Slovenian privateer Jan Pancar capped off another strong campaign at this year’s edition of the Motocross of Nations at Ironman Raceway, helping achieve a best-ever result for Team Slovenia. After finishing 11th in the MXGP Championship standings, Pancar headed Stateside alongside five-time world champion Tim Gajser and MX2 pilot Jaka Peklaj. MXGP diehards would have kept an eye on Slovenia as a legitimate top-ten threat when all was said and done, but top-five couldn’t have been on many’s bingo card, surely?

The highlight of Pancar’s weekend, and arguably his season, came in the OPEN and MX2 race, where he fended off Rockstar Husqvarna’s RJ Hampshire to cross the line in third place, helping secure another top-three finish for his nation. Jan admitted to us post-race that positioning his privateer KTM inside the top five from the start allowed him to find a strong pace early on, comparing it to a training day rather than fighting through a pack of slower riders. MXGP followers will be well aware of the TEM JP253 KTM Racing Team; a small, family run effort made up of Jan, his parents, and his girlfriend , who travel to every overseas and European GP in pursuit of that elusive factory seat.

Whilst it is looking unlikely that his solid efforts have not quite earned him a factory ride as such, he did confirm that he will receive further support fro KTM for the 2026 season. Further support from a manufacture is a huge boost for riders such as Pancar, and it is more than warranted. We caught up with Jan in Ironman to discuss his strong weekend and season, battling RJ Hampshire, 2026 plans and much more! Click the link below to listen to the interview.

Jan Pancar Interview starts at 40:46