Mattia Guadagnini hitting the track at the Italian Championship in Mantova. Watch the full day recap on YouTube now!

Mattia Guadagnini and Van Venrooy KTM Racing have made a positive start to the 2026 season in the International Italian Championship. After finishing fifth in the opening round in Alghero, Guadagnini added another strong result in Mantova, securing third place in the final championship standings. In the first moto, he immediately went on the attack and managed to move up to sixth place in the opening corners after the start. Guadagnini found a good rhythm, which allowed him to keep moving forward throughout the race. In the second half of the moto he advanced to third place, which he held all the way to the finish, earning a third-place result.

After returning to the MXGP paddock last year, the Van Venrooy KTM team are gearing up for the 2026 season with ambitions of bigger and better results. The team will be active across three championships in 2026 and are excited to once again field a rider in the MXGP World Championship. Italian talent Mattia Guadagnini joins the team, bringing plenty of potential as he looks to make his mark at the top level. In the MX2 World Championship, Hungarian rider Noel Zanocz will step up from the EMX250 series. Zanocz will use his rookie MX2 season to gain experience and learn as much as possible as he adapts to the World Championship level. Completing the Van Venrooy KTM line-up is another promising Hungarian, Áron Katona, who will move up to contest the EMX250 series in 2026. Katona is widely regarded as a talent to watch for the future, and the team are confident in his potential. Van Venrooy KTM are thrilled to welcome all three riders under their awning for the upcoming season. With the countdown now on to the start of the World Championship action in March, expectations are high for an exciting year ahead.