Valentina Ragni has been a key figure behind the scenes at Red Bull KTM for over two decades. As team coordinator, she’s seen it all – from world titles and legendary riders to the day-to-day logistics that keep one of MXGP’s most successful teams ticking. Her passion, loyalty, and energy are a big part of what makes the team such a tight unit.
We caught up with Valentina as she opens up about her incredible journey in the paddock, reflecting on some of the great riders she’s worked with over the years – from her early days with Pit Bierer and Ken Roczen, to her strong bond with Rene Hofer, and her ongoing connection with stars like Andrea Adamo and Jeffrey Herlings. She also gives a fascinating insight into life on the road, working under different team managers, her relationship with Isak Gifting, and how she’s still just as passionate about the sport as ever.
GateDrop: Valentina, let’s go back to the beginning. Before you landed your role at KTM, what was life like for you? I’m assuming you already had a passion for motocross?
Ragni: Yeah, actually I’ve loved motocross since I was a child. I’m from Cingoli, which has a pretty famous motocross track in Italy. My parents were big fans of the sport and started taking me to races when I was just three years old. From that point, it was love at first sight—motocross has always been a part of my life.
GateDrop: You’re now the Team Coordinator at Red Bull KTM, one of the top teams in the paddock. How did this opportunity come about for you, and have you always been in this role since joining KTM?
Ragni: Yes, I’ve been with KTM since 2003, and I’ve always been the team coordinator. After finishing university, someone mentioned there was an opening for a team coordinator in road racing. I wasn’t really into road racing—I loved motocross—but I figured it was a good opportunity. Around the same time, my club in Cingoli hosted a World Championship race, and they asked me to be the translator at the jury meeting. One of the top guys from the Italian Federation noticed me and said, “You know so many technical terms and understand the sport so well—why don’t you come help us?”
It started part-time, just covering travel expenses. I had to take a seminar to become a Clerk of the Course, which I passed, and then the Federation started sending me to GPs around the world as their delegate. During one of those events in Holland, I met the guy who later became my husband—he was a KTM mechanic at the time. We started dating, and I kept trying to combine motocross trips with my road racing job.
Eventually, I met Kurt Nicoll and Toby Gustafsson from KTM. They found my road racing role interesting and said they’d love to have someone like me on the motocross side. At the end of 2002, they offered me a job. It was a big decision—moving from Italy to Austria, living with someone I was still getting to know, and leaving my family—but they gave me time to think about it. Kurt said, “We want you, but you need to want us too.” That really stuck with me. After two months, my parents told me, “You’ve always loved motocross—this is your chance.” And that’s how it all started.
GateDrop: Do you remember the first riders you worked with? This would’ve been over 20 years ago—how did you prepare for your new role?
Ragni: In 2003, we had nine riders—five with the Austria-based team and four with Kees van der Ven’s MX2 team. The Austrian team had Joel Smets, Yves Demaria, Pit Beirer, James Dobb, and Garcia Vico. On the Kees side, we had Marc de Reuver, Ben Townley, Eric Eggens, and Steve Ramon.
My first race was in Qatar in February, organized by Georges Jobé. Kurt Nicoll told me, “You’ll go with the riders alone.” I was like, “Alone? I don’t even know them!” But he said that was the best way to gain their respect. It was intimidating at first—I remember thinking, “What if they don’t respect me?” But some of them already knew me from the sport, like Joel. Pit joked with me at first and I feel like he wanted to test me and see how much I knew about motocross… But they were all really good with me. I stayed professional, and they respected me. That’s key in this job, especially as a woman in a male-dominated world—you need to earn respect from day one.
GateDrop: Over the years, you’ve worked with so many riders, all with different personalities. Do you find you have to treat each one differently to get the best out of them?
Ragni: Absolutely. To do this job well, you need to be a bit of a psychologist. I always say if I could go back, I’d study psychology. I did one exam in it at university and found it really interesting. Every rider is different—some are more reserved, others more outgoing—and you need to adapt your approach to each one.
GateDrop: Can you usually tell early on if a rider has the right mentality to become a world champion? I’m thinking of someone like Tom Vialle—not the most hyped rider at first, but once he got his chance, he never looked back.
