Matt Bisceglia will ride a MAD Racing Team Suzuki for the 2016 and 2017 season.
MAD Racing has announced that Supercross star Matt Bisceglia and rookie Daniel Baker will compete for the Monster Energy championships aboard a pair of Suzuki-supported Yoshimura/Dirt Candy Graphics RM-Z250s in 2016. Bisceglia will challenge for the 250SX West title, and Baker will vie for the 250SX East crown.
“With Matt and Daniel, I feel like we can contend for race wins right out of the gate,” said MAD Racing owner Mike Davignon. “And it should be noted they have both signed two-year contracts, so we’re behind these two young riders 100 percent.
“We are giving them the very best equipment on the market thanks to our new partnership with Suzuki, and I’ve also hired Sébastien Tortelli to train and tutor these guys to make them the very best they can be.”
Bisceglia, who claimed the Horizon Award as the sport’s top amateur in 2013, comes to the Yoshimura/Dirt Candy Graphics Suzuki team after four years with the highly respected GEICO Honda group. While there, he fashioned a pair of podium finishes racing in both 250SX East and 250SX West. The Tualatin, Ore., native also completed two full seasons in the outdoor Lucas Oil motocross series.
“I’m pumped for a new start on a fired-up team, and I already feel amazing on the bike after just the first few days,” Bisceglia said. “This is a very focused group of people, and I’m proud to be with them. Mike and Mary Kay Davignon are so supportive of everything we are doing, and I’m honored they are showing so much faith in me. It will be exciting to see where this year takes us.”
Mike Davignon noted the current plan calls for Bisceglia to spend two more seasons on a Suzuki 250 before graduating to a 450 in 2018.
“I’ve always been impressed with Matt,” Davignon said. “I’ve had my eye on him since his early amateur days and he’s impressed me at each step. He’s shown tremendous starting-line ability and he’s led enough laps to prove he can ride with anyone.”
Although he raced motocross this year, competing his first Supercross season with a top-notch team like Yoshimura/Dirt Candy Graphics Suzuki has Baker feeling like a true professional.
Daniel Baker has also joined the MAD team.
“Until two weeks ago I didn’t even know if I’d be racing Supercross because the team I was with folded after motocross,” said Baker, who hails from Crittenden, Ky. “But I got a call from Mike and he blew me away by flying to Kentucky and signing me to a sweet two-year deal. I’m so psyched and I want to do everything I can to pay him back. The best way to do that is ride hard every second I’m on this bike.
“I’m already training with my new teammate Matt out here in California. Yesterday was my first time on an SX track, and Matt and Sébastien have been awesome helping me out. I’m glad I’m riding the East series because that gives me some more time to practice. I want this to be a great season.”
Both riders will compete in Supercross and motocross for the team.
