ALMONTE (Andalucia, Spain) 22nd March 2026 – The 2026 FIM Europe EMX250 and EMX125 Championships burst into life for the first time of the season in the demanding sands of Almonte, delivering a spectacular opening round. Under the eyes of an electrified Andalucian crowd, two standout performances defined the weekend.

In EMX250, local hero Venum BUD Racing Kawasaki’s Francesco Garcia was simply untouchable, securing a dominant 1-1 scorecard to claim a perfect overall victory on home soil. Meanwhile, in EMX125, Austria’s Moritz Ernecker from Norman KTM Factory Rookies emerged victorious after a hard-fought battle across both races, edging his rivals in one of the most unpredictable classes of the weekend.

With deep sand pushing riders to their limits and action unfolding in every lap, Almonte set the stage for what promises to be an exceptional season ahead.

The opening race of the EMX250 Championship exploded into life in Almonte, with aggressive racing from the very first corner.

Filippo Mantovani dived to the inside at the start, but it was Team VHR Racing Yamaha Official’s Mano Faure who emerged with the early advantage, leading the field out of Turn 2.   Garcia, however, quickly became the rider to watch. Starting just outside the top five, the Spaniard surged forward, passing Dirt Store Triumph Racing‘s Billy Askew on the opening lap before moving into second shortly after.

With the home crowd behind him, Garcia wasted no time attacking Faure. On lap two, he executed a decisive move around the outside to take the lead, one he would never relinquish.

Faure’s race then began to unravel. After losing the lead, he came under pressure and was passed by Askew before crashing heavily. Although he remounted, a second fall dropped him deep in the order, eventually recovering to ninth.

Venum BUD Racing Kawasaki’s Jake Cannon steadily worked his way forward and made a late-race pass on Askew to move into second, securing a one-two finish for the Bud Racing Kawasaki squad.

Askew held on for third after running near the front throughout, while Cat Moto Bauerschmidt KTM’s Mads Fredsoe and JK Racing Yamaha’s Jekabs Kubulinscompleted the top five.

Out front, though, it was all about   Garcia. In dominant fashion, he controlled the race from lap two onwards, delivering a standout victory on home soil to open his 2026 campaign in perfect style.

Race 2 on Sunday kept the intensity and exciting racing going with warmer and drier conditions. Kubulins grabbed a superb start to lead the early laps, immediately putting himself in a strong position at the front. In the meantime, third in Race 1, Askew crashed in the early stage and unfortunately had to retire from the race after a great showing on Saturday.

Behind Kubulins, Race 1 winner  Garcia did not get the cleanest getaway, starting just inside the top ten. However, the Spaniard wasted no time responding, slicing through the field on the opening laps to move into the top five by lap two.

Garcia’s charge was relentless. Despite a big moment on the long straight where he nearly lost control, he maintained his momentum and continued to push forward, setting the fastest laps as he hunted down the leaders.

At the front, Kubulins initially controlled the race, but the intensity of the deep sand began to take its toll. As the race progressed, the gaps tightened, and the pressure from behind started to build.

Garcia made his move on lap six, passing Kubulins to move into second before setting his sights on Faure, who had inherited the lead. With the home crowd behind him, Garcia closed the gap steadily, riding on the limit as he chased down the Frenchman.

Behind them, the battle for the podium was just as fierce. Cannon fought his way through the pack after a mid-pack start, making crucial passes in the closing stages to move into the top five and keep himself in contention for the overall podium.

As the race entered its final minutes, the decisive moment arrived. Faure, under increasing pressure, made a mistake and lost crucial time, allowing Garcia to capitalise and take over the lead to the roar of the crowd.

From there, Garcia controlled the final laps to secure victory in Race 2, completing a perfect 1-1 scorecard. Faure regrouped to finish second, while Brazilian rider Bernardo Tiburcio delivered an impressive ride to claim third in the race.

Overall, Francisco Garcia was untouchable. With two commanding race wins, the Spaniard secured the overall victory with a maximum 50 points, delivering a dream performance on home soil and establishing himself as the early championship leader. His performance has definitely riled up the impressive Andalucian crowd coming to see him.

Jake Cannon’s consistency across both races earned him second overall, completing a strong weekend for the Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki team with a double podium result.

Mano Faure rebounded from a difficult Race 1 to take second in Race 2, securing third overall, while Jekabs Kubulins and Mads Fredsoe completed the top five after solid performances in the demanding conditions.

Francisco Garcia: “It feels really good to have the red plate, especially here at home. I’m really happy with how I rode. Last year I was already fighting for the title, but I made some mistakes. This year I feel stronger and more consistent, and I know what I need to do. Riding in front of the home crowd was amazing. I tried not to focus too much on it during the race, but at the end I could really hear them, and that feeling was very special.”

