Australian enduro racer Kyron Bacon has secured a factory ride with Fantic for the 2027 EnduroGP World Championship, joining the Italian manufacturer’s revamped enduro programme aboard the XE 300 two-stroke. The 24-year-old Tasmanian will contest the E3 category under the new Fantic Factory Racing Enduro structure, managed by Enrico Garelli and the MGR team.
The move marks a significant change for Bacon, who has spent recent seasons racing Kawasaki machinery and establishing himself as one of Australia’s leading off-road competitors. It also brings another Australian into the Fantic factory programme following Daniel Milner’s previous association with the Italian manufacturer.
Bacon joins Fantic at an important time for the XE 300, which recently secured the French E3 Championship and will now be campaigned at world championship level by the Australian. The switch to the 300cc two-stroke will present a different challenge for Bacon, particularly as he prepares to compete against established E3 specialists on the European circuit.
FANTIC REBUILDS ENDURO FACTORY TEAM
Fantic’s 2027 programme will focus on the E3 World Championship and the Junior and Youth categories, with three riders confirmed under the new team structure. Alongside Bacon, 2026 Youth Enduro Vice World Champion Valentin Mersin will step up to Junior 2 aboard the Fantic XEF 310 four-stroke.
Chilean newcomer Cristobal Huerta completes the line-up and will compete in the 125cc Youth category.
The programme will be overseen by Enrico Garelli and the MGR team as Fantic looks to build on the recent success of its XE 300 platform. Bacon will be the team’s leading E3 rider, carrying the manufacturer’s hopes in one of the most competitive categories of the EnduroGP World Championship.
BACON FOLLOWS MILNER TO FANTIC
Bacon’s move follows Daniel Milner’s decision to join Fantic D’Arpa Racing for the 2022 EnduroGP season, when the multiple Australian enduro champion raced the XEF 450 in the E2 category.
Milner’s campaign marked an important step in Fantic’s expansion into the senior EnduroGP classes, with the Australian helping develop the manufacturer’s four-stroke race programme.
Bacon now takes on a similar challenge, although he will be racing the XE 300 two-stroke rather than the four-stroke machinery used by Milner. The Tasmanian’s switch also brings an end to his time on Kawasaki machinery, which included some of the strongest results of his international career.
BACON LEAVES KAWASAKI AFTER STRONG WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
Bacon’s 2025 season included a double Junior EnduroGP victory at the opening round in Portugal, where he won both days aboard his Kawasaki KX300X.
He followed that with further podium performances, including second overall in Sweden, before helping Australia secure third in the Junior World Trophy at the 2025 International Six Days Enduro in Italy.
Bacon was also one of Australia’s standout individual performers at the Six Days, finishing sixth outright aboard his Kawasaki.
For 2026, Bacon stepped into the senior E2 category with MGR Racing Kawasaki, competing against established world championship contenders.
His campaign was affected by injury early in the season, but he gradually improved his results, including fourth in class on Sunday at the Spanish Grand Prix.
He completed his rookie E2 season sixth in the championship standings, finishing fifth and sixth in class at the final round in Wales.
The move to Fantic means Bacon will change both manufacturers and classes for 2027, stepping from Kawasaki’s four-stroke E2 machinery to the XE 300 two-stroke in E3.
However, there will be some continuity behind the scenes, with Bacon remaining under the management of Enrico Garelli and the MGR team, the same operation that guided his Kawasaki campaign.
With a full season of senior EnduroGP experience behind him, Bacon will now attempt to establish himself at the front of the E3 field and continue Australia’s presence in the world championship.
For Fantic, securing the Australian gives its new XE 300 programme an established international competitor as the manufacturer looks to build on its recent French E3 Championship success.
