With a fresh rider line-up and growing ambitions, Beta is gearing up for an important 2026 MXGP campaign. Team manager Elio Marchetti now has two proven names under the awning in Jago Geerts and Rick Elzinga, both former factory Yamaha riders who bring experience, speed, and excitement to the Beta project. As Beta continues to push forward in MXGP, they have also decided to enter the EMX250 series in 2026 with a two rider line up.
We caught up with team manager, Marchetti as he discusses the thinking behind the changes, the expectations for the season ahead, and the long-term plan which is focused on consistently edging closer to the top five in MXGP.
GateDrop: Elio, you have a fresh rider line up to take on MXGP in 2026 – two former factory Yamaha riders in the form of Rick Elzinga and Jago Geerts – you must be delighted to have attracted them to the Beta project?
Marchetti: We’re happy to have Geerts and Elzinga both involved in Betamotor’s increasingly ambitious project in the Motocross World Championship. We’re sure this is one of the strongest Beta teams in recent years.
GateDrop: Jago Geerts was a proven winner in MX2 and almost did everything except win a world title. What’s he enjoyed working with so far?
Marchetti: Working with Geerts seems quite easy for us so far, as he’s a rider with undeniable natural talent. This has been reflected positively in all aspects of the work on the track.
GateDrop: In terms of bike development, having someone like Jago Geerts to help improve the bike must be massive?
Marchetti: His experience will certainly be very useful to us, just as it will help Rick with his work. The bike’s development is always done in the Italian factory in Florence, and we receive parts that have already been tested. However, it’s definitely important for us to follow and record the input of both riders, and then report back to the company. It’s understandable that Jago has more experience than Rick, but we’re taking both riders’ assessments into consideration.
GateDrop: Ben Watson had a contract for 2026, but you let him go. He was doing a pretty good job for Beta, getting plenty of top-ten results – was it a tough decision to let him go?
Marchetti: We worked with Watson for three years and we thank him for the excellent work we did together. The decision to let him go for 2026 was made by Betamotor… they made their choices. However, I think this ‘change’ could be a boost for Ben, who has always had great potential. Our goal is to try and get closer to the top five in the MXGP, but we all know that the level of MXGP is very high, and we expect a very challenging championship this year as well.
GateDrop: Rick Elzinga will be an MXGP rookie, so I guess 2026 is mostly about him learning and adapting to the bigger bike and stiff competition?
Marchetti: Regarding Rick, we all know his potential, but in his first year on the 450cc, we want him to gain experience and ride without too much pressure. We need to give him the time he needs to adapt to the MXGP class and the new bike. I’m sure he’ll prove he can fight for the top ten.
GateDrop: I believe Rick had a recent injury – but it looks like he’s already back on the bike?
Marchetti: Rick has started his winter training regularly and has already competed in an enduro race in Holland; we’ll start training in Sardinia in early January.
GateDrop: Beta has had plenty of top-ten results in MXGP in the past. What do you think is missing for the brand to get top-five results? It’s obviously not easy because the level is very high!
Marchetti: I think Beta has everything it needs to fight in the top five, but unfortunately, not having any riders in MX2 and the lower categories yet makes it difficult to retain riders and then bring them to MXGP – this makes it difficult to find top riders because they’re often already loyal to other brands.
GateDrop: You will run a two-rider lineup to contest the EMX250 championship. Brilliant news – what’s the main reason for expanding the rider lineup and taking on the EMX250 series in 2026?
Marchetti: This year, we’ll field two riders in the EMX250 series and hope to be ready with the 125cc bike next year. Betamotor is one of the leading brands in Enduro, and the new features we’re talking about for next season are a great sign for Motocross.
GateDrop: The EMX250 riders will start the season on a 250cc two-stroke – is there a chance before the start of the year that we could see them race the Beta 250cc four-stroke currently in development?
Marchetti: The riders will compete in the entire EMX250 championship on the 2-stroke bike, which we believe will be competitive. There are no plans to change bikes mid-season; the new 250cc four-stroke could be on sale mid-year.
GateDrop: Fabrizio Dini confirmed to us that Beta will contest the MX2 World Championship in the future. Would you be interested in running both MX2 and MXGP riders in the future? Or perhaps another team would run the MX2 setup?
Marchetti: We’ll definitely find Beta in all classes in the future, but we don’t know how the teams, or the team itself, will be structured right now.
GateDrop: How is development currently going on the Beta 250cc four-stroke? It’s nice to see development currently underway.
Marchetti: In our opinion, the Beta 250cc 4-stroke is already at a good level and is constantly evolving; the company will decide when to bring it to the World Championship. We’re sure Beta is doing an excellent job.
