RIOLA SARDO (Sardegna, Italy) 12th April 2026 – Round four of the epic 2026 FIM Motocross World Championships took place today in the heavy beach sand of the Crossodromo Comunale “Le Dune” circuit at Riola Sardo, on the Mediterranean island of Sardegna.  The sixth annual visit to this venue delivered yet another day of sheer intensity as the MXGP elite showcased their skills under cloudy skies, with a slight respite from yesterday’s hot and sunny conditions.

The track had minimal grading work overnight and developed further into a seriously challenging course with the heavy terrain getting deeper throughout the day!  A small rain shower only added to the heaviness for the second MX2 race and beyond.

The hot favourite for MXGP delivered the expected dominance, as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s series leader Lucas Coenen took both races to win for the first time on this island, but it was far from straightforward as he was chased all the way by Jeffrey Herlings, who was twice second for Honda HRC Petronas.  There was joy for class rookie Kay de Wolf as he took his first podium in the class for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing with a fighting second race!

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing took victory in MX2 as well, with Simon Längenfelder finishing on the podium for the first time in Sardegna, and it was on the top spot after going 2-1 on the day, the reverse of Sacha Coenen, who took his first race win of the season for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing in race one.  Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing scored another podium with Liam Everts, third overall for the second straight GP as he battles through a foot injury.

The circuit cut up as rough as anyone had ever seen it as the wind also affected the riders in the later stages, giving everybody an extremely tough day in the office, far from your typical Mediterranean vacation!

Keen to show his pace at the top, MXGP Qualifying Race winner Herlings set the fastest time in the morning Warm-up, with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP pairing Tim Gajser and Maxime Renaux taking second and third.

Second in the Championship coming into the weekend, Tom Vialle fired his Honda HRC Petronus machine into the lead in race one for his second Fox Holeshot Award of the season, and it was Oriol Oliver who was chasing him with a brilliant start for Gabriel SS24 KTM Factory Juniors, although Herlings was quickly upon the Spaniard as he moved into second after a few corners, and wasted no time in chasing down his teammate!

“The Bullet” fired into the lead over a tabletop jump next to the spectator area, two corners before the start of the first full lap, just as Lucas Coenen made a small mistake to allow the third Honda HRC Petronas rider Ruben Fernandez to get back into the top five.  The Belgian took a few corners to re-pass the Spaniard, and Kay de Wolf soon followed suit to get up to sixth.

Coenen’s next target was last year’s winner Romain Febvre, who had slotted into fourth for Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP, but was unable to hold back the Belgian, who put a forceful move on the reigning Champion into the final corner of the first full lap.  There were issues for Gajser, however, who fell in a large bowl turn, and for his teammate Renaux, who was feeling weak after an illness and also crashed on the opening lap.

Coenen was soon around the persistent Oliver to get to third, but took a couple of laps to catch Vialle, putting the same pass on him as Herlings had earlier on, which left him a clear path to the Dutchman who was trying to escape out front.  Meanwhile, both Febvre and De Wolf got past Oliver on lap five, and the Spaniard clung onto sixth ahead of his countryman Fernandez, the second Red Bull KTM of Andrea Adamo, then Italian pairing (both on Italian machinery) Alberto Forato for Fantic Factory Racing MXGP and Andrea Bonacorsi of the Red Bull Ducati Factory MX Team. Sadly, Bonacorsi suffered a crash and would drop out of the race on lap 13.

It took less than three laps for Coenen to hack down the six-second lead of Herlings, and attacked the Dutchman over the finish line at the end of lap five, sweeping around the front wheel of the Honda in an outrageous pass around the first corner.  The teenage prodigy then put the hammer down, an incredible six seconds faster on the next complete lap than anybody else, putting the result beyond doubt.

At around half-distance, Febvre made the familiar pass on Vialle to take over third position, before the younger Frenchman hit the ground at the end of a fast straight, dropping him to sixth behind De Wolf and Fernandez, who had gotten around Oliver.  The top five stayed the same from there, but Vialle was passed by a tenacious Adamo for sixth, with Forato a strong eighth ahead of a charging Gajser, who passed Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP’s Pauls Jonass with two laps to go, leaving the Latvian in tenth.

Coenen’s ultimate margin of victory was nearly 20 seconds, quite a statement over a sand master like Herlings, even though the Honda man had moved past Vialle into second in the Championship.

Vialle looked good into turn one again at the start of race two, but ran slightly wide to open the door for Febvre to take his first Fox Holeshot Award of the season, with Coenen menacingly third behind Vialle, as Oliver again gated well in fourth ahead of Forato and Herlings!

Simultaneously around a twisty section, Herlings tucked inside Forato into fifth just as Coenen was getting around Vialle to mount a challenge on his title rival from last year.  The sheer speed of the Belgian was irresistible, as he blasted around the outside of the Kawasaki in a long left-hander, and again started to march away at the front. 

