I have to be honest, when I saw the news that Ben Watson signed for Dirt Store Triumph for 2026, I immediately thought: this could be the reset button he’s been waiting for. And I don’t mean that lightly.
There are moments in a rider’s career where a fresh environment does more than just give you a new bike, it gives you new life. It gives you something to prove. And I feel like that’s exactly the scenario we’re looking at here.
We’ve seen what he can do when he’s confident
People forget just how good Watson really is when things are clicking.
In MX2 he wasn’t just a “fast rider”, he was a race winner and a GP overall winner. He was one of the guys that, on his day, could take it to anyone in the class. Hard-pack, sand, technical ruts, he has the skill set for every terrain.
When Watson is riding with belief, he rides light, balanced, and efficient, and that’s when the podiums come.
That Mantova MXON performance, that was peak Ben Watson
For me, the biggest reminder of his ceiling was the 2021 MXoN at Mantova, where he went out and won the MXGP class against some of the fastest 450 riders in the world at one of the biggest pressure cooker events in motocross.
That wasn’t a fluke.
That wasn’t luck.
That was Watson riding at the level he should be able to reach more often.
I think that version of Ben Watson still exists, it just needs the right surroundings to emerge again.
His Beta years weren’t a failure, just not the breakout he deserved
This part matters.
I actually think Ben handled the Beta project really professionally. He worked hard, tested, contributed, and did what he could on a developing bike.
But I don’t think he got the results he wanted, or that he’s capable of.
I never got the sense that Beta was a bad move, just that it wasn’t the step forward it needed to be. The Beta project is still evolving, and the comfort wasn’t always there to allow him to show his true potential week-in, week-out.
Sometimes the story isn’t “rider underperforms.”
Sometimes it’s simply:
the chemistry wasn’t right.
Why Triumph feels different
This is why I’m optimistic:
Triumph isn’t coming in half-hearted.
They’re hungry.
They’re building.
They’re aspiring, not just maintaining.
And Watson, in that kind of environment?
That’s where he thrives.
Where his technical feedback matters.
Where he gets attention.
Where he’s not just another rider, he’s a cornerstone.
Plus, racing in the British Championship alongside MXGP will give him familiarity, momentum, and confidence, and that matters WAY more than people realise.
A few podiums or wins at home could translate directly into mental momentum on the world stage.
I honestly believe this could re-ignite his career
This doesn’t feel like a “lateral move.”
It feels like a renaissance move.
I think we might see:
• a happier Ben Watson
• a more confident Ben Watson
• and potentially, a front-running Ben Watson again
Maybe he’s not suddenly title-challenging by round one, but I genuinely believe we will see flashes of the old Ben: the GP winner, the MXON giant, the MX2 standout.
2026
This is a rider who has already proven he can win at the highest level.
Triumph is a brand trying to prove they can win at the highest level.
Those two motivations aligning?
That could be powerful.
Personally, I can’t wait to see how this plays out.
And I really hope this is the moment Ben Watson reminds the paddock exactly who he is.
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