Image: Foremost Media.

A new-look Recover8 KTM Thor team has announced Jesse Dobson will join triple Australian champion Dean Ferris for the 2020 MXstore MX Nationals, the long-time premier class contender set to make a maiden assault in the MX2 category.

The Raceline Motorsport-operated outfit will revert to a two-rider squad for this upcoming season, with the signing of Dobson completing the team after Ferris previously declared his intentions to go racing with the KTM team.

Dobson, who graduated straight to MX1 from MXD in 2014, will pilot a KTM 250 SX-F for his first-ever campaign in the quarter-litre division.

“It’s actually so refreshing, and I’m so excited to go racing,” Dobson explained on the Inside Dirt podcast, which hosted the team announcement live on the Gold Coast over the weekend. “When this deal first came about, I thought about the 250 and I was like ‘ah’, but I had a couple of weeks to sit on it, and then I was like ‘yep, I want to do this’.

“It’s refreshing you know, because now I’m going to the start line and I want to line-up and win every single race. I’ve always trained to win, but these guys in the 450 class – Dean [Ferris], Todd [Waters], [Kirk Gibbs] Gibbsy, [Brett] Metcalfe – these are world-class riders.

“On a 250, I’m now going to the line to win – and I want to win everything and I believe I can win, and I’m going to loud and clear about it – I’m not going down to a 250 to come second, I’m going there and I want to win. It’s refreshing and I’m really looking forward to the year.”

The announcement indicates the departure of MXD champion and Australian MXoN representative Regan Duffy, who’s tipped to pilot Husqvarna machinery alongside MX1 champion Todd Waters. The Recover8 KTM Thor team will debut its new riders and look at Horsham’s season-opener on 4-5 April in Victoria.