage. As a result, it now looks increasingly likely that he will continue racing with his Team JP253 KTM setup for another season.
It’s undoubtedly a shame that Pancar – who has proven his speed, consistency and determination – hasn’t yet been rewarded with a factory opportunity. However, if his 2025 form is anything to go by, he’ll be more motivated than ever heading into the 2026 season. With another strong campaign, perhaps a long-overdue factory ride in 2027 will finally be on the cards for one of MXGP’s most hardworking and deserving privateers.
