KELLYS FACTORY TEAM ANNOUNCES ROSTER FOR 2026 DH SEASON
8. April 2026
Spring is kicking off and like every year, our Kellys
Factory Team is ready for another season of races, trainings, experiences and
travelling around the world.
For our first team ride of the year, we headed to the Slovenian bike
park in Maribor. The days filled with riding on the World Cup track were great
as a final training session before the upcoming races, but we also managed to
take some cool photos, videos and finalize the details for the new season.
TEAM MEMBERS
This year is very special for our team. Rasťo Baránek is leaving the
racing scene after ten years and will focus on other activities related to the
team, bikes and working with the media. We are very happy that Rasťo is staying
with us and will continue to pass on his experience to younger riders.
And speaking of
younger riders, we have some news! Our team has grown and we are excited to
introduce you some new faces!
DENIS KOHÚT
Denis Kohut
is one of the fastest racers in
Slovakia, reigning national champion and Slovak downhill cup overall winner. By
finishing 10th overall last year in IXS European downhill cup
series, Denis has proved he is more than capable to compete on international
level as well. His speed and aggressive style is hard to match and we can't be
more stoked to have this guy in our team. Welcome!
VIKTOR BANIČ
Just
14 years old, but already two time national champion, Slovak downnhill cup
overall winner. On the top of that, Viktor already made his presence racing IXS
rookies cup, finishing second overall in the series and also fifth at IXS
international Rookies championships in Schladming 🚀
Viktor will do his best to continue with this amazing
form as he is stepping up into the cadet (U17) category 💪
We wish him best of luck!
ALEX BANÁK
Last year was the
very first year of racing for Alex and he did amazing job. Not only he was in
the mix with the top kids, he also won round 4 at Velka Raca and secured the
second place overall in Slovak downhill cup 🤩
This season Alex getting ready for his debut at IXS
European cups racing cadet (U17) category, and we will see him also at home
racing Slovak national series.
Every weekend is a new opportunity to gain experiences
and boy we have a lot of races ahead 🏁
Good luck Alex, journey with Kellys Factory Team
begins!
Okay, that's the
list of a new faces, but don't forget the other team members as well!
ONDREJ KOLEČÍK
Ondrej always looks
chill and easy around the pits, but when in comes to racing he is already
making his presence in Men Elite category with strong results. He won a lot of
races last year in Czech republic and also was able to win Czech downhill
series overall. His times are getting closer and closer to the top dogs in IXS European
cups and we are excited to see what this year brings for him.
ŠTEPÁN HURTA
Stepan is that type
of rider who looks amazing on the bike all the time. Body position on point,
great speed. He had a big winter block of training and now it's time to his
second and last season as a junior. Expectations are high and we can't wait to
see Stepan make it happen!
DANIEL VARAČKA
“Dado” had a rough
go last year. He was healing ligaments in his hand for months and as soon as he
was able to ride his bike again, it ended up with a broken wrist. Not and easy
task to deal with as a racer but now, he is healthy, hungry and ready to race another
season!
BIKE
Our boys are riding
Kellys Noid 90, downhill machine well known in race environment. New, improved geometry
for faster and rougher tracks feels great with unique Kellys Think-link
suspension system. Thanks to adjustable Vario Geometry system they are able to
ride both mullet or full 29 setup as they prefer the most.
In combination with
top-of-the-line components provided by team’s partners our riders will have the
opportunity to customize their set-up by their preferences on the way to gain
top places on the podium.
PARTNERS
Kellys Factory team
could not make it through to whole busy racing schedule without tremendous and
reliable support of our great sponsors, so we are delighted to work again with KLS,
Novatec, Schwalbe, PRO, Shimano, KMC, KS, Namedsport, Xforce optics, Paul Lange
Oslany s.r.o., Feedback sports and we are also pleased to welcome BMZ
battery solutions group and Panasonic ebike systems as our newest partners,
helping our racers with home training laps on Kellys Theos RS ebikes!
BRING IT ON!
We are very excited
about what the upcoming season will bring, as we managed to step forward not
just on a personal side of the team, but also included some special races to
our schedule. European championships and IXS European Cups being a top
priority, KFT riders will also have a chance to focus their efforts to achieve
the best results at World Championships in Val di Sole, Italy and National
Championships, as well as compete in other disciplines at many prestigious MTB
events like Bikefest Kálnica and others.
Stay tuned for more
and follow KFT on Facebook or Instagram.
