The 2025 EMX250 Championship was initially set for 11 rounds. However, a late addition to the calendar brought the total to 13 after Finland replaced Indonesia and Matterley Basin secured a round of the series. This has created a logistical and financial headache for teams who had already planned their budgets accordingly. While a longer season offers riders more race experience and better preparation for MX2, it also increases costs and travel demands—potentially making it unsustainable for privateers and smaller teams.
We spoke with EMX250 team managers to get their thoughts on the expanded calendar, whether 13 rounds are too many, and what the ideal EMX250 championship should look like.
Shaun Simpson (Gabriel SS24 KTM):
I’m not entirely sure yet about my assessment of this calendar – I’m still thinking it over. Last year, we did 11 rounds with Cas Valk. We were also in a slightly different situation because we were doing the full MXGP World Championship with Josh Gilbert. Stopping MXGP to focus on 11 rounds of the European Championship was motivating for us, and we saw it as an important step. As a team, we could really focus on our ‘off’ weekends. Moving to twelve rounds isn’t a major change. Thirteen? It depends. For a team like ours, which has factory support and a budget, it’s not the end of the world. I think they should organize a maximum of 10 or 11 rounds, with 12 being the absolute limit in my opinion.
That would allow private and smaller teams to compete in all the rounds instead of having to skip three or four due to costs. With SS24 KTM, we’re preparing our riders to step up to MX2 within the official KTM team, so the more experience they gain on different tracks, the better it will be for them. More rounds will prepare them even better for the transition to the MX2 World Championship, which consists of 20 rounds. That’s why, for our team, it’s not really a problem. But if I think back to my own time racing out of a camper van with my parents, I’d say that 13 rounds is really the maximum. I believe most riders would prefer the championship to be capped at 10 to 12 rounds. With 13 rounds, some privateer riders will have to choose which ones to skip.
The European calendar is quite good in my opinion: Spain, France, Latvia, Sweden, Italy, Great Britain. The way the rounds are set up gives riders a sense of what MXGP is like. It also gives them experience on new tracks, experience traveling to races, and insight into how the tracks develop during a Grand Prix weekend, which is different from regional or even national races. The only downside I see in the calendar – again, in my opinion – is the round in Turkey. It’s usually a race that only attracts riders who can afford to ship their bikes there. This is a European Championship, so I believe it should stay in Europe.
When it comes to the MXGP World Championship, however, I fully agree with going overseas – whether it’s Turkey, Indonesia, Argentina, or even Qatar and the USA, like back when I was racing. I’m excited to see how this year’s MXGP World Championship unfolds, especially in Australia, as it’s one of the rounds I’ve always wanted to do.”
Bruno Verhaeghe (VHR/VRT Yamaha):
I don’t agree, and I’m going to tell you something. I sent a letter to David Luongo. We requested a meeting in Spain. As for me, I refuse to do Finland. They need to stop. We’re not doing the World Championship!
They removed Indonesia, where there was only MXGP and MX2, so I don’t see why they’re adding another event in Finland. For us, that’s an additional budget of €6,000 or €7,000 that wasn’t planned. England wasn’t planned either, and it’s a nightmare. You need an ATA carnet, and there are customs constraints that are a hassle every time we go there. They’ve added two events, and two really bad ones. That’s the reality. Let them put their hands in their pockets and pay for the riders’ travel expenses if that’s how it’s going to be!
I’ve spoken to many team managers, and they all share my point of view. We’re already going to Sweden in August; they could have scheduled Finland right after, but no. What I don’t understand is that there are no teams left. At least seven or eight teams have shut down due to financial issues, and now they’re adding a thirteenth event. Honestly, it feels like these guys don’t even look outside to see what’s happening.
Everyone says they have financial problems, but then they add an event that will cost a fortune. At the very least – and even though I wouldn’t be thrilled – they could add an extra round in Italy. That would cost around €1,500 in travel expenses. This? It’s five times more.
Teams have operational budgets planned for a certain number of races. Now we have to call Yamaha at the last minute to say we have two more races, we need extra engines, parts, and budget.
Private riders aren’t going to spend €5,000 to go to Finland. And that’s just us, based in France. Imagine a Portuguese or a Spanish rider? They’d go crazy! We had a six-week gap in the season, and they shoved Finland in there. So instead of having a proper break, we have to head to Finland. Let them put MXGP and MX2 in Finland if they want, but the European Championship? I don’t agree. They cut a round in Indonesia and added one in Matterley. They cut another round in Indonesia and added one in Finland. It’s insane.
