Valerio Lata has joined Team HRC in a multi-year deal that’ll see him ride the Honda CRF250R alongside fellow Italian Ferruccio Zanchi in the MX2 class for 2025. The 19-year-old has had a few wildcard MX2 rides so far in his career – including a third place at the 2024 MXGP of Italy – but the 2025 campaign will mark his first full season in the class and one that is filled with potential. Words: HRC MXGP
As well as that podium effort in Maggiora, Lata also narrowly missed out on the 2024 EMX250 title, after taking a number of moto wins and overall victories. This was a continuation of an extremely impressive career to date, that saw 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 Team HRC that they were able to add him to their roster for 2025.
Last season, the MX2 programme was relaunched with Zanchi as the sole rider, and the rookie put in some excellent results that resulted in a top 10 championship standing. For this coming year, as the programme gathers pace, it was decided that second-rider was needed to continue that momentum and really show what the Honda CRF250R was capable of. Two riders, with a lot of potential, give Honda double the chances of success and show future riders that there is a real pathway to victory with the brand.
Now though, the present will see Lata and Zanchi in MX2, with five-time world champion Tim Gajser and Ruben Fernandez in the MXGP class, in what is the strongest squad of riders for Team HRC in a number of years. All four riders are currently training hard, getting themselves in shape for what should be a tough, 20-round season in the World Motocross Championships, which will get underway in Cordoba, Argentina on March 1st.
Valerio Lata: “It is a great honour to be joining Team HRC for the 2025 season, in preparation for what will be my first full-time MX2 season. As a kid, you always know the history of the riders that rode for HRC and it is a privilege to be joining that list now. Last year, they re-started with the Honda CRF250R programme and they had some good results with Ferruccio (Zanchi), so I knew that I would have a good bike and a good setup and now I hope I can help them with even more top results. It is a very professional team who know how to win, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Yuzuru Ishikawa – HRC Executive Director: “Signing Valerio is another important step for Team HRC because it shows that we are building and improving our Honda CRF250R programme. Last season Ferruccio Zanchi did a great job, finishing in the top 10 of the MX2 championship, and now by bringing in Valerio we want to have more good finishes and more possibilities of showing the strength of the CRF250R. Valerio has had a lot of success as a younger rider, winning some very impressive titles and races and it will be exciting to see what he can achieve with the backing of Team HRC.”
Marcus Pereira de Freitas – HRC General Manager – MXGP: “We are all very excited to have Valerio Lata joining us at Team HRC. He is a rider who we’ve been following the progress of, for a number of years and when the opportunity came for us to be able to sign him, we knew we had to take it. He has won a lot of titles throughout his career, and even this year, he got a podium in Maggiora on a wildcard ride in MX2, so we know that he has the speed. Now, we have the winter to get him settled on the bike and put in some good training, so that come the first round in Argentina, he will be right up to pace. With him and Ferruccio, it is a very exciting time for our CRF250R development and one that we are looking forward to.”
Image: HRC MXGP
