Posts
234
Joined
10/21/2021
Location
Divide, CO, USA
Edited Date/Time
11/4/2026 1:19pm
With age limit in the AMA US MX series being bumped to 18 years of age will younger US based riders now/still have the opportunity to race in the FIM MXGP series or will they be held back by National affiliation ? The MXGP Minimum Age limits are 13, 15 & 16
The official FIM Motocross World Championship regulations outline specific age requirements across all classes.
MXGP World Championship Age Limits
| Championship Class | Bike/Engine Requirements | Minimum Age | Maximum Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| MXGP (Premier Class) | 250cc 2-stroke / 450cc 4-stroke | 16 years | 50 years |
| MX2 | 125cc 2-stroke / 250cc 4-stroke | 15 years | 23 years (Ends at the end of the calendar year the rider turns 23) |
The 125cc Class Age Limits
Specifically looking at the 125cc class, it depends on whether they are racing in the Senior GP tiers (MX2) or the FIM Junior World Championship structure:
- FIM JMX125 (Junior World Championship): The age limits are 13 to 17 years old.
- Minimum age requirement: Starts precisely on the day of the rider's 13th birthday.
- Maximum age requirement: Finishes at the end of the calendar year in which the rider reaches 17 years of age.
- MX2 World Championship: A rider can race a 125cc 2-stroke machine in the main MX2 class starting at 15 years old up until the maximum age cap of 23 years old.
Note: For youth and junior classes, riders are restricted to entering only one class per FIM event.
Current SX Champion Ken Roczen raced in Europe on a 450 as a 13 year old. The age limit has been raised but look where it got Kenny...
They tried this before and Adams dad threatened to go race the GPs so the AMA/MXSports folded and let him race. Funny thing is his career would’ve most likely went differently if he didn’t have the shoulder injuries from trying to race pro at 100-125 lbs…
The factory supported "underage" Ams will be racing SMX Next both indoors and out.
This is a nothing burger in the grand scheme of things and isn't going to send any top end amateur to Europe that isn't already on a support deal.
Will some kid do it? Sure, but for what gain in the eyes of US backed teams? If US teams were plucking kids now from the EMX 125 series, maybe, but that isn't happening now and it won't be in the future.
The Shop
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
Can we please get rid of this bot? It has been a while now
None, let me reiterate, NONE of these kids have anything to do with AMERICAN kids going over the pond to race EMX 125. NOTHING.
Coenens are here because they wanted to be after success OUTSIDE of the 125 class. It was in their KTM group contracts IIRC...
Townley's kids are here riding at facilities for Star and SMX Next, and if their dad wasn't Ben it wouldn't be happening. And they aren't going back over to race EMX 125 while riding here for Star. If anything, this PROVES my point that the 18yr old age rule means NOTHING for EMX 125.
You aren't very good at trying to troll on this subject.
With the new18 year age limitations in the US this year and only the top 3 250 riders at various MX races qualifying for The Next classes seems to me racing in Europe before your 18 would be a no brainer.
If there was a 125 program for US riders ? Based in Spain or Yamaha's new shop in Italy ?
Beta guy,
Your pretty selective in your quote of what you had said previously. "If US teams were plucking kids now from the EMX 125 series, maybe, but that isn't happening now and it won't be in the future." Coenen brothers don't count eh ?
There have been no or few American kids racing the EMX 125 class to pluck recently.
With this new age limitation instead of riding on the few remaining tracks in So Cal or your not in the loop in Florida why not move to Spain where the cost of living is cheaper?
Redsand
CDG MX retreat
Sol Moto
Traiguera / La Vila
Casares, Spain
A scenic hilly track in southern Spain featuring flowing turns and elevation changes.
Terrain Types: Ranging from hardpack and rocky mountain tracks to sand-infused loamy surfaces that develop deep ruts throughout the day
Winter Training Hubs: Regions like the Valencian Community and Andalusia are hotbeds for MX holidays, package training camps, and bike rentals/transport services geared toward visiting riders.
Rules & Access: Many dedicated tracks require pre-booking, days or membership.
We have no significant riders coming through the ranks. If they went to europe it would be like Tristan Charboneau.
i think it would be helpful for devoplment to go emx125 or 250 at 15/16, although how much more it will cost than running the current US amateur schdule is another thing, i think the level of support available is much higher in the USA, (but not where it was in the late 00's)
You guys are arguing with ai
Living in Spain is way cheaper than California.
If someone developed a 125 support program based in Spain it could make sense.
There have to be some upcoming 13 -15 year olds that could benefit from the environment and the European travel education would be invalueable.
For a 13-16 kid it would be a great idea, they will learn a ton more racecraft than just spinning laps at the facility. But after 16, they would need to come back because they will fall behind in SX.
SX is to emphasized now to stay there too long.
It could be interesting for riders such as Wyatt Thurman to come to Europe and race the EMX250 series combined with a local championship like British/Dutch/German/French championship. But it will only happen if manufacturers and the leaders of those development programs are seeing the benefits.
If you can race 15 to 17 weekends against high level competition (those local championships is against WC MX2 riders) and then race European "Supercross" as prep for those 5 SMX Next races, I don't think that would be bad...
If you sign with a French team you can do some supercross too... Look at the supercross vids from Tixier, Vialle, Coenen brothers on their own track...
PS: If the whole Yamaha structure hadn't fallen into shambles the Townley brothers wouldn't been in the USA in 2027... They both would've benefited from one, maybe two extra years in the EMX series and training supercross in France/Italy/Spain...
Damn, just realized I’m too old to try and qualify for mxgp🤣
Post a reply to: 18 year age limit in US. Up & Coming US based riders to MXGP ?