With 2026 fast approaching, the Dirt Store Triumph squad has already made one of the biggest moves of the off-season by securing the signature of Ben Watson. The British star, who mutually ended his deal with Beta, will spearhead the team’s MX1 efforts both in the British Championship and across the European rounds of MXGP aboard the TF450-X. It’s a signing that has generated plenty of excitement, not only within the team but among British motocross fans eager to see another rider capable of challenging Conrad Mewse at the sharp end.
We caught up with team manager Jon Giffard to discuss how the Watson deal came together, Triumph’s growing support, their MXGP ambitions, and what 2026 holds for rising talent Billy Askew and reigning British MX2 champion Tommy Searle. Giffard also reflects on the team’s first season with the 450, the development progress, and the goals ahead as Triumph looks to build on a promising 2025 campaign.
GateDrop: Jon, you’ve managed to sign up Ben Watson for the 2026 season. How did this all come together because he still had a Beta contract so was it a difficult deal to get done?
Giffard: We spoke to Ben a few months ago and he was still under contract with Beta but he had a mutual agreement with them that his contract would come to an early end. We had to wait until he was released to test the bike and also announce he had joined us. Other than the little wait it was pretty simple to make it happen. Triumph are very pleased with him joining and we can’t wait to get the season underway and see what he can do on the TF450-x.
GateDrop: I think for British Motocross especially this is great news; we’ll have a rider that is capable of battling with Conrad Mewse on a regular basis. Are you looking forward to that?
Giffard: For sure. It’s always our goal to be at the front and showcase ourselves as a team and the effort we go to try and achieve our goals. The promotors are very happy to have Ben back racing the championship and we hope to add more titles to this year’s one. We know how good and hard to beat Conrad is, but we all look forward to the challenge and the racing will hopefully be great.
GateDrop: Ben told me in an interview this year he didn’t enjoy living in Italy so being back in the UK I think will be really positive for him?
Giffard: I’m sure he will excel even more being in a familiar environment and close to family and friends more often. The work and goal will remain the same as he is hungrier than ever to prove he is a front runner. He has fitted into the team well and is underway with his training programme.
GateDrop: How confident are you that you can give Ben a bike that is capable of winning at British level?
Giffard: We are more than confident in the bike and our preparation that we can deliver what he needs to be the best he can.
GateDrop: Did Ben test the bike before signing and so far, what’s his thoughts/feedback been regards the bike?
Giffard: He rode the bike a little once he was released and really liked the engine and the power. We have been working already on the chassis and suspension with KTech and will develop the engine characteristics with Evotech more over the next weeks. He is feeling comfortable and confident on the bike.
GateDrop: Is it a one-year deal or has he signed longer with the team?
Giffard: At the moment it’s year by year but we hope we can continue to grow and deliver what we all are aiming for.
GateDrop: You obviously ran a 450cc rider in Joel Rizzi this year. How was the first year running the bike? You probably wanted better results, but do you feel you were able to make improvements throughout the course of the season?
Giffard: We are really pleased with the bike in year one and like I said the bike is a really good package. We learned a lot and made changes to improve as the year went on. It was a learning curve for Joel as well, stepping up to MX1 and a new bike was always going to come with its challenges. His results didn’t reflect the effort and speed he was able to achieve in the week.
GateDrop: How was it working with Joel? Part of me felt a bit sorry for him because he could have challenged for an MX2 title and he’s probably a bit young to develop a new 450cc bike but he’s a great lad!
Giffard: Joel is a top lad. I had worked with him a bit when he was racing a 125cc years ago. He joined us in 2024 and had a great season racing MX2. When we moved onto the Triumph, we needed to field a MX1 rider, we offered that spot to Joel and he was excited to race the new bike.
GateDrop: Will you receive any more support from Triumph this year with regards the 450cc or will it be down to you mostly you guys to keep continuing to develop the bike?
Giffard: The guys at Triumph have been unreal in the support they have shown us from the beginning and like I said they are excited to have a rider like Ben joining and racing it in the MXGP European rounds. They have stepped up the support and hopefully we can deliver the results. We will continue to develop the bike and report to them with our findings and results.
GateDrop: In terms of MXGP, will Ben race all the European rounds? What are your expectations for him in the World Championship? It’s going to be super stacked next year!
Giffard: Yeah, we will race the European rounds of the MXGP World Championship with Ben. It ties in nicely with our plans for Billy in the EMX250 series. We hope Ben can be consistent and achieve the results he has shown at his best on a regular basis. To compete in the top ten each week would be amazing.
GateDrop: Billy Askew will remain with the team which is good news. How would you assess his 2025 season?
Giffard: It is really good news to have Billy with us again in 2026. 2025 was a good year in terms of showing what he is capable of achieving when he is at his best.
GateDrop: Billy has a lot of talent but hasn’t really got the result he’s capable of at EMX level yet – what do you expect from him this year in the EMX250 series? That is also looking really stacked for next year!
Giffard: Billy is a natural motorcycle rider and he has all the tools to achieve his goals. He has showed us what he can do in a few races in 2025 and we expect him to make these results much more consistently in 2026 and for sure needs to be challenging for the podium all year. The class is super tough, but we consider Billy as one of the top guys in the class. The concentration and consistency is going to be the key. He has the heart and the speed.
GateDrop: At British level, I am guessing the expectation is for Billy to challenge for the MX2 title?
Giffard: 100%, he pushed for the most part of the year in a title challenging position and we hope to see this again and a fight for the title between the teammates.
GateDrop: Will Billy have the opportunity to race any MX2 GP’s in 2026 – Foxhill hasn’t got an EMX250 round so it would be nice to see him race MX2 there and potentially any other rounds?
Giffard: Yes, for sure. There are a few rounds of the championship where Ben will race and the EMX250 class is not there. He will step into MX2 at those rounds and for sure you will see him at the British GP!
GateDrop: Tommy Searle, he’s old but gold! He was able to give Triumph their first domestic Motocross title; you must have been over the moon with that?
Giffard: Absolutely, Tommy is a legend. He just gets it done. We all as a team and Triumph are well happy with what he achieved and still being able to deliver. You just can’t ever bet against him.
GateDrop: What’s Tommy like to work with? He’s sort of at the age he is just doing this for fun and he seems really laidback these days so it must be a dream to work with someone like that? I am sure he’s also great at developing the bike!
Giffard: He is pretty easy to be honest. He knows what he wants and how he wants it and if we can deliver that then he just gets it done. He knows what is good for the bike and what it needs to be right so that helps massively with the setup. He keeps everyone on their toes including the other riders. I know for sure he still has that dog in him and wants to win when it counts.
GateDrop: Do you know what pre-season races the guys will do yet?
Giffard: Ben and Billy will race at Hawkstone International for sure. We might try and get in another race as well before the first round of the British championship if testing and schedule allows.
