It has now been officially confirmed that after many years in the MXGP paddock, the SM Action Racing team who ran the Factory Fantic MX2 World Championship setup last year, have departed the paddock. The good news is that they will stay within the sport after joining forces with FRT Motorsport but the full focus will be on the Italian Championship Nicholas Lapucci and Lorenzo Camporese.
We caught up with team owner, Matteo Migliori who hasn’t ruled out a full time return to the MXGP paddock in the future if they can get support from a factory.
GateDrop: Matteo, there’s now been an official announcement that the team will remain in the sport albeit outside the GP paddock. You have joined forces with FRT Motorsport. How did this all come about and are you excited to work with Nicholas Lapucci and Lorenzo Camporese?
Migliori: I have known FRT Team Manager Luca Filippone for many years and have great respect for him – as soon as this opportunity came up, we decided to take it and stay in the motocross environment. Nicholas and Lorenzo are two good and experienced riders who will know how to keep the team’s name high in the competition.
GateDrop: The full focus will be on the Italian Championships, but will there be an opportunity for either of the riders to race Internationally? Perhaps selected events?
Migliori: Yes, we are planning to take Nicholas to some MXGP World Championship rounds in Europe, we will decide which ones during the season.
GateDrop: The team have been in the GP paddock for a number of years, this must have been a very tough decision to make?
Migliori: It was a very painful but necessary decision, because without the support of an official manufacturer it is impossible to tackle the World Championship, the costs are very high.
GateDrop: I did hear about halfway through the season that the team would remain in the paddock with Fantic but to contest the EMX250 series and not MX2. Was this ever an option?
Migliori: Yes, that was the idea, but we couldn’t find a strong rider to fight for the championship, and we preferred to stop rather than go to the races with mediocre riders who wouldn’t get interesting results.
GateDrop: On the 2024 season, how would you sum it up? Results probably weren’t as you’d have wanted but how was it working with Fantic, David, Kay and Alexis?
Migliori: The start was not easy, at the beginning of the season everything was new… both for us and for Fantic, which went from one to three teams, we returned to the Yamaha engine after so many years with KTM. I am sure that if the project had continued for three years as it was meant to, we would have enjoyed it. The three riders are all good guys, but at this stage everything has to be perfect to fight for the top positions and as I said before, if we had continued working with Fantic I would have changed some things to improve the results of 2024 – this year the riders had a lot of freedom to manage their preparation and training without having a reference figure from the team following them. I think this contributed to not getting the results we had hoped for but unfortunately for budgetary reasons we could not do otherwise.
GateDrop: You guys aren’t the only team leaving the MXGP paddock ahead of the 2025 season, just how tough is it for teams at the moment?
Migliori: The costs are very high, and it is impossible for private individuals to take part in the entire World Championship.
GateDrop: Would you like to see the organizers make any changes to help the teams and if so, what?
Migliori: To be honest I don’t have a complete answer to this question, personally I would say that you definitely need financial support from the organisers and then I would probably change something in the regulations to make MX2 more interesting, which is the emptiest grid at the moment.
GateDrop: What’s your thoughts on the calendar for next year – the final three rounds are interesting! Also, 20 rounds, how do you find that many rounds in one year?
Migliori: 20 competitions are a lot, and to run them well you need a big budget and a structure that few can afford.
GateDrop: Would the team be open for a GP return in the future if a brand came forward to give you support?
Migliori: Absolutely, yes!
GateDrop: You have worked with Andrea Adamo and Maxime Renaux in the past and when both riders left the team, they become world champions… that must make you very proud? How was it working with both riders?
Migliori: A lot of strong riders have come through our team and we have got on well with them, but the difference with Andrea and Maxime is their head, their determination to fight for what they want. We still have a great relationship with them and we talk and see each other regularly.
GateDrop: Have you got an update on Emanuele Giovanelli (the other team owner) who had a tragic injury last year – how is he doing?
Migliori: Emanuele and I have known each other since we were 20 years old and we are very close – we have a daily relationship and when we don’t see each other we talk several times a day. After very difficult months it seems that he is beginning to get over his problems, the infection is finally leaving him and he is slowly making progress with constant physiotherapy. In 2024 he will follow his son in the Italian Minicross Championship races and I hope that by mid-2025 he can also return to the MXGP paddock.
GateDrop: Thanks for your time and good luck for the future…
