All new Honda HRC MX2 line-up for 2027
Honda HRC will have a brand-new MX2 contingent for 2027 as Maxime Grau and Julius Mikula join the team, in what is an exciting change for the upcoming campaign.
Both riders are 20 years old, but have taken vastly different paths to this latest chapter of their careers - pitting underneath the Honda HRC awning. Grau stormed onto the EMX scene and actually experienced a factory setup due to his rapid speed which included four EMX250 podiums. However, unfortunate injuries meant he had to take a couple of steps back, before getting the chance to ride for Maddii Racing at the beginning of this year, putting in a number of solid results on-board their Honda CRF250R and showing the pace and determination that convinced Honda HRC to sign him for their revamped 250 programme. Finishing the 2026 MX2 season in 11th place, the Frenchman will be hoping that full pre-season this time around will see him challenge much closer to the front of class in 2027.
Czech rider Mikula, will also be hoping to regularly mix it up with the front-runners of the MX2 class next year, after a breakout 2026 which saw him finish ninth in the championship, with a number of impressive rides. The fourth overall in Trentino was his best result, but it was his good starts and style on the bike that also caught the eye and he’ll be hoping that the transition into Honda HRC goes seamlessly so he can continue this upward trend. As he hasn’t ridden a Honda CRF250 before in his career, Mikula will be working hard from now until the first GP to get to grips with everything and make sure that by the time February 27-28 comes around, he is fully up to speed.
Of course there will be a few warm-up races before then, where they will meet-up with the rest of the team, including the CRF450RW duo of Tom Vialle and newly-crowned MXGP champion Jeffrey Herlings, who will themselves be preparing for an assault on what will another gruelling 20-round world championship.
Maxime Grau 83 Honda HRC
Riding for Honda HRC is an amazing opportunity, and I’m really proud of it. I’ve worked hard to get here, so I really want to make the most of this opportunity and give it my all. A lot of people have followed me since I started racing at a very young age. Today, I want to make the most of this opportunity with Honda HRC. I’d like to thank the Maddii Racing team for believing in me at the beginning of this year, because without their support, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Now, I want to keep this momentum going, and I’m really excited to race for Honda HRC!
Julius Mikula 20 Honda HRC
It is a real honour to be riding for Honda HRC and just being part of such an amazing team. When you see them in the paddock, you can see how professional they are, and it feels amazing that they are now putting their faith in me. While I know that my results this year is what got me noticed, I also know that the real work begins now, because the Honda CRF250R is a brand-new bike for me and it is also a whole new team environment to get used to. I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself, but I really want to work hard this off-season so I can be as prepared as possible for 2027.
Marcus Pereira de Freitas - Honda HRC PETRONAS
I think it is an exciting time for the team to have these two youngsters joining our MX2 programme. For Maxime, it is nice for him to progress from Maddii, because he has been around our team a little bit this year already and knows a lot of our members and the CRF250R machine, so hopefully he should be able to fit in easily and keep up the good work from this year. For Julius, it will be a bigger change from his previous setup, so we will be doing everything we can to make that transition as easy as possible. Both guys are young and hungry and I think there is a lot of potential for the pair to have successful seasons!
