Jess Pettis on His Move from KTM to Yamaha

Jess Pettis recently parted ways with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team after winning the 2024 Canadian 450 Pro Motocross Championship. He's signed with the MX101 FXR Yamaha team for 2025, with whom he won the 2018 250 Pro Motocross Championship title. Pettis is set on defending the number one plate and, in this interview, discusses why he chose to switch teams and what he thinks of the Yamaha so far.

For the full interview, check out the YouTube video below. Below is a condensed written version.

Jamie Guida – Vital MX: You parted ways with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and returned to a former team, Kevin Tyler's MX101 FXR Yamaha. What can you tell us about the move?

Jess Pettis: It's been a crazy journey these last six years with the KTM guys. It's gone by fast, and we had a great season up here in Canada. We won the 450 championship, which is cool to check off the list. After MXdN, there were some conversations, and the opportunity to go somewhere else was available. I put some feelers out to take a look and talked to the Yamaha boys, and Yamaha hopped at the opportunity. They showed interest, so everything happened pretty quickly. The whole blue program is top-notch. We watch what is happening in the U.S. and know the Yamaha bike is very good. It's one thing to get that number one plate, but we have to back it up and keep it as well.

Vital MX: You won a 250 MX title in 2018 with KTM and the '24 450 MX title. It sounds like you were looking for a change, but they couldn't have been happy to lose their defending champion.

Pettis: No, definitely not. There were a few internal things going on recently, and we had some chats. We have been looking to see where we can continue to improve, raise the bar, and improve the program. To defend the title and improve as an athlete, I needed to continue my effort and improve the bike and the team. It's a never-ending thing to keep progressing. I don't think they are too happy about losing the number one, but it was a mutual agreement. It was an open discussion, and we ended well. It was clear that if I wanted to go somewhere else, I could, and I was interested in going blue anyway. I can be very competitive on the Yamaha, and the guys at MX101 feel like family. The vibe will be good all year. I've ridden with them before, and I know what to expect. It's exciting. There may also be opportunities, such as coming to the U.S. for a few races and maybe some World Supercross. Having the chance to do some more racing is of interest to me. It's going to light a fire under my ass to prove to myself and find the comfort to back that title up.

Vital MX: Have you had the opportunity to ride the new Yamaha?

Pettis: Yeah. I've ridden it the last couple of days and felt right at home. It was unbelievable. I haven't been riding that because the weather up here is getting a little colder, so to jump on the bike and feel comfortable right away is exciting. The tracks I've been riding are already super rough, so putting myself in those conditions and feeling the bike's stability is good. It's straight as an arrow through some of the roughest and sketchiest sections. With the cornering, I feel I can get over the top of the bike well, and the center of gravity and where I'm positioned on the bike feels natural for me. I'm a bit of a smaller rider, and the whole cockpit feels right at home.

Vital MX: Now that you've had some time, has the 450-motocross title sunk in? Also, talk about the mental and physical toll it took.

Pettis: Some time has passed, so it has sunk in, and I've enjoyed the accomplishment. I didn't really get to enjoy it until after because there was so much stress leading up to it. It was pretty tight with the points, too. It was more of a mental battle than a physical one. We put ourselves through the physical battle daily for years, so we're used to it. When you get into a championship hunt, it's a different mental game when the points are close. It takes a toll on the body, but it's been exciting. It's cool to see the number one on the bike. It's been new for me to see it in the last couple of days. It's motivating, and we will return to the drawing board to improve. That's the mindset I need to have because we aren't going to sleep on the number one. We have to do whatever it takes.