ALMONTE (Andalucia, Spain), 22nd March 2026 – The second round of the 2026 FIM World Motocross Championships saw the series ignite in Europe for the first time, and the local Spanish fans filled the revamped facility of the Circuito di Motocross di Almonte, an atypical circuit for this country with a sandy surface that made for a tough day’s racing for the MXGP elite.

After rain hit the track earlier in the week, Sunday’s weather was dry and overcast, giving near enough perfect conditions for both racers and spectators, who created an incredible atmosphere as they got behind their local riders in particular!

One rider completely dominated the event in MXGP, as Lucas Coenen went 1-1-1 across the weekend to take his 17th career Grand Prix victory, his seventh in the premier class, and he now leads the Championship for the first time in his career!

Jeffrey Herlings gave chase all day to claim a brace of seconds for Honda HRC Petronas, while Tim Gajser moved forward through both races to take his first podium finish for his new team Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP.

In MX2, history was made for the Triumph Racing Factory Team by South African Camden McLellan, who took the first ever Grand Prix victory for both himself and the British manufacturer in its current form.  His teammate Guillem Farres had delighted his home crowd with a great win in race one, but was prevented from challenging for the overall at the start of race two. 

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo Simon Längenfelder and Sacha Coenen rounded out the podium, but McLellan will attach his, and Triumph’s, first ever red plate to his machine as they head to round three in Switzerland!

With a raucous atmosphere and a surprisingly challenging circuit, the inaugural event at Almonte was a memorable occasion for spectators and competitors alike as MXGP launched into its European season in style!

Right until the end of the MXGP Warm-Up, it looked like Jeffrey Herlings had kept his perfect record for the season of the fastest time in every session, until the very closing seconds of the session when a shock lap from Alberto Forato put him to the top of the timesheets for Fantic Factory Racing MXGP by four-tenths of a second! Tim Gajser was third behind Herlings, while Forato’s teammate Brent van Doninck took fourth!

As the pack tore into first corner of race one, Tom Vialle took his first Fox Holeshot Award in the MXGP class for Honda HRC Petronas, while his teammate Herlings survived a flirtation with the outside of the circuit and rounded turn two in third position behind the Frenchman and Qualifying Race winner Coenen.  Andrea Adamo snapped his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine into fourth ahead of defending Champion Romain Febvre for Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP. 

Behind them, there was a pile-up on the exit of turn one as Calvin Vlaanderen tangled with Gajser, putting the Red Bull Ducati Factory MX Team rider on the ground and collecting the MRT Racing Team Beta of Jago Geerts, plus Honda HRC Petronas’ home hero Ruben Fernandez, to the anguish of the crowd!

Vialle held on to lead into the first full lap, under pressure from Coenen and Herlings.  Then the trio hit the wave section almost bar-to-bar-to-bar, the Belgian using a fast outside line to dive into the lead, but “The Bullet” was frustrated in his first effort to get past his teammate. He had to wait for another full lap to make the move, by which time Coenen had already started to get the hammer down.

Maxime Renaux was ahead of his Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGPteammate Gajser outside the top five, with Kay de Wolf in eighth for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing. Coenen hit his top pace with a blazing Acerbis Fastest Lap of the whole day on lap four of the race, rapidly extending his lead but never looking like he was pushing too hard, too soon.

Renaux started to move up the order, passing Adamo at the end of the longest jump section on lap seven, and as he started to look interested in the next spot, Febvre passed Vialle for third with a big double jump that only the 450cc machines could attempt, right in front of the packed grandstands!  Renaux was able to get up to fourth with three laps to go, a confidence-boosting ride for the Yamaha man.

Gajser also got past Adamo over a big tabletop jump on lap 15, leaving the Italian in seventh, while Ben Watson claimed his best MXGP result in Spain with a solid ride to eighth for Dirt Store Triumph Racing. Mattia Guadagnini took ninth for Venrooy KTM, and De Wolf faded to tenth in his first race back from injury. 

Coenen took his 38th GP race win by over 20 seconds, and left his competition scratching their heads as he also took the Championship lead from Vialle.

