MURRIETA, Calif. – The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team will kick off the new American Flat Track Championship season next month with a revamped, two-rider lineup in the AFT Singles Class.
Returning for her third season with the team, 19-time AFT Singles winner Shayna Texter-Bauman will line up to once again battle for the top spot alongside new teammate and reigning AFT Singles runner-up, Max Whale.
The duo will compete aboard the KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition.
“I’m really happy to bring a two-rider program back to AFT, thanks in a big way to our new partnership with Rocky Mountain ATV/MC,” said team manager Chris Fillmore. “I feel that our program will really benefit from having two riders this season. As teammates, Shayna and Max already have a good chemistry and it will be good for them to really push each other on and off the track. It’s also valuable to have two riders providing feedback when we’re testing and at the races.
“We look forward to getting Shayna back on the podium this season and furthering her achievement as the winningest rider in AFT Singles history, and we’re excited to bring Max on board in 2021,” Fillmore added. “Max is young and very motivated for the top spot, so I expect his hard work to pay off. We’re really looking forward to seeing both riders achieve their goals this season.”
Texter-Bauman, a multi-time race winner, collected two podium finishes last season in the AFT Singles Class where she finished 12th overall in the championship.
The Pennsylvania native has been working hard during the offseason to put her No. 52 KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition into the mix up front this year.
“Being a part of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team is an honor that I am very proud of,” said Texter-Bauman. “I’m more motivated than ever to achieve the goals that I have set for myself in the 2021 season. The team has been working hard and we are all anxious to get back to racing.”
Whale will debut his No. 18 KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition in 2021 as he enters his fourth season in the AFT Singles Class.
The Australian has progressively climbed through the ranks over the last four years, taking home a respectable second overall in last year’s championship with two race-wins and four podium finishes.
With an all-new bike and team behind him, Whale looks to battle up front this season with hopes of claiming the 2021 crown.
“Riding for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team this season, I feel like we have a really strong chance at the top spot,” said Whale. “I have been fortunate enough to spend a bit of time with the team in California during the offseason and it’s been awesome. I really feel at home on the KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition, doing a lot of testing and just enjoying my time out here.
“It’s been a dream of mine to ride for Red Bull KTM and I just really want to come out and do these guys proud and end up with the number one plate.”