GABRIEL SS24 KTM UNVEIL NEW LOOK
“GABRIEL SS24 KTM are proud to unveil our new look for the upcoming 2024 season. The team have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to prepare for the new season as we take a massive step forward to compete in the full MXGP and EMX250 series, as well as the Dirtstore ACU British Championship.
The whole team would like to take the time to thank all of our sponsors for their help, support and trust as we embark on this venture and are excited for what this new season holds!”
Simon Gabriel | Gabriel Insulation Services | KTM | Motorex | WP Suspension | FXR | Airoh | Alpinestars | Renthal | Akrapovic | Bickers | Maxxis | RK Takasago Chain | X-Trig | Prox Racing | Apico | Enjoy MFG | DT1 Air Filter | SBS Brakes | Talon | EvoTech | Dyce Carriers | Rabaconda | Sheffield Insulation Group
The first pre season race for the team was the first round of the Spanish championship at Talavera. The boys showed some good speed throughout the weekend and came away with a podium!
Making his debut on the KTM 250-SFX Cas put in the second fastest time in timed practice and this is where he would line up for the qualifying race - to which he finished in 7th. Going into the motos he had two top 5 starts and was making good headway up the pack before a small mistake in moto one and arm pump in moto two cost him a better finish. He came away with a 7-6 scorecard.
Cas Valk: “I’m happy to finally start the season! The look of the new design for the bikes is amazing. The winter training has been really good especially the weeks in Spain with the team! Three more pre season races to go before the important races start! I can’t wait to race the EMX250 again and do some MX2 races as well! Also, I’m looking forward to racing in the British championship it’s a new experience for me so let’s see what we can do!”
In timed practice in the MX1 class Josh set the 5th fastest time and after a good start qualified 3rd ahead of the races. On Sunday he grabbed the holeshot in both races and lead from start to finish in moto one. In moto two he lead for the first 20 minutes just ahead of Guadagnini before catching some back markers wrong and the gap closed right up. He lost the lead but a 1-2 finish secured him 1st overall for the weekend!
Josh Gilbert : “The new look looks incredible! The team have put together a really good package with both the look and performance of the bike. Talavera went really well. There were a lot of positives to take away from the weekend so we just need to keep doing what we’re doing and keep putting in the hours to be as strong as possible for the season ahead. The expectations for the season are to win the British championship and take each GP as it comes. It would be nice to push for top 10 results in the GPs but it’s going to be a new experience for me doing the full series.”
Shaun Simpson : “We are delighted to start 2024 with our first win in the bag. There’s been a lot of work behind the scenes during this off season and we can’t thank KTM and our partners enough for their support to reach this next level. Both Cas and Josh have had very strong winter programs and together with our restructured crew we are looking forward to a successful 2024 season in MXGP, EMX250 and the British Championship.”
Words by Gabriel SS24 KTM
Photos by Ray Archer