Benoit Paturel, a member of the 2016 French team that won the Motocross of Nations, has signed a deal with BOS Suspension KTM to contest the MXGP Class in the 2018 FIM Motocross World Championship.
Forced to move to the MXGP Class next year due to the 23-and-under rule in the series, Paturel’s future was uncertain after Julien Lieber (Kawasaki) and Brian Bogers (Honda) filled two open spots, and Suzuki announced its closing. The factory KTM, Husqvarna, and Yamaha teams are already full.
Paturel found a landing spot with the new KTM team, which already announced the signing of fellow French rider Jordi Tixier, who recently debuted with the team at Paris Supercross.
Paturel finished fifth overall in the MX2 Championship in 2017 while with Yamaha.