REVO Husqvarna UK to pull out of MXGP at end of the 2019 season

REVO Husqvarna UK will pull out of the FIM Motocross World Championship at the end of the 2019 season.

The Daventry-based team has enjoyed considerable success in the UK and Europe since it was established in 2017 but the spiralling cost of competing at the sport’s highest level without major financial backing has forced team principal Mark Yates to make the tough decision.

“There are a few reasons and one of the main ones is the funding aspect,” he said. “REVO’s invested a lot of money over the last few years and, yes, while we have had external financial support from Husqvarna it’s still very, very expensive to do GPs.

“A number of people have spoken to us about getting involved as a financial sponsor but nothing has ever come of it and that’s very disappointing when you’re trying to build towards getting a level of support.”

After spending its first season chasing domestic titles, REVO moved up to the EMX250 class in 2018 and came close to winning it with Mel Pocock and Martin Barr who both led the championship at one stage last year.

This season, as a factory-backed satellite team, REVO has been competing in the MX2 world championship with Dylan Walsh and Alvin Ostlund with both riders scoring top-10 finishes. They also currently sit 1-2 in the Maxxis series with two rounds to go.

However, this success hasn’t brought in major financial sponsorship.

“We’re coming to the end of a three-year plan and I was hoping by now we’d be in a position to attract a decent sponsor who would help support us heading into GPs next year,” added Yates.

“People who know me know I like to do things properly.” – REVO is a company with very high standards that operates with a very high level of professionalism. There are no half-measures.

“This year we’ve had a full-time truck driver, two mechanics, a practice mechanic and two riders. That’s just the starting point before you’ve done anything else.

“As a privateer team – even with the level of support we get from the factory – to be successful you’re talking over £400,000, maybe even £500,000. That’s ludicrous unless you’ve got the right sponsors who are willing to invest.

“We’ve been very fortunate that all our product sponsors have been unbelievable. The support they’ve given us has been fantastic and that’s enabled us to do what we’ve done.”