One thing we can say about the 2025 MX2 World motocross championship, it will be an interesting one. Sure, defending champion Kay De Wolf is the for me, and many people, the heavy favourite, but there are a host of riders, who will make the job a difficult one for the Dutchman.

I am excited to see how the two new factory riders, Mathis Valin and Valerio Lata perform, as both come into the MX2 class with good results in EMX 250 and both have shown good speed in the pre-season races.

Finishing first and second in the 2024 EMX 250 championship, it is clear these two will be a little special, as so often the EMX 250 championship challengers are the ones to watch. Andrea Bonacorsi, the 2023 EMX250 champion is already a factory rider in the MXGP class and doing solid results and in 2022, it was current Monster Energy Factory Yamaha rider Rick Elzinga and Red Bull KTM Factory rider Lucas Coenen who fought for that title.

One week after the victorious start to his career with the Kawasaki Racing Team at Hawkstone Park in England Valin continued his winning way last weekend, with another double victory in the opening round of the French Elite MX2 Motocross Championship at Lacapelle Marival

"It was a very good day for my first race with the team to win both MX2 races! In the Superfinal I finished second; the MX2 started five seconds before the MXGP and even my teammates could not catch me! The track was really soft, but I enjoyed it. I had a really good winter with the team and today's results showed that we did a good job and that I am ready."

The results in England a week earlier were against a less than impressive field of riders, but he showed his sand skills are up to scratch and there is no doubt, Valin will be a regular podium guy in my opinion in 2025.

“It was another good weekend with the pole position this morning and two moto wins; what can I say? Everything was different from last weekend - the track, the weather - but I had fun again as they had prepared the track really well. This weekend I had stronger opponents than last week, but I got good starts and soon found a good rhythm during both races. It was nice to see so many fans around the track cheering me; now we have one more race next weekend to finalise the preparation for the GPs."

The newest addition to the Honda CRF250R programme, Valerio Lata joins Honda HRC for the 2025 MX2 World Championships where he’ll be alongside fellow Italian Ferruccio Zanchi.

Lata’s signing is another step-up for Honda HRC, bringing their number to four riders, all brimming with potential and all ready to make their mark in the motocross world championships. Lata narrowly missed out on the 2024 EMX250 title, after taking a number of moto wins and overall victories.

Which was the continuation of an extremely impressive career to date, which has seen him become 85cc World Champion in 2019, European 125cc Champion in 2021 and Italian Champion on two separate occasions. He has shown immense promise since he arrived in the GP paddock, and it is a mark of intent from Honda HRC that they were able to add him to their roster for 2025.

After signing at the end of last year, he has been working this winter to get used to the CRF250R, but with a couple of pre-season races before Argentina, the belief is that he will hit the ground running when the MX2 season does start.

“I had a really good day in Mantova, riding in the mud and the rain and with Honda HRC for the first time. Two-three results got me onto the podium for second place overall, and it was nice to have the battle at the end of the second race to gain me a position. We have worked hard as a team to be here and I’m very happy with how we started. Hopefully it will continue!”

“I wasn’t completely at my best today (in Montevachi), but I think it was an okay round, and I was still able to finish third in the championship, so that is a nice feeling, in what are the early stages with this team. We’ve worked hard over the winter to get to this position, and it is good to get some rewards already. Now though, the important work begins with the world championships, and I need to make sure my preparation for Argentina goes well because it will be my first trip travelling such a long way to go race.”

Bavo Swijgers (HRC) and Pascal Haudiquert (Kawasaki) images