Ragni: Tom is one of the strongest-minded riders I’ve worked with. When we brought him into the team, people were asking, “Why Tom Vialle?” But Dirk Gruebel, our team manager then, said, “Why not? He deserves a chance.” We’d given chances to riders who didn’t make the most of them—Tom absolutely did.
When he won the title in Turkey against Jago, for me, it was all mental. Jago is incredibly talented and a really good rider, but that day, Tom’s mindset made the difference. Before the second moto, we spoke a lot. I told him, “This is just a mind game. If you’re mentally stronger, you’ll win.” And he did.
GateDrop: You always seem so positive and full of energy—is that just your natural personality, or is it your passion for the job?
Ragni: I think it’s both. You have to love what you do because this isn’t an easy job. The travel is constant. You miss family events—Easter, birthdays, everything. I’m lucky my husband is in the same business and understands, but this lifestyle requires real passion. Without that, it would be very difficult.
GateDrop: Can you walk us through a typical GP weekend? I imagine you’re extremely busy…
Ragni: Definitely! We usually arrive on Thursday or Friday, depending on the location. Nowadays we try to get there by Thursday since Friday now includes start practice. Friday is all about organizing—setting up rider schedules, managing media duties, making sure they’re on time and presentable.
Saturday and Sunday, I’m focused mostly on the riders. I give them results, help manage commitments, and make sure everything runs smoothly. A lot of what I do is behind the scenes, but I’m always there in case something’s needed. During the week I take care of everything and everyone, but on race weekends, it’s all about the riders.
GateDrop: I have to ask about Ken Roczen and Jeffrey Herlings. They both broke through around 2010–2011 and didn’t always seem to get along—what was that dynamic like?
Ragni: Yeah, they’re fine with each other now, they respect each other. But back then, it was different. Ken was already very professional and focused, even as a teenager. When he won the title, Jeffrey was heartbroken—he’d given everything and still came up short.
At that time, Ken was just a bit more ready, more mature. Jeffrey had all the talent, but he was younger and still developing. There was definitely some jealousy, but nothing ever got out of hand. They were both exceptional talents— I think guys like that only come around every ten years.
GateDrop: It always felt like Jeffrey needed that first big win to really believe he could do it…
Ragni: For sure. That first title was a turning point. The year with Kenny was tough for Jeffrey, but he bounced back immediately. He has that winner’s mentality, so not winning hit him hard—but it also made him stronger.
He’s a very tough boy and works incredibly hard. To lose the title was obviously a huge blow, but looking back, I think he now understands that maybe Kenny was just a little more ready for it. I believe if you speak with him now, he’d probably admit that Kenny was just that bit more ready to win the title that season.
GateDrop: This might be a difficult question, but Rene Hofer who tragically is no longer with us after a skiing incident. I am not just saying this but genuinely he was such a nice kid who was always smiling and positive. What was he like to work with? I am so glad he got to win that GP in Arco. They must be special memories when you reflect back to that weekend!
Ragni: Rene was also another hard worker. What I liked about Rene is that he was really thankful to have this opportunity to be in a factory team. Since he started to work with Joel, together with Tom Vialle, they got really close together and working very well together. The three of them made a great trio.
Rene was very demanding. Sometimes I joked with him and say: “Rene, stop it now” when he kept asking something, “if you ride good then I will give you what you ask for, otherwise not!”. But it was just as a joke, because we had a great relationship.
I always say that, these boys are professional riders, but still, most of them are very young, they are still kids, you know. And besides the technicians, I believe I’m the middle one: they need a figure next to them. It’s not that they always have parents close to them. So, for them, I’m kind of that figure, and all that creates a special relation, a cool atmosphere, feelings among myself and the riders. It’s really, really nice.
GateDrop: Current riders, alongside Herlings there is Andrea Adamo and Marc-Antoine Rossi, what are they like to work with? Adamo is always pretty honest and seems to say things how they are, I quite like that!
Ragni: Honestly, I see many similarities between Andrea and Rene. Because Rene was also very straight. Rene was also, like Andrea, demanding. But a hard worker, very professional and very honest. Sometimes even maybe too much for some people. For me, no, I like that because I’m the same. I really like to work with Andrea. Also, Jeffrey is very straight like Andrea. People think that they are arrogant, but it’s not true. You know, it’s just that they say the truth. And working with them is good.
