It’s been a revelatory two years for Honda Racing’s Brodie Connolly, who emerged as a largely unknown New Zealand teenager with speed to burn, to the current Australian MX2 champion now on the eve of defending his crown. With an upward trajectory punctuating his young career, opposition may be scarce in his quest for a second crown.

To begin, it’s important that a rider never discount their competition, as doing so can lead to complacency and stagnation, and is usually the recipe for being knocked off the throne. That being said, however, it seems Connolly is firing on all cylinders, with a singular focus of claiming another number one plate.

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Rewinding to 2023, Wilson Todd (Honda Racing) was sizing up his fourth MX2 class championship, with the class veteran having cultivated and mastered the formula for championship success. The consequence of such was that he did secure that title with relative ease, holding a 35-point advantage by season’s end over Nathan Crawford (KTM Racing Team).

Under the Honda awning and alongside Todd at the time was the then-rookie Connolly, who caught the eye of team owner Yarrive Konsky during the 2022 Motocross of Nations (MXoN) held at the famed RedBud circuit in America. Always on the lookout for talent, Konsky liked what he saw, and signed the young Kiwi for 2023, who made an impact immediately.

A third-place finish behind the MX2 front-runners in the standings that season cemented his place on the map, and with both Todd and Crawford stepping up to the MX1 division for the following year, who better to take over the reigns in the 250 class other than the number 88?

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In hindsight, no one. Although, after reading the entry list before the opening round last year, there were a few names in the conversation, one being Kayden Minear who has since signed with the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team in the United States. Minear wound up the second-placed rider to Connolly last year, although was a sizable 90 points adrift by season’s end.

Yamaha prospect Ryder Kingsford was another name who featured at times, although once the chequered flag flew in the final MX2 moto at Queensland Moto Park, it’s hard-pressed to argue that Connolly was ever under any real threat as he collected his maiden championship.

Which takes us to 2025 – Connolly enters with the number one plate and now understands the title-winning formula. This point can’t be understated, either, as a laundry list of riders exist that have showcased championship speed, however, when it comes to combining all the necessary elements, they aren’t able to execute.

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Which means we have a championship-proven Connolly, without the Todds, Crawfords, and Minears of the world, arguably in better shape than last year, and continuing the upward trajectory of his very young career. It’s with this combination of factors that it’s hard to imagine any serious threat emerging in the 21-year-old’s MX2 title defence.

That’s not to say that there won’t be riders who contend at times, or show flashes of brilliance, although with his main competition having stepped up to the MX1 category, or moved internationally, Connolly is in the box seat to delivering his second MX2 crown, which on paper seems an easier proposition than the first.