Triumph Factory Racing is thrilled to announce that its SuperMotocross World Championship squad will expand ahead of its second year in the United States. Austin Forkner, Jordon Smith and Stilez Robertson have joined Jalek Swoll to form a four-man team that boasts a wealth of podium experience.
Jalek Swoll returns to the team to build on the success that he encountered in the 2024 SMX World Championship – he captured the TF 250-X's first Monster Energy AMA Supercross heat win and AMA Pro Motocross podium. The 24-year-old is now in hot pursuit of what will be a maiden win for himself and the Triumph Factory Racing squad.
Missouri's Austin Forkner, a 13-time winner in the 250SX class of Monster Energy AMA Supercross, joins the team with a fierce ambition to capture the professional title that has eluded him thus far. The 26-year-old has an impressive win rate of 31% indoors, which speaks to his quality and the performance that he will deliver aboard the TF 250-X.
Jordon Smith has underlined his potential in recent times and narrowly missed out on the 250SX West title in 2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross – a loss that has fuelled him further as he strives to make history aboard a TF 250-X. Hailing from North Carolina, Smith joins the team with four 250SX wins to his name and 23 appearances on the podium.
Stilez Robertson is keen to showcase his raw skill when the 2025 SMX World Championship roars into life, as a series of injuries denied him of that chance across the last 12 months. Now, revitalised in his new environment, he is poised to build on the three Monster Energy AMA Supercross podiums that he has captured in 15 starts, as well as the one podium that he has scored in AMA Pro Motocross.
The 2025 SMX World Championship will start with round one of Monster Energy AMA Supercross in Anaheim, Southern California, on January 11. 17 rounds of indoor action will follow before AMA Pro Motocross fires into life on May 24.
Jalek Swoll: "I am excited for my second season with Triumph Factory Racing – the plan is to tick off more of my goals and get that first win. I am so motivated to continue working with the great team that we have here. I am confident that it is going to be a successful year. I cannot wait!"
Austin Forkner: "I am super excited to be a part of Triumph Factory Racing. I am already so happy after just a couple of weeks of work with the team. I really like the team of personnel that has been put together here – I think it is going to be a brilliant year. Of course, I am motivated to capture their first SMX win. It would be huge for both the team and me! It will be a lot of fun, building together and working towards that point."
Jordon Smith: "I am really happy to join the Triumph Factory Racing team, after watching the progress that the team has made in their first season. I have been on the bike for a couple of days and feel great – I am excited to work towards the team's first win. I have had a good couple of years, so I feel like I am in a positive spot to battle for wins each weekend and ultimately the championship. I love the team that has been assembled here. Everyone here has the same mindset and ambition."
Stilez Robertson: "I am so pumped to join the Triumph Factory Racing team. The bike has been amazing so far – this is an incredible group of people. There is a lot of history to be made with the team and I am excited to be a part of that. I would love to deliver their first win! I am so excited to move into the future with this team."
Ian Kimber, Head of Global Racing Programmes: "Our rider line-up for the 2025 season underlines how serious we are with our SuperMotocross programme and our commitment to the sport and our off-road products. We are focussed on building on our 2024 season and pushing hard in both Monster Energy AMA Supercross and AMA Pro Motocross. Jalek did an amazing job under some difficult circumstances last year – I am excited for him to have new teammates in Jordon, Austin, and Stilez. I cannot wait to see what the team will do when the gate drops."
Steve Sargent, Chief Product Officer: "We learnt a lot during our first SuperMotocross season and are poised to build on those lessons during our 2025 season. The rider selection represents our desire to push our position within both the rider and manufacturer championships. Jalek showed everyone what the bike was capable off last year, and I am sure the whole team will be able to capitalise on the data we gained racing next year. It is great to welcome Stilez, Jordon and Austin to our U.S. programme – along with Jalek – and I am confident we are going to see some great racing."
This is a good team- Should get some wins in SX for sure..(baring everyone stays healthy)
I bet year number 10 and Factory Team number 4 is just what Jordon Smith needs to get it done for a Regional Championship.
😄 Never say never. It worked out for Hampshire this year.
Heck yeah it did! He looked like a stud out there beating down kids that were on 50s when he turned Pro!
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I really hope Austin gets to race the same coast as Haiden, it'll make for some great battles.
which kids - Kitchen (23)? Smith (29)?
I put the Over/Under for Supercross wins at 5 and I'm taking the over. Should be a breakthrough second year.
As a fan of Forkners, it's mixed emotions seeing him leave green, but I wish him all the best and will root for him to place 2nd or 3rd behind Pro Circuit Kawi riders every week.
