The Pirelli MX2 class has a long established history as a proving ground for many great Champions of the sport both domestically and for those who have gone on to international success. The list of past champions of the class shows how important the Pirelli MX2 Championship can be to the future of a riders career. 

For riders with international aspirations for either MXGP or AMA Motocross and Supercross, a Pirelli MX2 Class championship (or being a championship contender) is a minimum requisite that many teams will require before signing a rider to an international team and championship. Most recently past champions and title contenders such as Jed Beaton, Luke Clout and Mitch Evans have gone onto international success and factory rides upon graduating from the MX2 class.

The Pirelli MX2 class title is currently vacant and up for grabs. Due to defending back to back Champion Wilson Todd racing in the MXGP series. Todd took the first of his two MX2 titles in 2018 after battling early with team mate Nathan Crawford. Crawford wouldn’t finish the season after an injury at round 4. New Zealand’s Hamish Harwood would step up and fight with Todd for the remainder of the season, but it wasn’t enough as Wilson would go on and win the championship in pretty convincing fashion.

Todd isn’t the only two time MX2 champion, the 2011 season saw a young Matt Moss take his JDR Motorex KTM to the top of the table and claim his second MX2 championship. Moss took his first MX2 title years prior in 2009 onboard a Rockstar Motul Suzuki. Moss edged out future MX1 Champion Kirk Gibbs by 10 points, followed by american Phil Nicoletti. 

The 2012 season was stacked with big names, such as 3 time E1 AORC defending champion Luke Styke, Josh Cachia, Kirk Gibbs and Cheyne Boyd, but it was Carlton Dry Honda’s Ford Dale who would come away with his only professional championship win. 

Styke improved on his 2nd place finish in 2012 to take the title in 2013 over class newcomer Kale Makeham. This was preceded by an early season battle with Luke Clout. Behind Styke and Makeham, would see Brock Winston, Ryan Marmont and Dylan Long round out the top five. 

Luke Clout has challenged in the MX1 class as well as the West Coast 250 class in the AMA Supercross championship in recent years, but in 2014 he rode his way to the MX2 title here in Australia. 2015 showed a big changing of the guard in the class, as Clout would have to settle for 2nd in the championship to Jay Wilson. However the bigger news were the names coming up through the ranks. Japan’s Takeshi Katsuya finished third, but it was youngsters Jed Beaton, Caleb Ward and Nathan Crawford who finished 4th, 5th and 6th who showed where the class was heading in the coming years.

The 2016 MX2 Class was stacked full of young talent, but DPH Yamaha’s Jed Beaton came away with the Championship over Caleb Ward by 13 Points. Beaton then moved to Europe in 2017 to compete in the EMX250 Class and select rounds of the MX2 World Championship, where he scored his first podium with fellow Australian Hunter Lawrence (AMA Supercross Winner) at the MXGP of Pays de Montbeliard in France. Beaton has once again signed onto the Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Team for the 2021 MX2 World Championship.

Mitch Evans finished 3rd in the 2017 MX2 Championship behind Egan Mastin and Wilson Todd after a hotly contested season. Mastin stepped away from racing after the 2018 season and Todd would go on to win the first of his back to back MX2 titles. Evans moved into the MX1 class in 2018, then in 2019 moved to the 114 Motorsports Honda team to compete in the MX2 World Championship. After some stand-out rides in 2019, Evans was signed to the Factory HRC Honda team to ride in the premier MXGP Championship. Evans will once again race the MXGP class for HRC Honda in 2021.

After over a year without racing, 2021 is heating up to a tightly contested championship in the MX2 class with contenders such as past champions Jay Wilson on his GYTR Yamaha, and past title contenders such as Serco Yamaha’s Nathan Crawford. Mix in the young talent of Honda Racings Kyle Webster, Serco Yamaha’s Jesse Dobson to name a few and it is clear to see that the Pirelli MX2 class is anyones for the taking when the gate drops at Wonthaggi for round one on April 11th.