Marc-Antoine, unfortunately, I didn’t work so much with him like, Andrea and Jeffrey. I‘ve been working with Jeffrey for about 16 years, Jeffrey is such a professional rider! He is really serious in his job. Really, he’s a hard worker. I think one of the hardest workers for his job. Jeffrey is maybe a bit less spontaneous than Andrea, he is also pretty outspoken but a bit different than Andrea. Okay, Jeffrey is from the north, Andrea from the south. So, of course, they are different. With Marc-Antoine, for the little time I worked with him, I must say he’s super funny. I believe he’s really integrated, even though for a short time in this team. He’s joking a lot with Andrea. With Jeffrey, unfortunately, he didn’t have the chance to work with yet. But he’s a funny boy. I miss him not being here because it would have been so good to have all three together. I think each one of them would have benefited to have the other one there.
GateDrop: In terms of GP’s – is there a GP you love more than the rest and always look forward to over the rest? If so, why?
Ragni: I would say, until this year, I would have said Villa La Angostura in Argentina. It is a GP that was just special. First of all, the track was nice. But the location, Patagonia, so beautiful. The people are very kind and good food. Not only was it a GP but it kind of also felt a holiday, you know. Everybody was so happy there because of the atmosphere, the location, the people make you feel like great in a different way.
GateDrop: Back when you would have started your role there wouldn’t have been as many GP rounds but now there’s 20 as well as the MXoN which you usually attend! Do you enjoy all the travelling and getting to see different parts of the world? At the same time you must be pretty tired at the end of the season (laughs)…
Ragni: 21 events, yeah. You know, when you think that maybe you miss one important event or maybe there is a concert you would like to go, but you say, no, there is a race. And then you say, oh. But then, once you step into the paddock, I kind of forget everything. You know, I forget everything because I like so much what I’m doing. I like so much the team and the work with the boys and so once I’m here, yeah, everything comes easier and I’m not tired anymore.
Of course, tired a bit you are because when you have so many races in a row. But still, you know, it’s more the plus than the minus. Sometimes when you travel around, you have a little bit of a chance to visit something, but not much.
GateDrop: I am sure things happen outside your control sometimes, has something ever went totally wrong which you couldn’t control… I think I remember one time Herlings luggage got lost in I think it was Mexico and he had to borrow someone else’s gear for the start of the day. Any other stories like that?
Ragni: It was Russia, actually. Especially with Jeffrey. There is always something going on. But we joke, when something gets messy, then it’s when Jeffrey performs the best. In Sardinia, I was joking with the boys because Jeffrey came in the end, but it was: I can’t, I don’t come, I’m not sure, I am still not feeling good, maybe, but finally, yes! We booked the flight last minute and then I said to one of the boys, I said, guys, I have a good feeling. Even though Jeffrey didn’t ride a lot, I said, all this mess coming is typical from Jeffrey of the old times. All this mess around and then it’s when he performs at his best.
I don’t know why. When it’s too precise, too organized, too top, then something goes wrong. He said, this one is a bit messy, something is wrong. In this kind of chaos, I would say, it was fine for me. It was the right atmosphere for it.
GateDrop: Dirk Grubel was team manager for quite a while, but since him the team managers have been Antonio Cairoli, Harry Norton and now Joel Smets. What has it been like working for them and does much change for you when the team management changes?
Ragni: Of course, a bit of a change there is always. Like with Dirk, I always say that with Dirk, we were like brother and sister. It was enough, he looked at me, I looked at him and we understood each other very well. There was a lot of respect. He totally trusts my job and of course I trust him.
With Tony and Harry, they were nice. It was nice also to work with them, but of course they didn’t have the same experience as Dirk, so they would have needed a bit more experience to perform properly.
Then they decided to take another position for them, but according to me, I would have given them the chance to do one more year or two years to grow and then you could see the outcome. I think there wasn’t enough patience because they were used to Dirk, but Dirk is also older and he has a lot of experience so you cannot expect that the one coming after Dirk can be like Dirk, that’s clear. Sometimes in business, they want everything straight away.