Oh, you're right. None of the kids get a chance because the Teams have made it a prerequisite that you need to have 5+ years experience bending subframes and handlebars in Supercross to get a Factory Ride. Extra bonus money if you have a kid you take on the podium with you.
I wonder if they let their communications person go, because that PR picture is horrendous. I think Lewis agrees with me, he didn't use it in the first page article😄
I have been waiting for the forkner announcement since silly season started. I really pray he can stay healthy and finish the season. Also, if he's on the same coast as haiden, they will be battling for the title, as long as Austin stays healthy.
I myself hope he can stay healthy, I really do. But the Law of Averages isn't in his favor one bit.......He is on a multi year gig, let's just worry about getting a FULL YEAR under our belt without a stretcher. Let Haiden go, he probably doesn't have many days on a 250 anyway........ A solid year, THEN go championship hunting. Year one here is crucial, break the string.......
Yep.
Idk, Yamaha just dumped Avery Long and picked up a couple team green kids purely because they’re 2 years younger according to ML on pulp.
AMs/250s are just FUBAR at this point. Blind men have tackleboxes in better shape.
I thought Swoll was a race winner.
He is, just not on a Triumph. He was on Rockstar Husqvarna when he won at Highpoint. He won a heat race on the Triumph.
That goes without saying.
Imagine hating on a forum while a guy does his best in a professional sport as you work your typical day job as a average person in the world.
can’t imagine being such a hateful pos
Pit Row
So where are all the young riders coming through to put pressure on the older guys? The only reason the older guys still have rides is because no-one is coming up from juniors and putting in the results to show they deserve a ride.
Which part?
Which “kid” do you think should “get” a chance over any of the Triumph roster?
Anyone know who AF posted today on his instagram story thingy?! I hope it wasn’t him. I know the bikes aren’t that far off performance wise but it was a futures sx rider at best.
Isn’t this going to be Forkner’s 9th year as a pro? And 7th for Swoll? Where do you draw the line for how long a pro can stay in a pro class?
I don't understand the hate on the older guys in the 250 class. No one says a word about the lack of 450 seats available because of the seemingly longer than normal careers. I love seeing guys like Tomac and Anderson still pushing and being competitive being the same age as them, but they have been taking up the factory 450 seats for a decade now. I'm not really complaining about it because they are still top riders but it boggles me that so many people bitch about guys trying to find a way to make a career out of something they absolutely deserve to make a career out of. The teams keep picking them because the teams want to win. At the end of the day, it's still a professional class with professional riders on factory teams. The racing is great right now. I've always seen the Hampshire / Smith era as kinda getting the shaft on this one. Too young to get to the 450s when the guys a couple years older got the available seat but too old to be in the 250 class according to 75% of the keyboard racers
Evan Ferry
None of them get a chance to show results on a Factory Team because the Dad Squad is still taking up all the rides.
How about Drew Adams?
How about Caden Braswell?
How about Gavin Towers?
How about Max Vohland?
How about Avery Long?
How about a huge list of kids that had hundreds of thousands dumped into them as Amateurs only to get 1 or 2 years in the Pros then shuffled to the side?
Do you think if maybe they got a decade of Factory Rides like Hampshire and Smith and Craig etc. etc. that maybe they could manage to win a Regional Title too?
All I'm saying is the system seems broken a little bit when the same dudes are staying in a Regional Class for 10 years and then acting like they are legends of the sport cause they finally pulled off a Regional Title.
Everybody downvoting and disagreeing with me....go ahead and save this post and hit me up in May when Jordon Smith has crashed himself out of yet another Regional Title.
Very much agree.
The 250 class is extremely competitive, I don't why everyone is so butthurt over who is in the class. FAST IS FAST and if you are a fast racer and a company is willing to pay for you for your services then have at it. But what up the young up and comers? Nobody is stopping them from being there. If they are that good the results will come and eventually the rides will as well.
The east and west coast series has morphed into something bigger over the years, I no longer view it as a 'regional series'.
Fair enough.
I'd counter that with if Hampshire or Smith or Mcadoo or Craig etc. etc. were that good it wouldn't take them a decade to win a Championship in a class that has the talent split in half.
And before anyone gets their panties in a twist like @Shaft721 I don't think any of them are bad people and I can understand why they want to continue to make damn good money racing dirt bikes. I just think it's a little bit of a broken system and something interesting to bench race about. It's not personal....this is a discussion forum for discussing things by the way.
I hope not. He was good in fantasy MX and SMX this year.
🙂
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