The Young Motion powered by Resa Racing team have a unique setup within the MXGP World Championship paddock. They support three riders to contest approximately eight rounds of the MX2 World Championship throughout the season.
For the 2025 season, the team will line up with Filip Olsson, Martin Michelis and Samuel Nilsson in what is a solid line up for a non factory team.
We caught up with Ron aan de Stegge who is the team owner/manager to discuss their setup and much more.
GateDrop: Ron, let’s start with the 2024 season, when you look back, how would you reflect on it?
Aan de Stegge: Overall, I’d say it was a very positive season. We managed to avoid any major injuries or technical issues, and we had a great atmosphere in the team. The results improved significantly, going from twenty three points in 2023 to ninety nine points in the GP’s, while Sampo Rainio and Arvid Luning were selected for the MXoN, which is pretty special.
GateDrop: Heading into the 2025 season, the team have two new riders. Let’s start with Martin Michelis from Estonia, when were you first aware of him as a rider and what were the reason(s) you decided to sign him up for 2025?
Aan de Stegge: At the end of 2023, he rode a very strong race at the final ADAC Masters, finishing second overall in the Youngsters Cup class, beating GP and EMX250 riders. That’s where I noticed him. We like to have a younger rider in the squad who has the potential to grow, and I think he fits that.
GateDrop: The team have also signed up Samuel Nilsson from Spain. You must be happy to have signed him up for 2025 and how did the deal all come around?
Aan de Stegge: We are pretty stoked to have signed Samuel. He has the speed to compete with all the non-factory guys, and I think there is more in Samuel than we have seen from him so far. It was a bit of a coincidence, and actually the quickest we’ve ever made a deal. I thought that Samuel was under contract for 2025, had a chat with him about a different topic, and found out he was available. Sometimes the riders’ plans simply fit what we want to do and vice versa, so we had a short discussion, put things on paper, and made a deal.
GateDrop: Filip Olsson will also remain with the team for 2025, what is he like to work with?
Aan de Stegge: Filip and I have a good relationship, I would say, and I think we have a lot of trust in each other. We spoke about 2025 at the Dutch GP and both agreed that we wanted to continue. We never got around to actually signing the contract until December, when he was at our shop, but we had already ordered bikes for him and he trusted us not to sign a different rider. As for results, I would say he started off a bit slow but improved throughout the season to the level we expect him to be at, and we want to build on that momentum.
GateDrop: What are your expectations for all three riders in 2025?
Aan de Stegge: Stay healthy, enjoy the racing, and enter every GP with the goal of scoring some points. If everything comes together, we hope for a top ten result as well. Samuel and Filip have fifty GP’s between them, so I expect them to be up to speed right away, while Martin will have the time to get used to racing in the Grand Prix’s and surprise us later in the year.
GateDrop: Sampo Rainio was with the team in 2024 and I feel he has good potential but he won’t be staying for 2025. What was he like to work with and why did you decide against keeping him?
Aan de Stegge: Actually, it was more of a mutual decision. It is very hard and costly, with all the travel, to combine living in Finland with racing in the Grand Prix’s. With Sampo now being in the army, that wouldn’t change this offseason. It’s a shame because Sampo is still quite young and fast.
GateDrop: What are the goals for the future of your team, would you ever like to be a team that consists at least all rounds of the European rounds of the MX2 World Championship on a continuous basis?
Aan de Stegge: Our goal is to offer three riders a fully funded opportunity to participate in a partial GP campaign and select international races. This would allow them to showcase their talent and, with strong results, attract the attention of bigger teams. Think of it as a springboard for young talents to take the next step in their careers. While we’re not quite there yet, we’re making significant progress and are confident we’ll achieve this soon.
Our goals don’t necessitate competing in overseas or distant European events. Instead, I believe it’s more valuable to focus our efforts and budget on enhancing the support we provide to the riders within our current calendar. This approach allows us to maximize their performance and development.
GateDrop: Can you tell me a bit about your staff? I believe they are all volunteers which is quite unique…
Aan de Stegge: Yes, indeed. Our daily work involves running our marketing company, which means the team is not our livelihood. As owners, we dedicate a significant amount of our time and resources to managing the team. The same is true for our partner, Resa Racing – a motocross shop that hosts our team workshop and supports us extensively with both their expertise and budget.
