Pirelli launch updated Scorpion MX32 Mid Soft tyres to immediate off-road racing success

Tyres are the subject of a vast amount of research and development as manufacturers search for the ideal mix of compound, construction and cosmetic configuration.

In the heat of competition, choice of rubber can be the difference between first and last and the challenge of creating an off-road tyre is made even more complex by the varying terrain and traction levels it needs to deal with.

Pirelli’s new Scorpion MX32 Mid Soft, introduced for 2025, carries over the name from its predecessor but represents a substantial step forward and its racing debut in the Italian championship saw immediate success.

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As the name suggests, the Mid Soft is aimed at medium to soft terrain (there are also MX32 Soft and Mid Hard tyres, which aren’t changed for 2025), and has to be able to deal with a variety of motocross track conditions, maximising acceleration, braking and turning performance.

Compared to their predecessors, the 2025 MX32 Mid Softs have changes to the tread pattern front and rear, with a revised layout of blocks to improve performance in several areas.

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At the front the central blocks are reshaped, replacing the squared-off look of the previous model with a more complex design that narrows at the front. There’s also a much wider space between the rows of central blocks.

The result is that those knobs penetrate the ground better than before, increasing grip, particularly under braking. Pirelli says that the bigger gap between the blocks also boosts stability and lateral grip in corners.

At the back, the changes to the tread are even more visually apparent, with a different arrangement of blocks and a new shape for the side knobs, giving better traction during corners and under acceleration.

Where the previous MX32 Mid Soft had central blocks with a groove down the middle, there’s now a rectangular middle block flanked by wider ones than before, with a more complex shape.

At the very edges, the new tyre’s blocks are again a more detailed shape than the previous design. Pirelli say the results of these changes are more torsional rigidity for the blocks, resulting in better control and traction in corners.

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The new tread blocks are also designed to wear regularly, maintain their shape, and to resist tearing better than their predecessors.

The tyre compounds are new, too – both on the tread and the sidewall. The tread section needs to balance grip and durability, while the sidewalls, particularly of the front tyre, are updated to be stronger and more flexible than their predecessors.

Those changes are backed up by revisions to the tyres’ internal structure, reducing the amount of deformation.

Having taken Honda’s Tim Gajser to the International of Italy MX1 title and KTM’s Andrea Adamo to the MX2 victory in the same championship, the MX32 Mid Soft’s next target is the 2025 World Championship. It’s also reaching dealers now for anyone else who wants the same level of equipment.

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