With the 2026 season fast approaching, De Baets Racing have been busy shaping their future – finalising a merge with Petar Petrov’s AIT Team and confirming a strong rider line-up across WMX, EMX250 and EMX125. Team owner Danny de Baets has overseen some big decisions in recent months, from keeping double world champion Lotte van Drunen on board to adding promising talents in the form of Cole McCullough, Vencislav Toshev, Dex Kooiker and Torre van Mechgelen. We caught up with De Baets to discuss the new structure, expectations for the year ahead, the realities of running a private team, and his long-term vision for the project.
GateDrop: Danny, the teams have announced their plans for the 2026 season – are you happy with the rider line-up heading into the new year?
De Baets: We’ve been very busy behind the scenes and have now been able to finalise the merger with Petar Petrov’s AIT Team. We’ve also announced our rider line-up, which we are very happy with.
GateDrop: There always seem to be rumours about the future of your team and every year we hear the team could close its doors, but thankfully that hasn’t happened. Has that ever really been an option? It’s a difficult time for teams right now.
De Baets: Internally, stopping the team has never been an option. We always had the intention to continue; we just needed time to decide in which direction, depending on what kind of support we could count on from Yamaha.
GateDrop: You’ve retained Lotte van Drunen for a third year – what is she like to work with? She’s super talented!
De Baets: Lotte is a very hard-working and talented rider who knows exactly what she wants. At the beginning you need some time to get to know each other, but after two seasons and two world titles, I can confidently say we understand each other well and know what she expects.
GateDrop: How much are you hoping she can win three WMX World Titles in a row? That would be pretty special!
De Baets: Winning a world title is never easy, and a second one certainly isn’t either. We expect the competition to be even stronger again, but we’ll do everything we can to secure a third title.
GateDrop: The team has signed Cole McCullough for 2026. How did that deal come together and when did talks first begin?
De Baets: Cole was looking for a team to support him in the EMX250 class, and since we didn’t yet have a rider in that class at the time, we reached an agreement fairly quickly.
GateDrop: What impressed you about McCullough in the past that made you want to sign him for the future?
De Baets: I’ve been following him for several years in the 125cc class and I can see that he has the potential to achieve good results with the right guidance.
GateDrop: What do you expect from McCullough in the EMX250 class? I assume it’s a one-year deal at this stage?
De Baets: The EMX250 class is extremely competitive. We hope to see him consistently inside the top ten, with a few standout results. That should definitely be achievable with the support of the team, especially now with the additional coaching the riders receive from Petar Petrov.
GateDrop: The team welcomes back Dex Kooiker – you’ve worked with him before. First of all, why did he leave the team in the first place? You clearly like him since you’ve signed him again!
De Baets: Dex rode for us in the 125 class two seasons ago and showed some very good things back then. Unfortunately, he got injured halfway through the season and only got back on the bike at the end of October 2025.
GateDrop: What are your expectations for Kooiker next year in the EMX125 class?
De Baets: I know what he’s capable of, and we’ll push hard for him to achieve strong results in 2026.
GateDrop: The team has also signed Torre van Mechgelen for 2026 – he’s very talented. What has impressed you about him in the past?
De Baets: We’ve been following Torre for several years now and he’s currently one of the most promising young upcoming talents in Belgium.
GateDrop: For 2026, it will be van Mechgelen’s rookie season in the class – I assume you won’t put too much pressure on him and the main goal will be learning as much as possible?
De Baets: It’s a big step up to the 125 class. You move to bigger tracks and once again you’re the youngest in the field. In his first year, we’re aiming to qualify regularly, score points consistently and show solid progression throughout the season.
GateDrop: When it comes to budgets and running a team, it must be stressful. How much budget do you roughly need to run an EMX season?
De Baets: That naturally depends on the size of the team, but to run everything properly you need a budget of around €300,000.
GateDrop: Do you think Infront Moto Racing could do anything to help the teams more?
De Baets: A major cost is transport to and from the races. If the calendar and logistics were better aligned, that alone could save a lot. Removing entry fees and bringing back qualifying and prize money for riders would also help.
GateDrop: The team has run an MXGP rider in the past with Benoit Paturel – would you consider running an MXGP rider again in the future, or even an MX2 GP rider?
De Baets: Of course, we have the ambition to have a World Championship rider again, but the overseas races make it very difficult budget-wise for a private team.
