Oriol Oliver has landed a new opportunity in the MX2 World Championship after parting ways with the BTS KTM team due to financial issues following the third round of the series. The Spaniard has been searching for a new ride, and now he’s set to make his return to the GP paddock with a fresh opportunity.
Gabriel SS24 KTM have stepped in to offer Oliver a lifeline, giving him the chance to line up at the next two rounds of the MX2 World Championship. He’ll race under the team’s awning at the iconic Arco di Trento circuit in Italy and then again a week later in Frauenfeld, Switzerland.
The team were set to fully focus on the EMX250 championship this year but clearly see potential in Oliver and have decided to give him a chance to impress.
It’s currently a short-term arrangement, but if things go well, perhaps there’s potential for the partnership to continue for the remainder of the season. With his future on the line, Oliver will no doubt be motivated to deliver strong results and make the most of this opportunity.
The team posted the news in the following post:
GABRIEL SS24 KTM Factory Juniors is happy to announce that Oriol Oliver will be stepping in as a fill in rider in the MX2 class with immediate effect.
With the unfortunate shoulder injury Max Werner sustained at Hawkstone Park, which will require surgery to repair damaged ligaments, we have made the decision together with KTM to have Oriol jump on the Semi-Factory KTM 250f and compete in the next two MX2 rounds in Arco and Switzerland.
Oriol is a welcome addition to the team and will allow us to maintain a two rider presence out on track, ensuring the exposure that the team and our sponsors desire.
This is a race by race agreement with Oriol and will no way impact the return of Max Werner when he is ready to return to the EMX250 Championship.
Oriol Oliver:
What can I say, just grateful for this great opportunity, it has been a roller coaster of days, not having any sure news about my future is not fun after all the effort during the last years, so to receive the call from Diego at KTM and the Team to make the next races its been a relief, I’d like to thank them for this opportunity. I tried the bike today and no doubts since lap 1 its a really competitive bike, I’m impressed… Now I’m ready to fight again at the next races! I feel good physically, mentally, and I have the tools to ride my best so let’s have some fun with this new crew!
Shaun Simpson:
Firstly I’d like to wish Max Werner a speedy recovery. I’m sure he will work hard on the shoulder after the surgery and come back to show everyone a strong second half of the season. Oriol is a welcome addition in Max’s absence and we are looking forward to seeing how he will perform on our bike in the coming races with us in the MX2 class. A big thanks to Simon Gabriel, KTM, Oriol and our sponsors for making this all happen in such a short period of time.