We’ve been fortunate to build a strong group of helpers who volunteer their time. Our mechanics are experienced, and passionate about motocross, but they prefer to have a regular job outside of MXGP. They help us at Grand Prix events, with some attending every race and others supporting us at select events. Together with Rene’s (Satink, owner Resa Racing) knowledge and effort at the GPs they play a huge role in making this team possible.
GateDrop: The team ran Yamaha machinery a couple of years ago but decided to change to a different and quite unique setup. Can you just explain the reason for moving away from Yamaha and the setup you currently run now?
Aan de Stegge: We look for riders who already have a solid setup at home in terms of support for their national championship. Then, we provide them with identical materials for the GP’s, along with technical support at the events.
Initially, we offered Yamaha bikes because Resa Racing is a Yamaha dealer. However, we realized that many riders receive support from different brands, so we decided not to limit ourselves to just one. Instead, we now offer riders the freedom to choose the brand that best suits their needs.
GateDrop: For 2025, you will have two riders on KTM machinery and then one rider (Nilsson) running a Triumph, it is quite unique, can you explain how it all works?
Aan de Stegge: To illustrate with Samuel Nilsson’s setup: Samuel receives support from Triumph Spain for the Spanish championship, where he competes using their bikes and technical assistance at the events. For the GPs, we provide him with identical bikes, which we maintain at our shops. We bring these bikes to each GP along with all the necessary parts, tools, and technical support. All Samuel needs to do is ensure he’s on time at the track.
GateDrop: How many GP’s will the riders do in 2025 and will the team be with them for them all or do the riders do some with their own setup?
Aan de Stegge: We’ll be attending eight GP’s with all three riders, and each rider will participate in a few GPs closer to home. This means we’ll likely have a rider at nearly all the European GPs, excluding Turkey. The riders will compete in all races using our equipment, but for their home GP, they will likely travel with their own van.
GateDrop: In the past your team have only been present at around eight rounds but it seems that will be increased this year, is this because the team are motivated to do more and provide more for the riders?
Aan de Stegge: Our plan isn’t to significantly increase the number of rounds. Our main objective is to help young talents gain visibility with larger teams, which means they have to show they can get top ten finishes. We believe that if a rider can’t demonstrate their abilities in ten Grand Prix’s, adding a couple more won’t make a meaningful difference.
Given that these additional races are often farther from our workshop, leading to increased travel time and costs, we prefer to allocate that budget toward better support at the other GPs.
GateDrop: The team run three MX2 GP riders, this is something that you guys seem to always want to do. Is it tough to budget and have three riders under the awning?
Aan de Stegge: Yes, it is definitely challenging to attract sponsorship to run a GP team. As a marketing company, we try to offer additional value to our partners by creating content for their products and company, going beyond simple brand placement. This, combined with knowing their support contributes to giving young riders a shot at the GP’s, is something that resonates with many partners.
It’s a tough task but at the end of the day, I enjoy working on this project, and seeing our growth every season gives me a lot of energy. Having said that, if brands or people like our vision and want to help, feel free to reach out!
GateDrop: There are five teams leaving the paddock after the 2024 season, why do you think that might be and do you think the organisers can help improve things for teams like yourselves? Would you ever consider a full season if there was more help financially?
Aan de Stegge: It seems that each team has its specific reasons, but overall, it’s clear that the overseas races make up a significant portion of the budget. In my opinion, these races are only sustainable long-term for teams with factory support.
Unfortunately, many of the teams you’re referring to seem to feel that they either compete in all the races or none at all, which means we now lose them. For a team like ours, it would be very helpful if Infront Moto Racing could create more exposure for non-factory riders. I understand that the focus is (and should be) on the top riders but just a small reference and some footage of the top privateers and non-factory riders in the race broadcast would make a big difference.
GateDrop: Thanks for taking the time to do the interview, much appreciated and good luck for 2025.
Aan de Stegge: Thank you for this opportunity, much appreciated!