With his next chapter now locked in, Cole McCullough is gearing up for a big step forward in 2026. The talented Northern Irish rider has signed with the De Baets Yamaha team for his rookie EMX250 season, opting for a two-stroke programme as part of a clear long-term plan to progress through the European ranks.
After showing front-running speed, securing his first EMX podium and EMX125 race win in 2025, McCullough heads into the new season with confidence, structure and a strong support network around him. We caught up with McCullough to discuss how the Yamaha deal came together, why a 250 two-stroke made sense for year one, his pre-season plans, and the lessons learned from his final season in EMX125.
GateDrop: Cole, it’s finally official. You’ve signed with De Baets Yamaha for 2026. How did the deal all come about and when did talks first start?
McCullough: It is great to have my plans secured for 2026. My plan was always to race a 2-stroke in my first year in the EMX250 series. The plan is to then move to the 4-stroke for year two in the class. The deal pretty much came about through my two engine men, Jan and Tim, they had spoken to Danny and got the ball rolling, then my dad secured everything after meeting with the Team. Roger Magee was also helping me secure a deal for 2026 and has done a great job. His experience and knowledge have been great, and it is always very refreshing to have him, as well as Gordon Crockard help me and my dad with advice and any information we require.
GateDrop: It’s not easy for riders at the moment in the paddock – did you have many offers for 2026?
McCullough: There were a couple of options with Fantic, but overall the Yamaha deal suited my program better and had a lot less stipulations.
GateDrop: You’ve already done some laps on the Yamaha – how do you feel on the bike and the 250cc?
McCullough: I had been training on a 450 Yamaha back in Ireland for a few months, and only rode my new 250cc for the first time in mid-January It took me a week or so to get comfortable with being back on a 2-stroke again, but when it all clicked together it has been a really good few weeks.
GateDrop: You’ll race a 250cc two-stroke in the EMX250 series next year, what’s the reasons behind racing a two-stroke?
McCullough: My dad and my engine men had already decided last year that we would race a 2-stroke for my first year, I guess once I make the move to 4-stroke I will ride them for the rest of my career, so it’s refreshing to have one final year on the smoker.
GateDrop: What are your goals for your rookie season in the EMX250 series next year?
McCullough: We don’t really set goals as such, basically if I ride at my best and perform like I know I can then the results will come. It was nice to get my first podium last year, and realistically I would like to get close to it again this year, we will try our best.
GateDrop: Will you race any National championships in 2026 and do you know yet which pre-season races you’ll do?
McCullough: I will do the full Dutch Masters if Motocross again this year in the MX2 class. I am doing Hawkstone International this weekend, and also the Dutch season opener at Lierop on March 1st, then it will be time to hit the hard pack before the EMX kicks off in Spain on March 22nd.
GateDrop: I guess you’ll mainly be based in Belgium next year with the de Baets Yamaha team?
McCullough: Yes that is the plan, I have a great base just 10 minutes from Lommel. My gym is two mins from the house which is good. After a day training it is nice to come back to the house, get everything washed, make dinner and relax
GateDrop: Looking back at your final year racing the EMX125 championship, even though it ended in an injury how would you sum it up overall?
McCullough: I achieved pretty much what I knew I was capable of in 2025. Running at the front of the pack consistently, getting my first podium then backing it up the following weekend in Arco with my first race win.
GateDrop: You achieved your first podium in Riola, just how did it feel to stand up on the podium? It was a long time coming!
McCullough: It took a bit longer than I anticipated, but when I got on my new race bike prepared by Jan and Tim, the week before Riola, I knew for sure I could win races on it, and that is exactly what I did.
GateDrop: After your podium, you got your first race win in Arco di Trento – hard pack! Just how amazing was that for you to get a win? It is very very hard to do at EMX level…
McCullough: As I said, once I got on my new race engine, I knew for sure I could win races on it. It was just a shame when race two that weekend was cut short for me with a silly mistake made by the team, I knew standing on the top step of the podium was very realistic and certainly was achievable.
GateDrop: Arco could have been at least another podium or maybe overall, but I believe you had clutch issues for the second race? A big shame…
McCullough: Yeah, it’s one of those ones where you want to make sure everything is fresh and new for race two. In hindsight I shouldn’t have let the team put a new clutch in that hadn’t been run in properly beforehand.
GateDrop: Did those results give you extra confidence and show you belong at the front of the pack?
McCullough: I knew my riding was always good enough to be at the front of the pack. My Dad assured me that Tim and Jan would have me one of the best engines, and basically when I got on the bike for the first time, I knew straight away that I could become a championship contender.
GateDrop: You were with the Dream Team Fantic team at the start of the year but then the team decided to stop. What went on there – how was your time with the team and being based in Italy?
McCullough: My first few months in Italy were the best preparation I could have had. I rode three days mid-week, then trained at the weekends because the tracks were too busy to get good motos done. When I did the season opener at Lierop, the first time I rode their bikes in deep sand, I knew my engine package wasn’t what I needed it to be. The 2 MJC Yamaha riders rode away from me at Lierop and that shouldn’t have been possible, my riding and suspension were good, but I just didn’t have the power to even stay close to them.
My dad was seriously ill that week and wasn’t able to attend the race, but the following week he assured me the new engine package from Jan and Tim would be better than anyone else in the class, and how right he was. The Italian rider in the team, Andrea Roberti, got injured and it wasn’t financially viable for the team to travel around Europe for just me. There was no fall out, it was a mutual decision to part ways after Ernee, even though I had a second place finish that weekend.
GateDrop: What do you feel you improved on most this year compared to previous seasons?
McCullough: My hardpack riding and my training program were the biggest improvement. Being based in Italy, then Belgium were also big factors. The split with the team didn’t affect me at all, I stuck with my own training program and got on with the job.
GateDrop: For people that don’t realise, tell us a bit about trying to be fast everywhere and get good results in EMX – it certainly isn’t easy because the level is high… EMX250 next year is looking super stacked!
McCullough: There really is no point trying to make someone from Ireland realise what the European scene is like. The mentality at home is you need to ride the Ulster championship to prove how fast you are, the MXoN in 2025 was a perfect example of how deluded people really are. When a race win, a podium and other top five results in EMX were not good enough to get the nod ahead of riders who are old enough to be my dad, you know there is a serious lack of knowledge with the management and selection process. This year EMX250 certainly is stacked, but to be the best, you have to beat the best, so it really is where I need to be riding.
