The 2027 250 Class Is Filling Up: Cochran to Yamaha, Long to Honda, Two Husqvarna Riders to KTM

The 250 class silly season is wrapping up, and the last two weeks have moved a lot of names. Here's who went where for 2027, and why it matters before the gate drops in January.

Casey Cochran: Star Racing Yamaha

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing announced on October 26 that Casey Cochran, 20, has signed a multi-year deal with its 250 factory team (Supercross Live). He'll race the all-new YZ250F under #49 and make his debut when the 2027 Supermotocross World Championship season opens January 9 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim.

He's joining a crowded house. The team's 250 lineup now reads Cole Davies (the reigning 250SX East and 250MX champion), Kayden Minear, Caden Dudney, Landen Gordon, Pierce Brown and Cochran. That's six riders on one bike program, and a lot of testing feedback for Yamaha's brand-new YZ250F.

Avery Long: Phoenix Racing Honda

On October 27, Phoenix Racing Honda, based in Salisbury, North Carolina, signed Avery Long to ride a CRF250R in the 250SX East region, with a plan to race AMA Supercross, Pro Motocross and the SuperMotocross championships (Racer X). Long spent two years with AEO Powersports KTM Racing and won the AMA Amateur Rider of the Year award back in 2022. Racer X notes his 2026 season was hampered by illness, even with flashes of top-ten and possibly top-five speed. His debut with the team is slated for Tampa.

Red Bull KTM adds two from Husqvarna

Earlier this month, on October 14, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing announced Ryder Di Francesco and Daxton Bennick for the 250 class of the 2027 Supermotocross Championship, both coming over from Husqvarna (Corsedimoto). They join Julien Baumer and Sacha Coenen, giving KTM a four-rider 250 squad.

Di Francesco was the 2026 SMX runner-up with eight podiums that season. Bennick finished third in 2026 AMA Supercross, won his first pro moto at the SMX Playoffs in Ohio and added two outdoor podiums.

The bigger picture

Put the three announcements side by side and a pattern shows up. Yamaha is stacking its 250 program around a brand-new bike, Honda's satellite squad is betting on a rider coming off a rough, illness-hit year, and KTM is pulling in two proven riders from Husqvarna to sit beside Baumer and Coenen. Every team is solving the same problem in a different way: find speed, and find it before the season opener.

For fans, that means the 250 East and West fields should be deep and unpredictable. For riders at home, it's a reminder that results, health and timing all decide who gets a seat. Nobody is guaranteed one.

What it means for riders

• Bikes get tested harder. More factory riders on a new machine like the YZ250F means more feedback, and that shapes what ends up in the showroom.
• Seats are scarce. Even riders with podiums and runner-up finishes change teams. The gap between "fast" and "signed" is thin.
• January isn't far off. With Anaheim on January 9, the rosters are mostly set and the preseason clock is running.

Track your own season

You don't need a factory deal to chase progress. Log your rides with BraapTrax and watch your distance, time and elevation add up over the season, so next year's improvement is something you can see. And when you spot a hazard the rider behind you won't expect, drop a hazard report. The next rider will thank you.