Straight out of the gate in the second race, Watson’s good weekend took an unfortunate turn as he clashed with Herlings and hit the floor! Flashing round the outside was his domestic Championship rival Oriol Oliver, taking his first Fox Holeshot Award in MXGP for Gabriel SS24 KTM to the roar of his countrymen in the crowd!  The two Red Bull KTMs of Adamo and Coenen were in his wake, and this time Vlaanderen started will in fourth, although he was passed by Herlings for that spot after a third of a lap!

Before they crossed the finish line for the first time, both Coenen and Herlings had got past Adamo, then in successive laps the top two blitzed past the Spaniard through the waves, as Herlings tried grimly to hang on to the pace of the teenager.  Even a momentary stall for Lucas didn’t give his rivals any hope, and while Herlings kept the gap to a slightly lower 12 seconds at the close, it was still a dominant performance for Coenen.

Febvre got up to third by lap five, but Gajser looked to have found more speed and was closing on his long-time rival. On a fast right-hand corner the Frenchman got crossed up and went down hard, unable to get upright for several minutes and was helped off the circuit, not looking seriously hurt but too far down to contemplate returning to action.  It was his first non-score in a full GP race since July 2024.

Behind Gajser, Adamo took a season-best fourth, and Vlaanderen a fine fifth after passing Vialle.  Renaux also passed his fellow Frenchman for the second time in the GP, giving him sixth in the race and fourth in the GP behind his teammate Gajser.  Adamo was fifth overall ahead of Vialle and De Wolf, who improved to a steady eighth in race two.  Pauls Jonass, a non-scorer after a crash in race one, took ninth in the second outing ahead of Forato. The Italian took tenth overall behind Vlaanderen.  Febvre’s single result was still enough for eighth overall.

Fernandez had a better second race, still feeling unwell but struggling to eleventh in both race two and the overall, and the fast-starting Oliver ended the race in twelfth.

For the first time ever, Lucas Coenen was presented with a red plate on a GP podium.  He had worn a red plate after the first MX2 Qualifying Race of 2024, but swiftly lost it with a crash that day.  He now leads the series by eight points over Herlings, with Vialle another five further back. Febvre remains in fourth, level with Renaux and with Gajser just one point behind. 

There is still everything to play for, but Coenen’s sheer pace on the tough Spanish track will worry his rivals, and we now head to the track where he took his first victory in the class less than twelve months ago.  Will he go on a rampage, or will his many titled rivals step up to the plate? Find out next weekend!

 Lucas Coenen: “Overall, the track really suited me this weekend. I found some good lines and had a good flow, and the starts helped a lot, I was up front every time. Once I got into the lead, I could just do my own thing and manage the races. It was a perfect weekend where everything clicked. Even with the pain in the second race [blister], I just kept going, it’s worth it for the win. And having the red plate for the first time since I started is an amazing feeling, but it’s still a long season, so we need to stay consistent.”

Jeffrey Herlings: “Yesterday was tough. I had a crash at the start and hurt my back and neck quite badly, so I was pretty sore all weekend. That cost me some points again, like in Argentina. But on Sunday I felt better, got good starts and was there fighting near the front. Lucas was the best this weekend, no excuses, he was faster. I think even without the crash, it would have been difficult to beat him. There are still a lot of races to go, and anything can happen. The level is really high, so it’s going to be an exciting season.”

Tim Gajser: “It feels good to be on the podium. We are still testing things and making changes, especially with the suspension, but I felt much better as the weekend went on. The starts didn’t help, I was outside the top ten both races, but in the second race I could push more, make passes and ride more aggressively. We are moving in the right direction, but there is still work to do. We will keep improving and try to take another step in the next races.”