EMX250 –  Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Francisco Garcia (ESP, Kawasaki), 29:57.263; 2. Jake Cannon (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:11.436; 3. William Askew (GBR, Triumph), +0:17.887; 4. Mads Fredsoe (DEN, KTM), +0:24.165; 5. Jekabs Kubulins (LAT, Yamaha), +0:51.318; 6. Alexis Fueri (FRA, Beta), +0:51.855; 7. Gyan Doensen (NED, KTM), +0:52.624; 8. Francesco Bellei (ITA, KTM), +0:55.460; 9. Mano Faure (FRA, Yamaha), +0:56.256; 10. Tom Brunet (FRA, Yamaha), +1:06.685; 

EMX250 – Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Francisco Garcia (ESP, Kawasaki), 30:05.385; 2. Mano Faure (FRA, Yamaha), +0:05.095; 3. Bernardo Tiburcio (BRA, Yamaha), +0:25.723; 4. Nicolai Skovbjerg (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:36.672; 5. Jake Cannon (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:44.827; 6. Jekabs Kubulins (LAT, Yamaha), +0:46.720; 7. Dean Gregoire (NED, Husqvarna), +0:48.617; 8. August Frisk (SWE, KTM), +0:55.129; 9. Tom Brunet (FRA, Yamaha), +1:00.281; 10. Mads Fredsoe (DEN, KTM), +1:02.330; 

EMX250 Overall – Top 10: 1. Francisco Garcia (ESP, KAW), 50 points; 2. Jake Cannon (AUS, KAW), 38 p.; 3. Mano Faure (FRA, YAM), 34 p.; 4. Jekabs Kubulins (LAT, YAM), 31 p.; 5. Mads Fredsoe (DEN, KTM), 29 p.; 6. Nicolai Skovbjerg (DEN, HUS), 26 p.; 7. Tom Brunet (FRA, YAM), 23 p.; 8. Bernardo Tiburcio (BRA, YAM), 20 p.; 9. William Askew (GBR, TRI), 20 p.; 10. Francesco Bellei (ITA, KTM), 19 p.;

EMX250 Championship – Top 10 Classification: 1. Francisco Garcia (ESP, KAW), 50 points; 2. Jake Cannon (AUS, KAW), 38 p.; 3. Mano Faure (FRA, YAM), 34 p.; 4. Jekabs Kubulins (LAT, YAM), 31 p.; 5. Mads Fredsoe (DEN, KTM), 29 p.; 6. Nicolai Skovbjerg (DEN, HUS), 26 p.; 7. Tom Brunet (FRA, YAM), 23 p.; 8. Bernardo Tiburcio (BRA, YAM), 20 p.; 9. William Askew (GBR, TRI), 20 p.; 10. Francesco Bellei (ITA, KTM), 19 p.;

EMX250 Manufacturers – Top 10 Classification: 1. Kawasaki, 50 points; 2. Yamaha, 38 p.; 3. KTM, 31 p.; 4. Husqvarna, 26 p.; 5. Triumph, 20 p.; 6. GASGAS, 18 p.; 7. Beta, 15 p.; 8. Honda, 7 p.

In 2026, the EMX125 European Championship presented by FMF Racing got underway with an explosive start. There were endos and cartwheels in the background as home rider Jorge Salvador took the early lead on the #385 machine.

But more drama followed just a couple of corners later, exiting Turn 3, where multiple riders went down in heavy piled up. Fantic Factory Racing EMX’s Gennaro Utechwas one of those caught up, eventually being ejected over the bars and retiring from the race.

Salvador led the way briefly, pushing hard, while Riganti was running in third. Salvador began to slip back through the field, and CTM Motorhomes Priem MX’s Seth Priemalso dropped from eighth to fourteenth by lap four, with the #32 eventually disappearing from the top twenty altogether.

Elsewhere, riders were charging through the pack after poor starts, with battles forming for the top positions. David Cracco from Dreams Racing was among those under pressure as riders fought their way forward. At the front, Moritz Ernecker took control and went on to claim his first race victory, ahead of the solid Frenchman Sleny Goyerform Yamaha Europe Monster Energy MJC  and Swiss Ryan Oppliger.

Race 2 delivered another intense racing as MCV Motorsport TM Moto’s Riccardo Pini launched out of the gate to grab the holeshot, with RFME Spain National Team’s Jordi Alba also starting strongly inside the top three. Just behind them, Race 1 winner Ernecker was immediately in contention, positioning himself perfectly to challenge from the opening lap.

Fantic Factory Racing EMX’s Bertram Thorius quickly emerged as the rider on the move. After breaking into the lead group, the Dane carried impressive momentum down the long straight on the opening lap to take control of the race. From there, he began to stretch a small advantage at the front, holding off pressure from behind.

