The De Baets Yamaha team continue to continue supporting the European motocross scene as preparations for the 2026 season ramp up. After confirming that Lotte van Drunen will remain with the team to defend her WMX World Championship title, it appears the Belgian-based squad is also strengthening its youth program – this time focusing on the EMX125 championship.
The De Baets structure allows riders to progress through the European ranks while gaining valuable experience under the team’s guidance. The 2025 season saw the team run Bertram Thorius, a highly rated Danish rider who showed real promise throughout the EMX125 campaign.
Thorius, who impressed many with his speed and determination, is now expected to move on to a factory-supported EMX125 ride for 2026 – a testament to both his potential and the developmental environment provided by De Baets Yamaha. His departure, however, left the team with a gap to fill, and it now seems that they’ve acted quickly to rebuild their 125cc line-up for next year.
We believe that the De Baets Yamaha are set to field two EMX125 riders for the 2026 season – Torre Van Mechelen and Dex Kooiker.
Both riders are familiar names within the paddock thanks to their family connections and early achievements on the youth scene. Torre Van Mechelen is the younger brother of Douwe Van Mechelen, who has just graduated from the EMX125 series and will move up to EMX250 in 2026 with TM support. Torre has plenty of talent himself and now looks ready to make the step into the highly competitive EMX125 championship.
Meanwhile, Dex Kooiker is the younger brother of Dave Kooiker, who has previously raced in both the EMX and GP classes. Dex is already well-acquainted with the De Baets Yamaha setup, having raced with the team in 2024. Unfortunately, that campaign was cut short due to injury so he couldn’t showcase his true potential. Now fully recovered, Dex will be eager to get back to full form and show what he can really do over a full season.
Although nothing has been officially confirmed just yet, the moves are expected to be announced soon. As always, we’ll continue to keep you updated with any official announcements and all the latest developments from within the MXGP paddock.
