With Chase Sexton being sidelined for the rest of the year due to a torn ACL, the Monster Energy Kawasaki team announced the addition of Cornelius Tøndel who will serve as a fill-in rider for round six of the Pro Motocross Championship at Southwick. The Norwegian rider he will compete alongside current Kawasaki rider Garrett Marchbanks. The #417 Kawasaki currently sits 19th in 450MX points with a season best finish of 13th (14-13) at round three in Thunder Valley, Colorado.
“I’m super happy to have this opportunity,” said Tondel. “It’s a really big deal for me, and being the first Norwegian factory rider in the United States is very special to me. I am super thankful to have this opportunity, and I’m really looking forward to it.”
“We’re really looking forward to having Cornelius join the team,” added team manager Dan Fahie. “We believe that with his valuable experience and insights, he’ll be an asset to the team. We appreciate his willingness to step in and look forward to seeing what he can accomplish.”
The Norwegian rider began competing in Europe in the FIM Motocross World Championship, and recently competed in three Pro Motocross rounds in 2025, including Southwick. He began the 2026 Pro Motocross season with the ISRT Kawasaki team, scoring four top 15 moto finishes aboard a Kawasaki KX450.
Before moving into MXGP competition, Tøndel enjoyed a breakout 2022 season in the EMX250 FIM Motocross European Championship. He claimed his first career overall victory at the MXGP of Italy, earned multiple race wins, held the championship red plate during the season, and finished third overall in the highly competitive championship series before graduating to MXGP. During his time in MXGP, Tøndel competed against some of the world’s top riders, earning a career-best fifth-place overall finish highlighted by a moto podium at the MXGP of Portugal, before embarking on his journey to compete in the United States.
