2008 sees the MX1-GP World Championship welcome back Kenneth Gundersen after an absence of two years and having recently signed with the British Utag Yamaha.com team.

The ultra-fit Norwegian is set for his third season with Yamaha and is now ready to return to the senior class after re-establishing his career in MX2 with the Italian Ricci crew in the wake of a knee cartilage injury that caused him to lose the better part of 2004 and 2005.

The 26 year old is currently the top rider from Scandinavia and is widely known as a determined competitor as well as being a specialist in the sand. Kenneth has ridden 125cc two-stroke, 250cc two stroke and 450cc four-stroke factory machines in the last six years and is no stranger to Yamaha, having won many Norwegian titles from 1996 to 1999 with YZ-series models.

Gundersen has proven credentials as a race winner having finished fourth overall in the MX2 class (previously 125cc) of 2001, winning three Grand Prix. He also won the 250cc German round of the world championship in 2002.

2004 and 2005 were forgettable for the friendly racer as he twice needed a long period of rehabilitation to recover from his knee problems. He announced an alliance with Yamaha and a re-visitation of MX2 for 2006 and again started to show his capabilities with a moto victory in Spain and podium in Belgium; his first trophy since 2003. He remained a top ten regular until the closing rounds of the Championship and finally finished thirteenth overall.
Small inconsistencies and misfortune ruined his charge for the 2007 MX2 title as positive race results in Germany, Sweden and Holland (all third positions) could not be followed up by decent second motos.

Gundersen’s tall and muscular frame is a natural fit for the competitive demands of the YZ450F and he is keen to give Yamaha a stronger presence across the leader-board for the upcoming season.