After several years under the Dixon Racing Team structure, Bobby Bruce is taking a bold new direction for 2026. The British talent has decided to go his own way, creating his own setup while making the jump to the MX1 class on Honda machinery. It’s a big move for the former EMX125 front-runner, who admits the last couple of seasons have been tough with injuries disrupting his momentum.
We caught up with Bruce to discuss why he’s chosen to start his own structure, the decision to switch to the 450cc class, and what his plans and goals look like heading into the 2026 season.
GateDrop: Bobby, you recently confirmed your plans for the 2026 season, and you’ll be creating your own structure – the first thing I have to ask you… Did you have any offers on the table from teams?
Bruce: Yeah, I had a few offers but nothing that really stood out to me.
GateDrop: In the end why did you decide to start your own structure for the 2026 season? It’ll be a lot of work and won’t be cheap, but I guess a positive is you’ll have your own freedom?
Bruce: Yes, it’s not going to be easy by any means, but I believe I have some really good people around me and we can get the job done with what we have. Freedom is the best part of being on your own programme. I can ride and race where and whenever I want which is a blessing for me as I love to race as much as possible.
GateDrop: You have made the decision to go MX1, what was the reason for that?
Bruce: A few things really… being on your own and being on a 250cc will cost a lot more as you need a really competitive bike which is not cheap, especially me being quite heavy and tall. I thought I might as well move on to a 450cc which we are going to run pretty much stock.
GateDrop: Some people will look at it and say in the British MX2 class you would have been a title contender, but I guess your size and build suits the 450cc more. Did you consider racing the 250cc for another season?
Bruce: Right now, I have committed to racing the 450cc. I only had two more seasons on a 250cc in the GP’s and I am not racing them, so I didn’t feel the need to stay down any longer.
GateDrop: You did race a 450cc back in 2024 briefly, did you enjoy the bigger bike?
Bruce: Yeah, I loved it. I only managed to race a selected number of races with very little time on the bike before hand. I got on the podium at Hawkstone behind Jeffrey (Herlings) and Conrad (Mewse) so that was pretty cool.
GateDrop: You’ll race Honda machinery in 2026 after many years on a Kawasaki. What was the decision to make the switch to Honda?
Bruce: I feel like the whole bike as a package is pretty solid. I haven’t ever ridden a Honda before so I thought I’d give it a try. There are also some brothers in USA that make the bike look pretty good.
GateDrop: You were with Steve Dixon for a good few years… What was it like being part of that team? At the end of the day, he give you the opportunity to race all over Europe and who can forget about that EMX125 season battling right at the front and losing the title to Lata in the end – he’s already got a couple of GP podiums!
Bruce: Anytime you get the opportunity to go and race your bike around the world is a blessing. Unfortunately, we had two very tough years but nothing can change the outcome of that but I’m super grateful for him and his team for supporting me during that time.
GateDrop: How tough has the last few years been? Any time you’ve looked to build momentum you always seemed to end up injured – very frustrating!
Bruce: Yeah, it’s super frustrating. The bike time I’ve had the last two years has been very subpar. But I know my capabilities, and I have been putting a lot of hard work to be back at the front so all I can do is keep my head up and enjoy the journey.
GateDrop: For 2026, how important is it that you just avoid a major injury and progress as the season develops?
Bruce: I mean every year it’s important to stay injury free, but yeah of course it will be great to finish every race next year.
GateDrop: The MX1 British Championship is looking really good for next year – Mewse, Sterry, Watson, Oliver and Gilber to name a few. I guess you’ll want to learn as much as possible from those guys?
Bruce: It should be great. The last few years in MX2 has been super strong so it’s good for MX1 to have some strong guys back again.
GateDrop: What other selected events will you contest in 2026 – planning any MXGP rounds or a little bird told you might try and do some AMA Nationals?
Bruce: We will see how things go. Our main priority right now is building enough funding to race the British and Scottish championships. If I feel competitive enough and we have the budget, then I would love to race some AMA nationals and also some local MXGP rounds.
GateDrop: Long term where do you see your future, do you want to race outside the UK, is this just a rebuilding year or would you be happy being a British Championship rider in the long term?
Bruce: It’s hard to tell my future with where I’m at right now. I’ve always wanted a career in motocross so wherever my skill level takes me is where I’ll end up. I’d love to be racing MXGP full time or even AMA’s but right now my attention is on Britain so we will see.