MXGP – Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 34:53.443; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, Honda), +0:20.573; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:38.005; 4. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:49.453; 5. Tom Vialle (FRA, Honda), +0:51.172; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, Yamaha), +0:53.074; 7. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:58.340; 8. Ben Watson (GBR, Triumph), +1:00.206; 9. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, KTM), +1:09.054; 10. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +1:16.376;

MXGP – Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 35:20.181; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, Honda), +0:12.803; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Yamaha), +0:24.976; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:49.029; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Ducati), +0:55.391; 6. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:58.674; 7. Tom Vialle (FRA, Honda), +1:00.483; 8. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +1:01.485; 9. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Kawasaki), +1:03.193; 10. Alberto Forato (ITA, Fantic), +1:04.636

MXGP Overall – Top 10 Classification: 1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 50 points; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, HON), 44 p.; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, YAM), 35 p.; 4. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 33 p.; 5. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 32 p.; 6. Tom Vialle (FRA, HON), 30 p.; 7. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 24 p.; 8. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 20 p.; 9. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, DUC), 19 p.; 10. Alberto Forato (ITA, FAN), 19 p

MXGP – World Championship – Top 10 Classification: 1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 102 points; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, HON), 94 p.; 3. Tom Vialle (FRA, HON), 89 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 75 p.; 5. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 75 p.; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, YAM), 74 p.; 7. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 69 p.; 8. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 51 p.; 9. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, DUC), 49 p.; 10. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KAW), 40 p.

MXGP – Manufacturers Classification: 1. Honda, 113 points; 2. KTM, 102 p.; 3. Yamaha, 88 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 87 p.; 5. Ducati, 51 p.; 6. Fantic, 40 p.; 7. Husqvarna, 24 p.; 8. Triumph, 20 p.; 9. Beta, 15 p.

The Warm-Up session already caused excitement for the local fans as their hero in MX2, Guillem Farres, took the fastest time by a quarter of a second for the Triumph Racing Factory Team, with Valerio Lata enjoying a good session in second for Honda HRC Petronas. Qualifying Race winner Sacha Coenen was third.

It was almost a shock that the Holeshot king of the last two years had to wait until the third opportunity to take his first Fox Holeshot Award of the 2026 campaign, but Sacha rocketed into the lead and looked strong at the beginning of race one.  He was almost unnoticed, however, as the crowd were roaring for Farres in second place!  With his number coloured like the national flag on his back, the Triumph man held off the reigning Champion Längenfelder, until suddenly Coenen dropped the bike in front of the Monster Energy rig and made that battle one for the lead!

The German couldn’t quite hold the pace, and the charge was coming from behind him.  After fighting past rookie Janis Reisulis on the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 machine, Camden McLellan was building momentum, especially through the wave section where he gained significant time every lap! He past the Champ there on lap eight, and set after his teammate out front!

Mathis Valin had got past his successor as EMX250 Champion, Janis Reisulis, to take fourth on the same lap, and the young duo were to finish in those positions as Liam Everts had a quiet ride to sixth for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing. Sacha Coenen was only able to recover to seventh, with Valerio Lata fighting forwards to eighth for Honda HRC Petronas. 

Karlis Reisulis, brother and teammate to Janis, took a steady ninth ahead of the Dixon Racing Team Kawasaki of Kay Karssemakers, revelling in the sand! 

The battle of the Triumphs was mesmerising! Well known in the Paddock for being good friends, training partners and housemates, they fought hard as the South African continually made ground in the waves, but the Spaniard held him off!  With his supporters urging him on, Farres was inspired to hold on and take the race win, just 1.6 seconds ahead of Camden, and he headed straight to the largest bank of spectators for an emotional celebration!  Längenfelder’s third had just about kept the series lead in his possession, however.

With all eyes on him to repeat the feat, Farres sadly never got the opportunity.  Visibly hunting for gears down the start straight of race two, he was called into Pit Lane and ultimately just given a Pit Board instruction to “STOP”, and his dreams of a home GP win were shattered. 

Längenfelder had taken the Fox Holeshot Award, but got pushed wide immediately as Coenen took the lead into turn two. McLellan was better placed this time, although his progress was delayed by an opportunistic move from Lata into the fourth corner of the race!

