Italian manufacturer Beta officially entered the MXGP paddock in 2021, meaning they’ve already spent five seasons racing at the highest level – with 2026 set to mark their sixth year in the MXGP paddock. Up until now, the brand’s primary focus has been the MXGP World Championship, but that direction is beginning to evolve.
For 2026, Beta will expand their effort by entering the EMX250 series with two riders – both mounted on 250cc two-stroke machinery. However, there is much more happening behind the scenes. We can confirm that Beta are already hard at work developing a 250cc four-stroke machine, with the intention of competing in the MX2 World Championship in the near future. The target is hopefully 2027, although that plan is still to be officially confirmed.
In addition, development is underway on a Beta 125cc motocross bike, meaning the Italian brand is preparing to eventually line up across EMX125, EMX250, MX2 and MXGP.
Speaking about the growing project, Beta team manager Elio Marchetti explained:
“We’ll field two riders in the EMX250 series and hope to be ready with the 125cc bike next year. The riders will compete in the entire EMX250 championship on the two-stroke bike, which we believe will be competitive. There are no plans to change bikes mid-season; the new 250cc four-stroke could be on sale mid-year” , Elio Marchetti told GateDrop.com
He further added that the long-term outlook remains positive as development continues:
“We’ll definitely find Beta in all classes in the future, but we don’t know how the teams, or the team itself, will be structured right now. In our opinion, the Beta 250cc 4-stroke is already at a good level and is constantly evolving; the company will decide when to bring it to the World Championship. We’re sure Beta is doing an excellent job” , added Marchetti.
We also contacted Fabrizio Dini, who confirmed that Beta fully intends to step into MX2 competition once the new four-stroke project is race-ready.
“Beta decided to contest the EMX250 series in 2026 season because we have a 250 2T and in future we will participate at the MX2 World Championship – maybe as soon as 2027. At this moment we are not sure about program. For the 2026 season we are happy about the lineup that Beta have in MXGP and the EMX250 series”, Fabrizio Dini told GateDrop.com.
With major development happening on both two-stroke and four-stroke platforms, Beta looks set to significantly broaden its footprint in the paddock – and the coming years could mark one of the most exciting chapters yet for the Italian brand.
Thanks to 5secondi for sharing the following images of the new Beta 250cc four-stroke with us:
