With MXGP returning to Europe this upcoming weekend, the Fantic Factory Racing EMX team is set to hit the track for the opening round of the 2025 European Championship. After a highly successful 2024, the Italian brand’s official squad enters the EMX125 season as title defenders with Francesco Bellei and Douwe Van Mechgelen. The team will also be competing in EMX250, advancing to the next level together with Simone Mancini.
Words | Press release
Fantic is coming off a truly remarkable season in the EMX125 European Championship, with 6 overall victories, a total of 14 podium finishes, and two riders in the top three of the championship standings, along with first place in the manufacturers’ classification. The goal for 2025 is ambitious yet clear: to once again establish the Fantic XX 125 at the top of the category. This challenge will be taken on by the team’s new entry, Francesco Bellei, and the returning Douwe Van Mechgelen.
Having narrowly missed out on the podium at the Internazionali d’Italia, Bellei has continued to work hard with the Fantic Factory Racing EMX team to ensure he is fully prepared for the start of the European Championship. The opening round will take place in Cozar, Spain, on a track that perfectly suits the 16-year-old talent from Trentino – something he proved last season with a race win and a podium finish in the 2024 season finale. His Belgian teammate is also ready for his season debut, having recovered in time from a left-hand injury that sidelined him from the Internazionali.
Simone Mancini, meanwhile, is facing a brand-new challenge. The 17-year-old Italian continues his development within Fantic’s official structure managed by Daniele Marchese, as he steps up to the Fantic XXF 250. A Junior Vice World Champion and EMX125 bronze medallist last season, he is fired up for his EMX250 debut, which is set to take place in just a few days at the MXGP of Castilla La Mancha.
Francesco Bellei #141: “Here we are, about to start this new adventure in the EMX250 European Championship. The team remains the same, and I am really happy about that. The class is new, and I am really excited because I am feeling great with the Fantic XXF 250. We hope to have a fun season. It is my first year with the 250, but the goal is always the same: to aim as high as possible and be in the fight until the very end.”
Douwe Van Mechgelen #518: «“I am feeling good coming into the season. I missed a few weeks on the bike due to a hand injury, but it is almost back to 100% now, and I am getting a good feeling on the my Fantic again. I am hopeful to be fully ready for the EMX125 opener in Spain. The goal this year is definitely to be consistently in the top 5 and, hopefully, make it onto the podium.”
