Mikkel Haarup To Race 2025 AMA Pro Motocross with Factory Triumph

Mikkel Haarup will make his US debut when the AMA Pro Motocross Championship kicks off May 24 at Pala Raceway. The MXGP rider will fill-in for the injured Jalek Swoll, who tore his ACL during the off-season, at Triumph Factory Racing this summer. He will contest the 250 Class this Pro Motocross season for the steam.

Haarup joined Triumph for its inaugural season in the FIM MX2 Motocross World Championship last year, giving the British manufacturer a number of top five results and a historic first Grand Prix podium at the opening round of the series. Mikkel enjoyed a strong year, concluding the season fifth in the standings.

Thanks to his development role with Triumph, Haarup has been based at the team’s state-of-the-art training facility in Georgia, USA for a number of months. Before the Pro Motocross tour begins, the Dane will compete in lower-profile events to fully prepare himself aboard the TF 250-X in a racing environment, having last ridden competitively at the Motocross of Nations back in October. Mikkel’s first outing with the team will be a Loretta Lynn’s qualifier event in South Carolina this weekend.

Mikkel Haarup

“First of all, I’m super excited for this opportunity. It’s always been a dream of mine to race in the US, and to be able to do it with a team that I trust and on a bike that I love to ride is just perfect. Of course, it means I am stepping away from my development role for now, but it continues in safe hands with Clement Desalle and Ivan Tedesco continuing the work. My expectations for the season are hard to say. It’s a new racing format for me and there are different rules with the bikes. But, overall, the initial goal is to improve round by round. From there, the goals may change after a few races. Round one is not far away now, and I can’t wait to get started.” 

Jeremy Coker – General Manager, Triumph Racing America

“The addition of Mikkel to our team for Pro Motocross is really exciting – not only for us, but for the series – as it’ll have another rider from MXGP on the start line. Mikkel has been with us for a few months now and he’s been great to work with, and testing has been going really well. When the outdoor season starts, I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do, and it should be a great summer of racing.”

Ian Kimber – Head of Global Racing Programs, Triumph Motorcycles

“Having Mikkel based in the US for his 450 development role has put us in a unique position. We’ve been able to utilize his skills and experience to the benefit of our American racing program, as well as continuing to develop our 450 machine. The 2025 AMA Supercross season has been tough, and heading into Pro Motocross, we won’t have our full line-up of riders competing until later in the season. With that in mind, we’ve drafted Mikkel into the Triumph Factory Racing team for the Pro Motocross series in the 250 Class, which has a lot of benefits for all involved. We’ve been able to take our time, get him used to the US-spec bike, and develop his set-up, so he’ll be fully prepared going into the season. Keeping him race-sharp is important, and he also brings a closer connection between our US and MXGP racing programs. I’m super excited to see how Mikkel progresses this summer, and I know first-hand that his input will be invaluable for the team. The experience will be great for him, and we’re all looking forward to seeing him on the start gate later this year.”