Håkon Østerhagen is a very talented rider but hasn’t had much luck the past 2-3 years mainly due to injury set backs. The Norwegian rider was battling for the 2021 EMX125 title and had the red plate after two rounds winning three out of the four moto’s but then an injury ruled him out of contention.
In 2022, Østerhagen moved up to the EMX250 series which went relatively well finishing seventh in the his rookie season. This year the plan was for Østerhagen to race the EMX250 series again but after injury, Fantic decided to let him race a bit of MX2 World Championship as well as EMX250 racing before another injury ending his season.
For the 2024 season, Østerhagen will have a new challenge as he’ll make the move up to the MX2 World Championship so he’ll be able to fully focus on his rookie MX2 GP season.
A change of team and manufacture is also in the works for Østerhagen as he’ll make the move from Fantic to the JM Honda team. The JM Honda team had Camden McLellan under the awning this year but with the South African on the way to Triumph, the JM Honda team required a replacement for 2024 and have chosen Østerhagen.
The move actually hasn’t been confirmed by the team yet but Infront Moto Racing revealed the news on the OAT list for 2024 which you can view, here.
The JM Honda team have already confirmed Brent van Doninck will be staying under the awning for 2024 and the team are also expected to run a talented EMX250 rider – yet to be confirmed!
Article: Andy McKinstry
Image: Alex Piantanida
