The off-road disciplines differ from asphalt in several aspects. Traction must be taken into account, of course, as well as what can be done with and without it. Considerations regarding tires are also very different, out of pure necessity. In both cases, how the power of your bike is transmitted to the ground is important.
All these reasons and more are why 2024 should be an interesting year to observe Triumph, Ducati, and Honda facing new challenges in the off-road category. Although Triumph and Ducati are not historically associated with off-road competitions, Honda is. So, in Honda’s case, their unexplored territory in 2024 lies in their electric unit, which will be presented in the new Team HRC CR Electric Proto motorcycle.
As a result, 2024 will be a testing ground for the three manufacturers and their competition teams in their respective disciplines. Next, we present how each motorcycle and its respective competition category are divided.
The new 2024 Triumph TF 250-X has been under development for some time but will compete for the first time in two championships: the MX2 class of the 2024 FIM Motocross World Championship in Europe and the AMA Supermotocross Championship in the USA. Although there are also plans to join the MXGP class of the FIM Motocross World Championship in 2025 with a yet-to-be-revealed 450 cc motorcycle, here are the specifications for the 250 in 2024.
The motorcycle
The 2024 Triumph TF 250-X is equipped with a four-stroke, single-cylinder engine, 249.95 cc, with a bore and stroke of 78 mm by 52.3 mm. It is coupled with a five-speed gearbox.
It has a completely new aluminum frame that was built specifically for the TF 250-X. The bike is equipped with a pair of spoked wheels, with a 21-inch unit in the front and a 19-inch unit in the rear. In the standard version that you can acquire, the KYB suspension consists of a 48mm front fork with compression and extension adjustment and 310mm (about 12.2 inches) of travel. The rear shock absorber has high and low-speed compression adjustment, as well as rebound adjustment. It also has 305mm (about 12 inches) of travel.
The Championships
The latest FIM Motocross Technical Rules Book provides clarifications and guidance on the criteria that machines must meet to compete. These include aspects such as: maximum power rotations in competition engines must comply with those found in the production version of the bike; allowed materials (carbon fiber fairing reinforcements are allowed, but carbon handlebars and wheels are not); spill-proof fuel tanks and caps; exhaust pipes and silencers that comply with current sound control limits; etc.
On the AMA SuperMotocross World Championship side, riders and teams must first compete in the Monster Energy Supercross and Pro Motocross seasons. Points are counted in both championships. The top 20 riders in the 450 and 250 classes in terms of points will then be able to compete in the SuperMotocross World Championship. Two separate last-chance qualifying positions will also be available for a total of 22 riders in the SMX World Championship.
According to the organizers of the SMX World Championship, “these bikes are highly modified versions of what you can buy at your local dealership”. The modifications that will be made to the TF 250-X are still unclear, but they should be interesting to see.
While Triumph has been promoting its imminent MX machine and its goals for international competition since 2022, Ducati has remained much more discreet with its own MX development. Honestly, it’s impressive how well the secret was kept, as the bike was clearly under development for some time before the Borgo Panigale team finally presented it to the world.
The series
The Italian Motocross Championship Prestige 2024 kicks off in Mantua on March 16 and 17, 2024. Unlike the two series in which Triumph is participating, the IMC will have only six rounds. The last racing weekend of the season will take place on September 21 and 22, 2024, in Faenza.
Debuted for the first time in the fall of 2023 at the eighth round of the All-Japan Motocross series, where it was ridden by Trey Canard, the Honda CR Electric Proto is far from being Honda’s first MX machine. Instead, it is a completely new challenge of a different kind, due to its fully electric motor.
The series
Instead of competing with machines equipped with internal combustion engines, as is the case in the MX championship in Japan, Honda has chosen to race the CR Electric Proto in the fully electric FIM E-Xplorer World Cup.
This is an endurocross series and the riders who will compete for Team HRC are the three-time Italian Enduro champion and four-time Italian MX champion Francesca Nocera, as well as Toscha Schareina (who won the prologue of the 2024 Dakar Rally).
The series is unique not only for its fully electric nature but also because each team is composed of one male rider and one female rider. The 2024 FIM E-Xplorer calendar starts on the weekend of February 16 and 17 in Osaka, Japan. Five weekends of different events are planned throughout the season, with the final currently scheduled for the weekend of November 29 to December 1, 2024, in India.
