KTM expands its 250 team with DiFrancesco and Bennick

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing has added Ryder DiFrancesco and Daxton Bennick to its 2027 roster, expanding its 250 effort to four riders. Announced on October 14, the lineup also includes returning rider Julien Beaumer and incoming MX2 racer Sacha Coenen. The program will cover AMA Supercross, Pro Motocross and the SMX postseason on KTM 250 SX-F Factory Edition machinery. ^[1]

The signings bring recent results into the expanded squad. KTM’s announcement lists DiFrancesco as the 2026 250SMX runner-up, fifth in Pro Motocross and fourth in the 250SX Western Division. Bennick finished third in the Eastern Division. Nathan Ramsey will manage the 250 team, while Ian Harrison oversees the factory 450 operation. The team has announced Anaheim on January 9 as the expanded program’s competitive debut. ^[1]

Both recruits spent 2026 in Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s factory 250 program. The team’s original season announcement placed them alongside Casey Cochran, with Malcolm Stewart and RJ Hampshire in the 450 class. The KTM move therefore gives DiFrancesco and Bennick another shared team setting, this time within a larger four-rider 250 operation. ^[2]

Recent form, then a new start

Their September SMX performance offers one recent example of what that pairing can bring. At the Columbus playoff opener, Bennick won the first moto and finished third in the second. He tied Levi Kitchen on four points for the overall, with Kitchen winning the second-moto tiebreaker. DiFrancesco finished third overall with 3-4 results. It was a weekend that put both riders on the overall podium before their next team chapter was announced. ^[3]

The early 2027 schedule will provide an immediate test. Anaheim 1 is set for January 9, and the second Anaheim event on January 23 will use the three-main-event Triple Crown format. The other announced Triple Crowns are Arlington on February 27 and Foxborough on April 3. ^[4]

For now, the headline is the scale of KTM’s commitment. Four riders give the 250 program several routes to strong results across the season. How the newcomers adapt, and how the team converts that depth into consistent finishes, remain questions for the racing itself rather than conclusions that can be drawn from an October announcement. ^[1]