Right now, with the support I get from Infront and the 350 kilos of free freight, a race in Indonesia doesn’t actually cost me that much. That’s what I explained in my letter to David Luongo. Going to Indonesia is cheaper for me than going to Finland. You put your two bikes in the crate, that’s 200 kilos. Add two engines, that’s 60 kilos. Throw in some extra parts and bits, and you’ve used your 350 kilos of free freight. Even if you go 100 kilos over and pay for the extra, it costs next to nothing. When we did the double GP in Indonesia with Isak, it didn’t even cost me €4,000. The hotel was free, food was cheap, and we stayed on-site between races.
For Finland, you’re looking at a 6,000-kilometer round trip in a truck. You’ll spend €3,000 on fuel just for the truck, not counting the Sprinter, the ferry, and the bridges between Denmark and Sweden. The ferry alone is €900. The bridges are €600. You’re looking at a €6,000 to €7,000 bill just to race in Finland. It has to stop – this is completely crazy.
Stéphane Dassé (BUD Racing)
These two additional races are a big problem, and we are not in a position to do 13 rounds of the European Championship, financially and logistically. For me, the European Championship should consist of 10 races, knowing that a large part of our budget comes from French sponsors and that we also compete in the French Elite Championship. The 2025 EMX250 calendar initially had 11 rounds, which already seemed too high, then they added England when the MXGP of Indonesia was canceled, and now Finland! I understand that they are replacing the canceled MXGP rounds in Indonesia, but they should only do it for the MX2 & MXGP categories, without adding the European classes, because it’s impossible for us.
Moreover, we already have an event scheduled at the same time as Finland – an event we absolutely must attend for our main partners, which is the opening round of the SX Tour in France! When we were racing the Grand Prix, we did 12 or 13 rounds per season. Then the number of races increased, so we focused on the European series with young riders. If the same thing happens in Europe, the EMX125, EMX250, and MX2 pyramid system won’t last long, which would be a shame because it actually works quite well.
It’s already difficult for us, so I can’t imagine how much harder it is for smaller teams and private riders who want to compete in the European Championship. A European Championship with 10 rounds would be a real championship – it’s already long, but it still allows riders from all over Europe to have races close to home while making the necessary efforts to compete in the full championship, improve, and perform before moving up to the MX2 World Championship.”
Petar Petrov (AIT Racing)
I mean yes it’s hard as financially it is hard and there are some rounds that are quite far but on the other hand it’s a proper long championship and prepares riders for the next step and that’s MX2. When you look at it from this side I think it’s good as it’s huge difference having 10 EMX races and then making the step up to MX2 and having 20 GP’s.
But I also agree that financially it’s very hard and there is a risk of having less riders. I think Infront Moto Racing are doing a good job with a lot of the things they do. There is maybe some stuff they can improve to and help teams but overall I think they are doing good.
Andre Stumpf (Cat Moto Bauerschmidt Husqvarna)
Adding another EMX250 round in Finland just two weeks before the season opener is definitely not ideal. Our budget and structure were already set, and now we have to find extra money while every team member has to work even harder – especially with a trip to Finland, which is far away for most teams.
Thirteen rounds are too many for the EMX250 series, especially with races like Turkey, which require a lot of time and money. If the gap to MX2 is so small, it might make more sense to compete in the GP’s in the future rather than in EMX. A ten round EMX250 schedule would be ideal, in my opinion. It would allow smaller teams to remain competitive and provide the opportunity to race in a national series alongside EMX.
Paco Rico (RFME GasGas)
For me, it was already a surprise to see an additional event being organized in the UK and now there is another one in Finland. For the teams competing in the MXGP and MX2 categories, the number of races remains the same, and for them, it’s even better since these races are more cost-effective with this new calendar. But if we talk about the teams competing in the EMX series, this is a major change. We had set a budget and made agreements based on the initial calendar, which had two fewer races. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to modify these agreements now. Therefore, we will have to decide whether to skip some events in this new calendar. This will be a decision I will make later, depending on the results, because honestly, it no longer fits within our budget.
I think there will be many private riders who won’t be able to complete the full championship, and even several teams will find themselves in the same situation. I remember that a few years ago, during an important meeting, I had already mentioned that increasing to 10 rounds in Europe seemed excessive to me. However, I was told that the goal and concept of the European Championship, according to the promoter, were to allow all countries hosting MXGP rounds to benefit from the EMX125 and 250 categories for young riders. That is why the European calendar includes so many races today.
I would create a calendar with a maximum of 8 to 10 races per year for the EMX125 and EMX250 categories and would not schedule these categories in the same country. The EMX2T and EMX Open categories could have 3 or 4 races in the calendar. These events could take place alongside the MXGP series, in addition to the EMX125 and 250 rounds. We could also organize three races for the young riders in the EMX65 & 85cc categories, as part of the MXGP events, to better assess their level rather than having only a single final race in Loket.
These are just my personal opinions and suggestions that I would propose if I were asked to consider positive changes.
