It’s never easy to leave the MXGP paddock and return as there’s so much talent in the paddock and perhaps not enough rides in the premier class. However, in recent years the likes of Brent van Doninck and Valentin Guillod have showed that despite leaving MXGP for a year, they could force their way back into the paddock.
The latest example of this appears to be Ivo Monticelli who after a number of years in the Grand Prix paddock decided to focus on the British Championship this year after inking a deal with ASA United GasGas. The Italian missed a lot of racing due to injury but did return towards the end of the season and also contested a couple of MXGP World Championship events.
For the 2024 season, we believe that Ivo Monticelli has secured a ride to once again take on the MXGP World Championship and will be under the Factory Beta awning run by Marchetti Racing. Italian source, Mxnews.net are reporting the news and we’ve heard the same from sources in the paddock. Beta were also linked with the likes of Mitch Evans and Benoit Paturel in their search of an Alessandro Lupino replacement.
The Marchetti team are one that Monticelli knows very as well as he has raced with the team in the past whilst he contested the MX2 World Championship – he was with them between 2014-2017 whilst they ran KTM machinery. We believe that seven years later he will return to the team to focus on the premier and toughest series in the world, MXGP and will be under the Beta awning with Ben Watson.
