The road from the EMX 250 series to MX2 or MXGP seems a very difficult one and one that 2024 EMX 250 champion, Mathis Valin will have to endure, but maybe with a factory machine under him, he can break the seemingly difficult change from European 250 level to World 250 level, because in the past, very few EMX250 champions have been able to make the step with big success.

While names like Marvin Musquin, Christophe Pourcel, Jeffrey Herlings, Tim Gajser, Brian Bogers, Conrad Mewse, Jago Geerts and Rene Hofer picked up EMX 85cc championships, and Gajser and Jorge Prado won 65cc titles in the Euros, the Euro 250cc class has often missed the mark, when it came to riders carrying on from winning the bigger bike class in the EMX series and then claiming a title in the big boy classes.

Even in the 125cc class in EMX, names like Alessio Chiodi, Brian Jorgensen, Antti Pyrhonen, Kevin Strijbos, Sebastien Pourcel, Gautier Paulin, Jordi Tixier, Tim Gajser, Pauls Jonass, Jorge Prado, Jago Geerts, Thibault Benistant, Mattia Guadagnini and Andrea Bonacorsi have won and formed some type of career from the sport. GP wins, or even World titles.

In fact, the curse of being a European 250 champion has often been the biggest hurdle for riders. All the way back in 2009, when Frenchman, Christophe Charlier won ahead of Jeffrey Herlings, it was Herlings that went on to be the man in World motocross. Charlier won 17 motos, while Herlings captured eight. The end of season points gap was 597 to Charlier and 532 to Herlings.

I might mention, Charlier was 20 years old and six years older than the 14-year-old Dutchman and less than six months after losing the EMX championship ended, Herlings was winning a Grand Prix in Valkenswaard and Charlier never really made it on the MX2 or MXGP scene.

Other winners of the EMX2 (now EMX250) title were Steven Lenoir in 2010, the one stand-out of the Euro 250 class, Romain Febvre won in 2011, then won a World title in MXGP in 2015, but the others, Mel Pocock, Valentin Guillod, Steven Clarke, Nick Kouwenberg, Thomas Olsen, Morgen Lesiardo, Mathys Boisrame, Roan Van De Moosdijk, Thibault Benistant, Nicholas Lapucci, Ricky Elzinga, Andrea Bonacorsi and finally Mathis Valin in 2024, not one is yet to really fight for a title outside of Olsen.

Now, while there are names in there who have showed great speed, won GPs and been solid riders, not one has moved onto winning a World title and only really Olsen has come close or been a contender, which is rather interesting. Of course, Olsen was a solid contender for a handful of years, before his unfortunate injury.

I get that the riders with special talents, like a Herlings, Gajser or Prado, are often plucked out of the EMX 125cc class and race MX2 quickly, but the crazy thing is Herlings got that second place in 2009, Gajser finished 8th in 2012, and Prado finished 7th in 2016. So, while the EMX250 champions have never succeeded to win a World title, these three legends also couldn't win an EMX250 championship. That is just weird to me.

So, why is it, that the EMX 250 championship has such a rollercoaster history and is yet to see one of their champions move on to win an MX2 World title?