The Moto2 class was conceived as a cost-control measure. Where 250cc machinery had allowed a proliferation of expensive, bespoke two-stroke engines, Moto2 standardised the powerplant: all competitors used a 600cc four-stroke Honda engine based on the CBR600RR, developed by Honda's European specialist Ten Kate, producing approximately 150 bhp. Electronics were limited to FIM-sanctioned suppliers, carbon-ceramic brakes were banned in favour of steel brakes, and a single tyre supplier — Dunlop — was mandated. Chassis design remained free, encouraging teams and constructors to differentiate through frame and suspension development.
The class replaced the 250cc category entirely; the original intention to run both classes concurrently was abandoned when the entry list consisted only of Moto2 machines.
The inaugural championship was contested over 17 rounds and produced nine different race winners, reflecting the close, competitive nature of the equalised-engine formula. Former MotoGP rider Toni Elias claimed the inaugural Moto2 championship title with three races to spare, his seven victories giving him an unassailable points advantage.
Second place in the championship went to Julian Simon. Despite not winning a race all season, Simon achieved eight podium finishes. Third place went to Andrea Iannone with three victories, though he was edged out of second by Simon by just two points.
Other race winners during the inaugural season included Jules Cluzel, Yuki Takahashi, Roberto Rolfo, Alex de Angelis, Stefan Bradl, and Karel Abraham, illustrating the spread of competitive machinery across the field.
The inaugural Moto2 season was marked by tragedy at the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano. Shoya Tomizawa, who had won the very first Moto2 race of the season in Qatar, was fatally injured in an accident during the race. His death was the first on-track fatality at Grand Prix level since Daijiro Kato was killed in the premier class at Suzuka in 2003. Tomizawa was 19 years old. His passing cast a shadow over what had been an otherwise promising and competitive inaugural campaign.
The FIM released a 39-bike entry list on 27 January 2010, with reserve entries from the Marc VDS Racing Team and MZ Racing Team eventually making the grid. All Moto2 competitors raced with an identical CBR600RR inline-four engine and Dunlop tyres, with the grid representing teams from across Europe and Asia.
The Moto2 class succeeded in its core objectives from the outset. The standardised engine sharply reduced the financial barriers to competition, and the open chassis rules encouraged genuine engineering variety. The formula proved durable: Moto2 retained the control engine concept and evolved into one of the most fiercely contested intermediary championships in road racing, serving as the primary feeder series for MotoGP. The 2010 season established the competitive baseline — close racing, multiple winners, genuine technical diversity in chassis — that would define the class for years afterwards.