With Joel, of course, I know Joel since he was a rider and Joel has been with us since a long time. I think that now, yeah, he’s also a good compromise because he knows the aspect of the riders and he also knows more, he’s also more experienced and he knows more how to handle certain situations.
GateDrop: We always hear the winters are busy for the riders and the mechanics for testing etc, what is an off-season like for you?
Ragni: During the Winter, of course, it’s not so intense like now, but as soon as we finish, we start already, (because we finish in October) for the next season. You take maybe a couple of weeks of holidays, but then you start already thinking about booking hotels for the next season, making the entries for the riders, making the contract with Infront Moto Racing. We start slowly, you know, start preparing for the winter tests or training camp. So, me, I’m behind the organization of flights, hotels and rental cars for these events. Slowly, I have always some work to do because, of course, then when the season starts, it’s more intense since we travel much more, but also in Winter, I don’t have two months of holidays, no way.
GateDrop: You are obviously Italian but where are you based during the season? Do you get to go back to Italy or are you based in Belgium?
Ragni: No, Austria at the headquarters. At the beginning, when I moved there in 2003, it was a bit of a big change for me, you know, because the winter was really long. There was a lot of snow and coming from Italy was for me a bit like, wow, where is sun? When is the sun coming? It is just rain or snow but then I got used to that and now I must say the weather now is much more like Italy.
We have good days, very sunny, some days rainy, but before it was mainly snow and rain and now it’s a bit more similar. I think your own country is always your own country, you know, so in my heart, of course, Italy for me is the best country to live, but I must say in Austria I’m fine. I have quite many friends and the headquarter is there. Of course, the bosses want me to be there, because many years ago, I asked Pit if I could do a bit Italy-Austria but he said no, because he prefers me being there with the team, if the boys need me, then I’m there. It’s fine, I mean, the headquarter is there and so it’s no problem.
GateDrop: Even though he has never been a full factory Red Bull KTM rider, I have noticed you seem to have a great relationship with Isak Gifting. How did you get close to him?
Ragni: Yeah, with Isak, basically, like I told you, my husband, actually he’s Swedish, and then when Isak was about 15, 16, my husband started helping him. Since then, actually, they got pretty close and that has meant we got close as well. Isak came sometimes to Austria, and mainly to Italy, spent time with us, now it’s three Christmas’ that he had spent with us so he stays often with us. If we are down in Italy, since he’s in JK Racing Team and they are in Tuscany, which is about 3 hours far from us, then Isak comes and stays with us.
My husband is very close to him, they speak very often about the technical side and so on on the phone. And with me, at the races, I am like his second Mum.
GateDrop: I am sure you are happy at KTM and grateful for having this role for so long – could you ever see yourself working at another team/brand or is that a big no no? (laughs)
Ragni: Honestly, I got other proposals, during these years, even a couple of years ago but I didn’t even consider them since I’m happy where I am. I could say let’s talk about that, I should have asked how much they offered me and so on… but why?!
I don’t believe that the neighbour’s grass is greener, you know. Of course, if I wasn’t happy, it would have been stupid not to try something else. But honestly, I don’t see myself in another team. Yeah, sometimes, of course, maybe something gets wrong, you’re angry or whatever, you say you’ll go speak with someone else but honestly, no, I didn’t even give the chance to the people to say, okay, let’s sit and talk about business when they asked me that they were interested in me.
GateDrop: What is the future like for Valentina Ragni? How many more years do you see yourself staying in the paddock or are you taking it year by year? It’ll be strange not having you in the paddock!
Ragni: Honestly… I don’t know, I try to, like you say, to take it year by year because I always say, until this job, it gives me the emotion, the goose bumps, when I see the boys riding, when I’m here and I have this feeling inside, until I have that, I will do this job.
Once you don’t have this, that it becomes like boring or routine, then, okay, then it’s time to stop. But until now, I still have this and I don’t think, I just live day by day. But this is my philosophy, In everything I do, I live day by day because I always say, the future you don’t know, today we are here, tomorrow you don’t know. I always say, my motto is ‘carpe diem’, that Latin sentence that means ‘take the moment’. This is my philosophy.