Behind him, the battle for the overall win intensified. Ernecker remained firmly in the fight, while Goyer worked his way forward after a more difficult start, carving through the pack to rejoin the leaders mid-race.

Further back, Utech produced a standout recovery ride. After his crash in Race 1, the Italian charged back into the top five, showing strong pace and determination throughout the race.

As the race entered its final stages, the fight for victory came alive. Goyer closed in rapidly and made decisive moves and then capitalised on Ernecker’s crash after the Austrian banged bars with Thorius. Ernecker would then settled for third in race 2.

With just a few laps remaining, the Frenchman however pushed the race leader Thorius to the limit, as a race win would have given him the overall victory but the Dane showed great strength and refused to give in even if he stayed within striking distance and held firm under pressure to take the Race 2 victory.

Faure secured second while Ernecker completed the podium in third after setting some of the fastest laps of the race.

Moritz Ernecker’s victory in Race 1 combined with third place in Race 2 was enough to secure the overall win with 45 points, narrowly edging out Sleny Goyer, whose 2-2 results left him just one point behind.

In doing so, Ernecker became the first Austrian rider to win an EMX125 overall since Rene Hofer at Round 3 in Latvia back in 2018. His Race 1 victory also marked the first race win for an Austrian in the category since Hofer’s success in Germany earlier that same season.
 

Bertram Thorius’ impressive Race 2 performance, finishing second, earned him third overall and confirmed him as one of the standout performers of the weekend. Ryan Oppliger and David Cracco completed the top five overall after consistent performances across both races, while several riders endured mixed fortunes in the demanding conditions.

Moritz Ernecker « I am really happy to take the red plate. It was a mixed weekend, now, with the second race,  but I’m really happy about the overall win.”

EMX125 – Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Moritz Ernecker (AUT, KTM), 29:16.771; 2. Sleny Goyer (FRA, Yamaha), +0:06.960; 3. Ryan Oppliger (SUI, KTM), +0:10.963; 4. Ricardo Bauer (AUT, KTM), +0:14.453; 5. David Cracco (ITA, KTM), +0:35.554; 6. Liam Bruneau (FRA, KTM), +0:40.205; 7. Edoardo Riganti (ITA, Yamaha), +0:42.715; 8. Bertram Thorius (DEN, Fantic), +0:47.387; 9. Andrea Uccellini (ITA, TM), +0:54.984; 10. Timo Heuver (NED, Fantic), +0:56.703

EMX125 – Race 2 – Top 10 Classification:  1. Bertram Thorius (DEN, Fantic), 28:57.646; 2. Sleny Goyer (FRA, Yamaha), +0:01.268; 3. Moritz Ernecker (AUT, KTM), +0:18.670; 4. David Cracco (ITA, KTM), +0:23.526; 5. Gennaro Utech (ITA, Fantic), +0:27.489; 6. Ryan Oppliger (SUI, KTM), +0:38.237; 7. Andrea Uccellini (ITA, TM), +0:41.413; 8. Pau Caudet (ESP, KTM), +0:42.531; 9. Edoardo Riganti (ITA, Yamaha), +0:52.219; 10. Ricardo Bauer (AUT, KTM), +0:53.056

EMX125 Overall – Top 10 Classification: 1. Moritz Ernecker (AUT, KTM), 45 points; 2. Sleny Goyer (FRA, YAM), 44 p.; 3. Bertram Thorius (DEN, FAN), 38 p.; 4. Ryan Oppliger (SUI, KTM), 35 p.; 5. David Cracco (ITA, KTM), 34 p.; 6. Ricardo Bauer (AUT, KTM), 29 p.; 7. Andrea Uccellini (ITA, TM), 26 p.; 8. Edoardo Riganti (ITA, YAM), 26 p.; 9. Liam Bruneau (FRA, KTM), 22 p.; 10. Timo Heuver (NED, FAN), 19 p.;

EMX125 Championship – Top 10 Classification: 1. Moritz Ernecker (AUT, KTM), 45 points; 2. Sleny Goyer (FRA, YAM), 44 p.; 3. Bertram Thorius (DEN, FAN), 38 p.; 4. Ryan Oppliger (SUI, KTM), 35 p.; 5. David Cracco (ITA, KTM), 34 p.; 6. Ricardo Bauer (AUT, KTM), 29 p.; 7. Andrea Uccellini (ITA, TM), 26 p.; 8. Edoardo Riganti (ITA, YAM), 26 p.; 9. Liam Bruneau (FRA, KTM), 22 p.; 10. Timo Heuver (NED, FAN), 19 p.

EMX125 Manufacturers – Top 10 Classification: 1. KTM, 45 points; 2. Yamaha, 44 p.; 3. Fantic, 38 p.; 4. TM, 26 p.; 5. Husqvarna, 9 p.