Now in his second year competing in the MXGP class, Swedish talent Isak Gifting is starting to find his groove. After a learning year in 2023, the JK Yamaha rider is building momentum and consistently running inside the top ten—sometimes even rubbing elbows with the factory boys up front. We caught up with Gifting to discuss his improved form, life in Italy, the progression of his satellite team, and his hopes to inspire the next generation of Swedish motocross talent.
Gifting had a big crash at Arco di Trento but Yamaha posted the following update that is positive: Isak Gifting experienced moments of fear due to a fall while fighting for the top position. Fortunately, hospital assessments ruled out serious injuries. The JK Racing team reassures fans and workers: Isak’s conditions are good. He has now been ruled out of the Swiss GP but should make his return to racing soon.
GateDrop: Isak, this is your second season in MXGP, no longer a rookie. Just talk me through how this season is going. It seems like you’re getting a lot more comfortable running the pace at the front, just probably more experience helps…
Gifting: Yeah, second year MXGP, second year with my fantastic team, JK Yamaha. We’re having a good time. I’m getting much more comfortable on the Yamaha itself and also on the 450cc, which was two new things for me last year. I think mainly for this year it’s more experience. I have had a better winter, better winter prep, and we made some steps with the bike, made some changes, and I feel like the chassis is really good, the engine’s good.
We have small, small things to figure out that we have just a little bit problems with, but otherwise it’s going really well. I feel like, what you say, I’m more consistently running the pace up there. In every session I’m pretty much top 10 at least, and sometimes better. And yeah, I think we’re on a good path. You know, I make good starts. I tend to run up there in the top five a little bit, and then I drop down a bit, but I think that’s the way to go for me. Try to run with the guys there, learn from them, and then just get tired, you know, or lose my rhythm and fall back a little bit, but I think that’s still the way to go. Every race, every moto, you get to run there maybe one lap more, one lap further and eventually you can come home with a good result.
GateDrop: You mentioned your winter there. Did you change anything specific over the winter, or can you go into detail what your winter was like?
Gifting: Yeah, with my trainer Erik Rosendahl and Rosendahl Racing, we changed the program a bit, and that’s been working. But also, a lot has to do with the bike and the team that we were already familiar with. We had already a good base, you know, we could just make some adjustments and some steps, so I didn’t have to focus that much on the bike. We could also start a bit earlier, because the first year we started a bit late, you know. We could start a bit earlier, and yeah, we had a better base, so we could just, or I could just focus more on my training, really. So I feel like I’ve been just more focused on my training, my riding, my physical training, everything, and which has made me much more persistent.
GaetDrop: JK Yamaha is a satellite team, it’s not full factory. Can you just talk me through a little bit about your equipment, like is it better than stock, or is it stock?
Gifting: Yeah, of course. It’s better than stock. We have as good as we can get. I mean, of course, if you look at the budgets compared to a factory team, it’s nowhere near, but I think we’re still competing really well, and we’re doing our best, you know. The team’s doing a really good job, a very good job, and they stepped it up for this year. So I’m really happy for this, and I’m also happy that I can give something back and show that we can run with these guys. Like I said, we still have things to work on, but we try to work on it every week, we try to get help from people so we can take that next step with everything. We’re on a really good path, and I just want to continue like this, really.
GateDrop: During your time in MX2 with Hitachi, you would have been in Belgium a lot, and then with VRT you would have been in France a lot. You’re now based in Italy a lot. What’s it like being in Italy and adapting to that? Because obviously you’re Swedish. Is it out of your comfort zone, or are you pretty comfortable now?
Gifting: Yeah, I’m really comfortable in Italy. Like with Valentina and Matte, I spend a lot of time in Italy. I spent Christmas normally in Italy the last few years, and so I feel pretty much at home in Italy. I like it, and we have a really good relation with the team, we’re like a family. It’s great for me. And like you said, I’ve been around a lot of different countries, and I feel like I have a lot of experience now.
