Andrea Bonacorsi: “Stepping on the MXGP podium with Fantic is special, they make me feel at home”
For 2025, Andrea Bonacorsi has rejoined the Fantic family – the Italian brand with which he claimed the EMX125 title in 2020. It is one of those full-circle stories, made even more special by the first-ever MXGP podium for both Fantic and “Bona”, secured at round 2 of the season in Cózar, Spain. We caught up with the 21-year-old Italian ahead of two home rounds for both him and Fantic, the upcoming GPs in Sardinia (April 5-6) and Trentino (April 12-13).
We are only at the beginning of this MXGP season, your first full-time campaign in the premier class, and you have already claimed your first podium in Cózar, making history for Fantic alongside your teammate Glenn Coldenhoff. At first, you couldn’t really put your emotions into words – now that you have had some time to process it all, how does it feel?
It is a moment you dream of since you are a kid. You work every day to achieve it. In the end, every race, you line up behind the gate with the goal to win and step onto the podium. It was an incredible feeling, and doing it with Fantic made it even more special. In 2020, I won my first EMX title with Fantic, so coming back and taking my first MXGP podium with them means a lot – and doing it at just the second round is a really positive sign. There are so many strong riders, MXGP is an incredibly tough class, so getting on the podium was an amazing achievement. It gives us a lot of energy to keep pushing.
You have mentioned more than once that you feel at home again with Fantic – and feeling at home sure means a lot, especially among Italians. What makes the difference, what gives you that feeling?
It is the people who make the difference – not just the Italians but the whole team which is based in the Netherlands, of course. They all make me feel good and give me a lot of confidence. We work well together, and that mindset helps me when I am out on track. That is exactly what you need as a rider – knowing that you are in one of the best teams and riding one of the best bikes in the paddock.
Speaking of the Fantic XXF 450, you have felt comfortable with it from the first test – and since then, it seems like you have taken another step forward.
Yes, but more than anything, it is a series of small steps because the base was already really good from the beginning. Then, little by little, the more laps you do, the more you look for something extra that suits your riding style even better. As you improve and gain speed, you start looking for finer adjustments. That is what we are working on now – the details.
In the Fantic Factory Racing MXGP team, you have two very experienced teammates, Glenn Coldenhoff and Brian Bogers, and you can also rely on valuable advice from team coach Kevin Strijbos. What is it like to work with them?
There is a really good atmosphere. I have been in different teams, and often, especially when you get to MXGP, there is a lot of rivalry between riders. But here, we talk, we communicate, we laugh and joke – and we help each other. Being the younger one, I obviously learn a lot from them since they have so much experience, but in the end, we can all learn something by working together.
Sometimes people forget that you are only 21 because you are already competing with the top guys in the premier class – but the truth is, it hasn’t been that long since you won your EMX125 title with Fantic.
Yeah, thinking about it really puts things into perspective. One day, at the team we were looking at a file with everyone’s first GP – and Glenn made his debut in 2007 when I had just turned four years old (smiles). And experience makes a huge difference in MXGP – the guys at the front are usually the ones with the most of it. Being among the younger riders and already having a podium in the pocket gives me a lot of confidence. I am young, but I am trying to learn as quickly as possible from everything around me.
It is also kind of a full-circle story that your journey has brought you back to the Fantic family. When you visited the factory and saw your old XX 125, it must have been incredible to think about how much both you and Fantic have grown since then.
Yes, absolutely, it is something special. When I was racing in the EMX125 class, it was all about having fun. Straight after, I moved to the Netherlands. From there, everything changed – years of hard work, and now it is all starting to pay off, little by little.
What never changes is the passion for the sport – something you can truly feel within Fantic – and the emotions of the whole team after securing that double podium in Spain perfectly showcased it.
Absolutely. That is what we all work for – those kinds of emotions. It was really special to take my first MXGP podium with Fantic. It is where it all started for me in 2020 – and now, a new chapter has begun in MXGP. We are only at the start, and we have already made it onto the podium.
Has this result changed your expectations for the season?
No, not really. What has changed is that I know we can do it – I know we can get on the podium. Mentally, it is a step forward, but otherwise, the approach remains the same – stay calm and keep gaining experience. And with experience, we can keep stepping onto the podium. That is the exciting part, especially with two races in Italy coming up. I can’t wait to race at home!
