After a difficult and frustrating period plagued by injury, Alberto Forato finally has reason to smile again heading into the 2026 MXGP season. The Italian talent looked set for a big step forward when he signed with SR Honda last year, but a serious injury sidelined him for the majority of the season, forcing him to watch from the sidelines while momentum slipped away.
Now fully focused on the future, Forato has secured a factory opportunity with JM Racing Fantic, marking his first-ever factory ride in the MXGP class. Back on the bike, motivated and refreshed, the Italian is determined to rebuild step by step, stay healthy and show his true potential once again at the highest level of the sport.
We caught up with Forato to talk about the frustration of last year, landing a factory deal after such a tough period, his first impressions of the Fantic, working with the JM Racing team and his goals for the 2026 season.
GateDrop: Alby, let’s go back to last year; after signing with SR Honda it was an exciting time for you, but you ended up injured and missed most of the season – just how frustrating was that for you?
Forato: First of all; Ciao everyone! For sure, it was big time frustrating, but I didn’t give up and got up again from there.
GateDrop: Coming into 2026, did you have many offers? There were rumours you could go to Enduro but thankfully you got yourself a ride!
Forato: I did have a few but it was not what I was looking for – until the offer from Fantic arrived. Before that every possibility was still open.
GateDrop: To become a factory rider – the first time for you in MXGP – how does that feel? Did you expect to get a factory offer after a difficult few years with injury?
Forato: It feels amazing. I have always worked for this, for sure, but at the same time, I also didn’t know what to expect after those difficult years…but now I am just so happy with how everything turned out.
GateDrop: I assume that it’s a one-year contract you’ve signed with Fantic?
Forato: It’s a kind of a one-year deal, yes, but it can be more, hopefully.
GateDrop: You’ve recently got back on a bike; how good did it feel to be out on track again? It’s been a while!
Forato: It’s been a while, yes, but finally I’m back and it feels really good to be riding again. I would like to ride every single day, that is the kind of feeling at the moment.
GateDrop: Fantic is a new bike for you, how did you feel on the bike when you first got on it?
Forato: As you said, it is a completely new bike for me. I never rode a Fantic or similar bike but honestly, when I first started riding with an almost stock bike, after two laps I felt like I had always used this bike. After that I then jumped on the Factory bike, and that is a different animal, but the first impressions are very good.
GateDrop: Have you made many changes to the bike so far and if so what kind of changes have you made?
Forato: We are testing a lot, of course, in every area, but so far, we didn’t make any crazy big changes.
GateDrop: So far how has it been with the JM Fantic team and working closely with Jacky and his son Yentl?
Forato: We have just started, so we are still getting to know each other, but so far, we are going good and smoothly. I am happy to have the opportunity to work with them.
GateDrop: You worked with Yves Demaria at SR Honda and Stefan Everts at Standing Construct. How was it working with them and what kind of things did you learn from them? Were they different with their strategies etc for you?
Forato: Working with both of them was an experience, and they each taught me things in many aspects that I will always carry with me. They are different from each other, and of course their strategies were very different as well. But I am also different from them, so I think that in the end I need to find my own way of doing things.
GateDrop: You’ll mainly be based in Belgium once the season starts I believe – being an Italian how do you feel about that?
Forato: Yes, you’re right, I will be based there for the season and as an Italian, everything Is different. Personally, I have always had a good time there. Also, I am there to do my job, so I don’t really mind. The heaviest thing for me is changing country and house pretty much every single year, moving everything up and down, 15 hours drive – and to not have a place that me and my future wife can call home, where we can just stay, I train around and we just go to the races from there (in Italy). For sure that is a goal to have this at some point in the future.
GateDrop: It looks like you’ve been riding a lot with Brent van Doninck – what’s it been like spinning laps with him? It must be good to have him as a reference?
Forato: Yes, we are just back from the first bootcamp, that is when we started riding together. Before that, I was riding in Italy and him in Belgium. Of course, it is good for me to have that reference, especially when I just started riding again after so long. I was also curious, because I didn’t know him well before, but he is a good guy.
GateDrop: I guess for the 2026 season, the main goal is to stay injury free – you should then improve naturally as the season goes on?
Forato: Exactly, the goal is to be fit at every race and improve as the season goes on.
GateDrop: Have you set yourself any goals for the 2026 season?
Forato: Read the previous answer (laughs).
GateDrop: Before you’ve struggled with injury the past few years, it wasn’t that long ago, it looked like you had such a bright future, are you confident you can get back to that level again?
Forato: Yes, I’m confident that I can be even better than before, but I am trying to build up one step at a time.
