Red Bull KTM Factory Racing has announced a major expansion of its 250 programme for the 2027 season, signing Ryder DiFrancesco and Daxton Bennick to join Julien Beaumer and incoming Belgian star Sacha Coenen in a four-rider lineup. The expanded roster will compete aboard KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION machinery across the AMA Supercross Championship, Pro Motocross Championship, and SMX Finals.
DiFrancesco, 21, arrives at the Austrian manufacturer following an impressive 2026 campaign that saw him finish runner-up in the 250SMX World Championship, fifth in 250MX, and fourth in the 250SX Western Division. The Californian earned his first-career 250SX podium at Anaheim 1 and carried that momentum through the outdoors and playoffs, establishing himself as a legitimate title contender.
“I’m super-excited to be joining Red Bull KTM Factory Racing,” said DiFrancesco. “It’s been one of the top-tier teams in the paddock since I can remember, so it’s going to be a cool feeling being on the orange bike in 2027 – it only grows the confidence in myself and the team. The next thing to do now is to go out there and win.”
Bennick, 20, joins the squad after a strong 2026 season that included third place in the 250SX East standings and his first 250SMX podium at SMX Playoff 1 in Columbus. The North Carolina native progressed through the professional ranks as part of the KTM Orange Brigade amateur programme and enters 2027 with championship aspirations.
“I’m so excited to be on the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team next year,” Bennick commented. “It’s always been a dream of mine, so it’s a super-cool and surreal moment for me. There are a lot of familiar faces on the team and also some new ones, and I think we’re going to make a really good combination and go after the championships.”
The duo joins Beaumer, who returns for his fourth season with the team after recently extending his contract through 2027 and beyond, and 19-year-old Coenen, who arrives from the MX2 World Championship following a third-place finish in the 2026 standings.
Nathan Ramsey, newly appointed Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 250 Team Manager, expressed his enthusiasm for the expanded programme: “I couldn’t be happier to add Dax and Ryder to the team! They both had very strong seasons in 2026 and should absolutely be in the championship conversation in 2027. Dax and Ryder alongside Juju and Sacha make up a very young and extremely strong Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 250 effort for 2027!”
The expanded 250 programme will make its competitive debut at the opening round of the 2027 AMA Supercross Championship in Anaheim, California, on 9 January, marking a renewed commitment from KTM to the quarter-litre class alongside its factory 450 team featuring reigning SMX World Champion Jorge Prado and new recruit Lucas Coenen.
Photo: KTM Media
