What Happens When a MotoGP Rider Swaps to Motocross

MotoGP rider Fabio Quartararo has swapped his prototype Yamaha M1 for a spin around a motocross track aboard a YZ450FM in Spain, and unsurprisingly the 2021 world champion was very fast.

Known for his exploits on the track, Quartararo has now proved he is very adept at riding on motocross tracks after jumping aboard a full-spec MX2 bike, the same motorcycles ridden by 2021 MX2 world champion, Maxime Renaux.

After using his initial laps to get used to the bike, Quartararo starts to up the pace and thanks to the sweet-handling of the factory YZ450FM Yamaha, he manages to set a very competitive time when the pair head off individually at the end of the video.

While Quartararo was fast, Renaux took the speed of the YZ450FM to the next level as he set a new lap record around the Spanish dirt track. The video below shows just how quickly both riders went around the lengthy course, and to save some intrigue, we’ll let you find out for yourselves how it went.

While lots of MotoGP riders use motocross or flat track riding as methods to train for a season, as well as during it, Quartararo is not one of those who has typically been known for his ability on the dirt.

The likes of Marc Marquez, brother Alex, Pramac Yamaha’s Jack Miller and pretty much the entire VR46 Academy line-up have proven to be very skilled at riding on dirt tracks, but this was the first time we’ve seen Quartararo spin some laps in the discipline.

While the video from Yamaha only shows Quartararo and Renaux riding motocross bikes, it does tease a potential day out on MotoGP bikes together which would be very interesting to see.

The margin between Renaux and Quartararo was considerable during their motocross antics, so the challenge for the former will be to see if he can be closer in comparison to Quartararo aboard an M1.

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