GateDrop: At the end of the day, you’re Swedish. Do you get to go back there that often, and do you miss it? You know what they say, there’s no place like home…
Gifting: I don’t go back that often, to be honest. Last year I probably stayed the first six months in Italy, then I went back for maybe a week or two, and then went back to Italy again for the rest of the season. So, it’s looking like I’m doing the same now. I’ve not been home since sometime before Christmas. It’s been a couple of months already. I mean, with the schedule we have now, racing every weekend really, and with the Italian championship and the GP, so no, I won’t be spending much time in Sweden. That’s just something I need to get used to – but that’s what I mean – I’m used to it now. I got plenty of experience, and for me it’s fine. I feel good here.
GateDrop: This year, maybe I’m wrong, but it feels like your starts are probably better than what they were last year. Is that something you worked on, maybe something with the bike, or just putting in more practice? And do you feel like your starts are better?
Gifting: Yeah, I think we made some good steps here with the bike. TCR Racing has been doing a good job with the engines, and Emanuele Picotti. We have a really good base. I think I got the technique sorted out really. So compared to last year, I’m not really changing anything. So, I’m more just confident, really. I don’t even really practice that much starts anymore. I just go on the flow, I do the practice here on Fridays, and I feel like I know what I’m doing at the moment.
GateDrop: Just on the JK Yamaha team, it’s not full factory, but you’re beating the factory Yamaha’s at the minute. Obviously, you probably appreciate what the team are doing for you, but is the goal to try and get a factory ride eventually in MXGP?
Gifting: You never know. Of course, everyone wants to be a factory rider, but it’s not something I focus on. Definitely not. What I’m focusing on is trying to get better together with the team. We’re trying to take steps together, and so far it’s working really well. So, I’m happy where I’m at. I feel like we got no pressure. It’s just fun when we get to beat the factory guys.
GateDrop: A lot of people say and think, if you haven’t got a factory ride in MXGP, you aren’t making much money. Can you tell me a little bit about that? You’re not on peanuts and you’re still making a good living out of this, right?
Gifting: Yeah, it’s not too bad. It’s been worse, that’s for sure. Like I said, I’m happy where I’m at, that’s for sure. The prize money and stuff at the GP’s could have been probably a lot better, but that’s something to work on. I think it will get better in terms of me also performing better. I’m not complaining.
GateDrop: In terms of goals for the rest of the season, is there something specific you’d like to achieve before the end of the year, or are you just taking out one GP at a time and just stay an injury-free really, because injuries have hurt you in the past?
Gifting: Yeah, I mean at the moment I try to actually not set up that many goals. I try to take every session and try to keep my focus in the moment and not look too much forward. Of course, I have some things I would like to achieve. I mean, I would like to be more top five results and everyone wants to get a podium, but it’s not a goal really. I have other goals, like I want to be consistent, top ten. I want to keep doing what I’m doing right now, keep performing, also making results, taking some wins in the Italian championship. No, I just want to be in the present, I want to be in the moment.
GateDrop Just on Swedish talent, you’re obviously leading the way at the minute. Apart from youreself, you’ve got Frisk in the EMX250, you’ve got Casper Lindmarks in the EMX125. Apart from that, there’s not much else coming through, I would say, although I don’t know Swedish MX quite as well as you do. Are you worried about maybe the future and are you hoping to try and Swedish motocross back on the map?
Gifting: Yeah, that’s what I would like to do. I mean, I don’t have much time over, you know, that’s the thing, but I’m trying.
GateDrop: But even like the young kids seeing you racing the GP’s, so you can be a role model for them…
Gifting: Yeah, exactly. That’s what I would like to achieve at the moment. I don’t have time for much else, but I would like to at least show that it’s possible, you know, to do something and make a living out of this. But like you said, we have some good guys coming up. August Frisk, really good, really good talent. Casper Lindmark, Pelle Gundersen, he’s not Swedish, he’s Norwegian, but I worked a lot with his dad, Kenneth Gundersen, really good guy, very good trainer. So I think there’s some guys coming up, but we would like to have some more. It’s always difficult to get people to come out and race international, but I hope in the future I could focus a little bit more on that and maybe help the Swedish Federation to achieve that.
