Carmichael and Cervantes Testing Triumph Prototypes

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Iván Cervantes and Ricky Carmichael recently spent time at Triumph testing prototypes and providing feedback on the company’s motocross and dual sport machines. (Triumph/)

Back in July of 2021, Triumph Motorcycles announced that it was jumping into the off-road game and developing a line of motocross and dual sport machines. It also announced that it had acquired the services of ten-time MX and six-time Supercross champ Ricky Carmichael, arguably the greatest motocross racer of all time, as well as those of four-time Enduro world champion Iván Cervantes. Having two of the off-road world’s biggest names contributing to development demonstrated that the British company was serious about dirt and had hit the ground running.

As off-road outsiders, Triumph couldn’t have picked two more qualified riders to aid in the development of its motocross and dual sport machines. Carmichael, off-road riding’s GOAT, won AMA Motocross championships with Kawasaki, Honda, and Suzuki, racking up 162 wins in all classes and competing on three winning Motocross des Nations teams. Cervantes’ résumé includes winning five Spanish motocross titles before starting his FIM World Enduro Championship career, which saw him become a two-time E1 and two-time E3 champ, and then competing in the Dakar Rally for KTM in 2016 and 2018 before retiring at the end of that year.

When Triumph made its announcement last year, CEO Nick Bloor said, “Today’s announcement marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Triumph brand, which everyone at Triumph is incredibly excited to be part of. We are 100 percent committed to making a long-lasting impact in this highly competitive and demanding world, with a single-minded ambition to deliver a winning motorcycle lineup for a whole new generation of Triumph riders.”

Since then there has been little if any information or news about progress on the projects. Clearly, diving into the deep end of a completely new market segment is going to take time to yield results, and Triumph undoubtedly wants to get it right the first time. To whet the appetites of Triumph fans waiting to hear more, the Hinckley company has sent out a press release to say it is moving forward while heightening the suspense even more.

In the release, Triumph revealed that Carmichael and Cervantes recently spent a week in the UK with the Triumph motocross and dual sport development teams, engaging in workshops and testing the latest prototypes to provide feedback to engineers.

“It has been a pleasure to finally come to the Triumph headquarters,” Carmichael said. “Meeting everyone in all the departments, seeing how it all works, and getting to put faces to the names of those I have been working with for so long. I have been incredibly impressed throughout the project, from my first test with the team in the US, and it’s great to see how much progress they made to this point.

“To see the masterminds at work, and the dedication and motivation from everyone has been absolutely incredible. The sky is the limit and I believe everyone’s hard work on this project will mirror the level of the Triumph brand. It is an exciting time to be a part of this historic project.”

“For me, this is a huge moment,” Cervantes said. “We’ve tested the bike many times, but it was wonderful to ride with Ricky in person, and so satisfying to see how happy he is with the setup we’ve developed. We have made some very big steps and some very productive changes, and I’m very happy with where we are.

“I have worked for a long time on this project with an amazing team, who all share the same goal: to be competitive from the very beginning. I can’t wait for the next steps.”

“It was a pleasure to have both Ricky and Iván with us for a whole week and to continue to take full advantage of their experience with the development of our off-road prototypes,” Chief Product Officer Steve Sargent added. “Having both legendary motorcycle racers together to contribute to such a crucial phase of the bike’s development is invaluable. Together we share a single-minded ambition to launch motorcycles that are 100 percent capable of winning, that bring something new and different to riders in both worlds, that encompass all of Triumph’s expertise and capability, and that leverage everything Ricky and Iván know about winning and developing bikes that deliver consistently race after race.”

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