Everts was fifth early on, but seemed to be struggling for pace.  Valin passed the Belgian on lap eight, and Janis Reisulis put him down to seventh two laps later. That’s where he stayed for seventh overall, with Karlis Reisulis eighth and Karssemakers ninth, although the Dutchman would be tenth overall behind Farres’ points from his race win. Julius Mikula, after a big crash on Saturday, recovered well to take tenth in race two for Osička KTM.

With Coenen not motoring away at the front, McLellan could afford to be patient in his pursuit of Lata, and on lap eleven he used his speed through the waves to catch the Italian before carving inside the Honda man through the next corner!  Just three laps later he was onto Coenen, pulling a supreme pass through, where else, the wave section, and immediately started to pull away. 

Längenfelder passed Lata on the final lap to confirm himself in second overall ahead of Coenen, who went 7-2.  Janis Reisulis also passed Valin on the final lap to take fifth, but fourth overall ahead of the Frenchman, with Lata’s 8-4 races good enough for sixth.

It was a commanding first overall victory for McLellan, however, in a stunning display of raw pace that could stake himself a claim to being the best MX2 rider in the sand.  And it marks the arrival of Triumph as a winning manufacturer in the modern Motocross world.  An incredible day for all concerned!

Now carrying the red plate, the determined South African has a two-point lead over the defending Champ, as they head to a track where the German was near perfect last year.  Will that form book be turned on its head?!

There are still many questions to be answered in the 2026 FIM Motocross World Championships.  Join us very soon for the next instalment in this compelling drama!

Camden McLellan: “It feels really good. It’s a special weekend for me. Since my last race win in Trentino, a long time coming that makes it even more sweet. The red plate is a nice bonus as well. The first race was more chaotic and a big fight until the last corner, but the second race I controlled more. I waited for the right moment, made my moves, and everything was quite calculated. I didn’t want my first overall without a race win, so to take both is really satisfying.”

Simon Längenfelder: “I felt good, but not perfect. Today Camden [Mc Lellan] was just stronger and faster, so I didn’t take any risks. I focused on my rhythm and did my own race. 3-3 is not too bad for the championship. Every point counts, especially in such a competitive class, so consistency is really important.”

Sacha Coenen: “The first race was difficult. I had arm pump from the beginning and made a mistake, so it was hard to come back. In the second race I had a better start and felt better, but I still made a small mistake and couldn’t fight for the win. I need to be more consistent and make fewer mistakes, but overall there are still positives to take from the weekend.”

MX2 – Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), 33:54.093; 2. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:01.623; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:11.796; 4. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:12.990; 5. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:27.569; 6. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:30.409; 7. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:42.848; 8. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +0:55.174; 9. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +1:14.100; 10. Kay Karssemakers (NED, Kawasaki), +1:17.666;

MX2 – Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), 34:05.274; 2. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:04.560; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:11.209; 4. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +0:16.718; 5. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:35.328; 6. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:35.989; 7. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:42.479; 8. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:43.754; 9. Kay Karssemakers (NED, Kawasaki), +1:01.319; 10. Julius Mikula (CZE, KTM), +1:11.791;

MX2 Overall – Top 10 Classification: 1. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 47 points; 2. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 40 p.; 3. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 36 p.; 4. Mathis Valin (FRA, KAW), 33 p.; 5. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 32 p.; 6. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 31 p.; 7. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 29 p.; 8. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 25 p.; 9. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 25 p.; 10. Kay Karssemakers (NED, KAW), 23 p.; 

MX2 – World Championship Classification: 1. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 99 points; 2. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 97 p.; 3. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 80 p.; 4. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 78 p.; 5. Mathis Valin (FRA, KAW), 76 p.; 6. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 76 p.; 7. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 74 p.; 8. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 57 p.; 9. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 48 p.; 10. Jens Walvoort (NED, KTM), 40 p.;

MX2 – Manufacturers Classification: 1. KTM, 112 points; 2. Triumph, 110 p.; 3. Yamaha, 77 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 76 p.; 5. Husqvarna, 74 p.; 6. Honda, 57 p.; 7. TM, 39 p.; 8. GASGAS, 13 p.; 9. Ducati, 9 p.; 10. Fantic, 8 p.