Seven years after his Motocross World Championship debut in 2001 South African Tyla Rattray of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing made it to the MX2 World Title at the end of a long battle with team mate Tommy Searle.
22 year old Rattray from Durban, South Africa, saw many injury plagued seasons in his career and this is a well deserved title for the works KTM rider.
This is the first Riders? World Title that team manager Stefan Everts wins since the start of this new career inside the KTM team in 2007 while the manufacturer had not seen one of its riders on top of the MX2 Championship since Ben Townley?s win in 2004.
After starring in the South African motocross scene Rattray decided to base himself in Europe and try a career in the World series. His GP debut dates back to the 2001 European GP in the 125cc class. Since that day Rattray has always been racing on KTM?s.
2002 was his first full season in the World Championship scene. The young talent took a surprising seventh place in the Championship and his first ever podium in Belgium.
His improvement continued in 2003 when he took sixth in the 125cc Championship and the result gave him great confidence for the following season.
The first year of the MX2 class in 2004 was a positive GP campaign for Rattray who collected his maiden GP win in Spain then carried on winning in France and Belgium. Finishing second he lost the title to his good friend and Champ KTM team mate Ben Townley.
2005 started off great with a double heat win at the GP of Flanders but later on it unveiled to be a step back for the promising career of Rattray, who missed most of the MX2 GP season due to an ACL injury he collected in Namur. Though once he came back at the English GP he took victory in all the remaining three GP?s to finish 15th in the Championship.
In 2006 Rattray missed the consistency as he went through injuries again. He finished fourth in the MX2 Championship despite a fantastic start to the year winning the three opening rounds.
Another injury spelled an early end of the 2007 season for Rattray. The likeable South African damaged his knee at Loket to miss the remaining four rounds and lose the third place in the Championship which he was holding.
2008 saw a very determined Rattray making it to his maiden World Title. Winning the final Lovemytime Qualifying Award courtesy of ten qualifying heat wins Rattray was 13 times on the podium as he missed the rostrum only in two occasions this year ? Spain and Belgium. Rattray won a total of four GP?s showing a superb consistency from round one to round fifteen in Faenza where he was crowned World Champion at the end of heat one.
Tyla Rattray said: "It feels great after I had some tough last years especially with my ACL. Coming back this year and winning the Championship is great, I want to thank my parents, my mum and Wayne ? they have been there since day one. They have been behind me all the way. I would like to thank also my trainer Russell and all the people around me including Stefan (Everts) and the whole KTM team. To me this is like a dream come true, the Championship was everything for me."
Stefan Everts ended: "Winning it as a rider is much different, now I feel like a little part of this achievement. I tried to have the whole team going into one direction and I am happy to be World Champion again with Tyla. I think what people should remember is that Tyla was leading the Championship when Tony got injured, the pressure was on his shoulders. He has won this Championship fair and square. Our plan was to challenge the MX2 Title in 2008, we won it and I want to thank the whole team."
Tyla Rattray and the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing squad already confirmed their commitment to the 2009 MX1 World Championship. Now the South African is about to head to Donington Park in order to compete the Red Bull Motocross of Nations on September 28 with his national team.