Team KTM Pro Racing Sport’s Max Ahlin begins his most challenging season yet with the FIM Junior Enduro World Champion stepping up to EnduroGP for 2025. To reach the very top of the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship, speed alone is not enough.

It’s about maximising your performance on every type of terrain imaginable, while being super-consistent on upwards of 12 special tests and seven hours of riding to reach the podium on any given day.

You then need to replicate that across seven rounds and 14 days of racing to be in the hunt for a world title. It’s anything but easy, and the higher you climb the ladder, the harder it becomes.

So, it’s well known that the very best riders have become masters at handling pressure. They’ve learned to manage it in a way that ultimately translates into winning races, and championships. Even when the odds are against them, they figure out a way to overcome.

As the reigning FIM Junior Enduro World Champion, Team KTM Pro Racing Sport’s Max Ahlin is currently on that journey as he steps up to the senior ranks of EnduroGP and Enduro2 for the first time.

“The top guys, you know, they never fail,” says Max. “Of course they crash, but they are always competitive on every test and every condition. And that is what I need to figure out! I know my top speed is good. I am happy with that, but I know I need to work on my consistency, both over a day and a complete season. When I look at the overall picture, I had the speed to be in the top 10 in EnduroGP on my best tests, but in others, I was around the top 20.”

An outstanding 2024 season of becoming world champion, while also helping the Swedish Junior team to victory in the 6DAYS® Enduro of Nations, has helped him piece together a complete day of racing, and understand delivering under pressure.

“I feel that last year became a major turning point for me in handling pressure,” continues Max. “In the past, I have won European and Swedish Junior titles but had struggled with that end-of-season pressure. I always wanted to become a world champion. I felt that if I didn’t do it in 2024 then it would become harder to do in the future. But after round one, when I finished seventh, that initial pressure faded because in a way I felt like I’d already lost. But maybe that was exactly what I needed to happen.

“After my double victory in Romania, I had raced my way back into contention. I saw that I could compete at my best level under pressure. That was a turning point in my mindset. Things rolled from there and we won the title in France. I then raced the ISDE for Sweden and we won Junior. I was able to do a decent race for six days without major error.”

As he readies himself to debut in the EnduroGP class this week in Fafe, Portugal, the familiar surroundings of Team KTM Pro Racing Sport also brings comfort for the challenge ahead.

“Within the team, we are really comfortable,” confirms Max. “I’ve been with them since 2023, with the same mechanic Stefano, and team manager Alex Belometti. Alex has huge experience from his own racing career, he understands so much, and with Stefano being open-minded too, that’s what makes it good. As a team we always have open conservation about how to improve things, but there is no expectation to deliver.

“My goal this year is to become as good as I can possibly be as a rider. We’re going to focus more on how far I am away from the top and track my progress during the year. For sure, it’s exciting and nervous heading into round one, but we’ll see what it brings!”

2025 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship

Round 1: GP of Portugal – Fafe – 4-6 April

Round 2: GP of Spain – Oliana – 2-4 May

Round 3: GP of Sweden – Skövde – 23-25 May

Round 4: GP of Wales – Rhayader – 1-3 August

Round 5: GP of France – Réquista – 12-14 September

Round 6: GP of Italy – Darfo Boario Terme – 26-28 September

Round 7: GP of Germany – Zschopau – 17-19 October

2025 Expotrade FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship

Round 1: GP of Portugal – Fafe – 4-6 April

Round 2: GP of Wales – Rhayader – 1-3 August

Round 3: GP of France – Réquista – 12-14 September

Round 4: GP of Germany – Zschopau – 17-19 October