Herlings was determined to give chase, however, and made short work of Oliver and Vialle, before darting to the inside of Febvre in the final corner of the first full lap.  The top two traded fastest laps as “The Bullet” did everything he could to close the gap on his teenage rival.  Febvre then had to deal with another charge from Gajser, as the Slovenian had put the squeeze on Vialle to take fourth.

The Slovenian put a great pass on Febvre through a fast left-hander and over a jump, but just as his team boss was being interviewed for the MXGP-TV broadcast, Tim hit a bump at a savage angle and suffered the biggest crash of the day!  He got up quickly, but looked to be struggling to get back up to speed, slipping to 19th in the race by the end of lap three.

Oliver held on for a bit longer in this race, still fifth behind Coenen, Herlings, Febvre, and Vialle, until De Wolf and Fernandez both got past on lap seven.  The Gabriel SS24 man then lost places on consecutive laps to Renaux, Adamo, Forato, and the leading Red Bull Ducati of Calvin Vlaanderen, who also got past the Fantic man for eighth on lap eleven.

Ben Watson briefly put his Dirt Store Triumph into the top ten, but he succumbed, like many, to the amazing Gajser, who eventually fought his way up to eighth at the flag!  On lap twelve, almost at exactly the same time, Lucas Coenen tipped off the side of the track on the face of a jump, while Vialle, having just made a pass on Febvre at the end of the wave section, also crashed into an uphill corner!  Lucas was incredibly able to hold onto the lead, but he was in the crosshairs of Herlings who put in a maximum effort to chase down the leader!

Vialle’s crash put Febvre back into third, but then De Wolf closed in on the reigning Champion and passed him on the final corner of lap 13.  It put the Dutch rookie into a podium position, which he held to the flag to score his first MXGP podium, and the first for Husqvarna in the class since the race at this venue in 2022, when Brian Bogerstook the overall win! Febvre held onto fourth for that position overall, but Vialle crashed again with two laps to go, dropping him to ninth in the race and seventh overall!

As Herlings continued to pressure Coenen, the leading pair stretched ahead by nearly a full minute, while Fernandez took fifth ahead of a gasping Renaux, who dug deep after the peak of his illness on Saturday.  Forato, Gajser, Vialle, and Vlaanderen rounded out the top ten in the race. 

With the fluctuating results of many riders, KTM Kosak’s Roan van de Moosdijk took tenth overall with 13-11 scores, behind the factory Yamaha men of Gajser and Renaux in eighth and ninth. Vialle lost out by a point to Forato, who took his best result yet for Fantic in sixth position.  Fernandez put in a quietly solid day for fifth overall.

Herlings got scarily close to Coenen as the Belgian made a series of errors, but the teenager showed great composure to hold onto the lead and claim his 18th Grand Prix win, putting him level with the great Dutchman Kees van der Ven!  It also puts his Championship lead up to 14 points, with Herlings up to second in the standings, 16 ahead of Vialle.

We all head to the north of Italy for the MXGP of Trentino, a circuit where Lucas has yet to score a podium result, so he would love to fill that hole in his trophy collection, while the chasing pack might hope that his ill form below the mountains continues for another year!

Round four of MXGP is in the books, and this Championship is far from over!

Lucas Coenen: “Overall, it was a decent weekend. Qualifying made it difficult for myself, I hit the gate and then crashed in the first corner, so me and Kay [de Wolf] came back from last to fifth. That cost quite a lot of energy, but in Race 1 I made some good passes and managed to win it. In the second Race it was similar, I had a small crash at the end and with Jeffrey [Herlings] pushing you really have to step up your pace, but overall I managed to finish with the win, so that was decent.”

Jeffrey Herlings: “I felt like I came pretty close this weekend and we were fighting until the last turn in the second Race. I just need to be honest, he was better this weekend, so fair play to him. I feel like I’m getting closer and we just keep going, keep charging and try to do our best. The level is really high right now, so it’s not a shame to be second, but of course we keep pushing.”

Kay de Wolf: “It was a crazy one. I came from last to third in the second Race after crashing in the second turn and I just put the hammer down from lap one. I think I was almost off the bike ten times, but I just held on and gave it everything. I’m really happy to be on the podium, especially because I’ve been struggling a bit all weekend with the feeling, so this result is a good one.”

MXGP – Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 34:57.852; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, Honda), +0:19.634; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:46.495; 4. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:55.011; 5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +1:02.242; 6. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +1:10.538; 7. Tom Vialle (FRA, Honda), +1:13.124; 8. Alberto Forato (ITA, Fantic), +1:16.611; 9. Tim Gajser (SLO, Yamaha), +1:21.259; 10. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Kawasaki), +1:24.060

MXGP – Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 34:33.504; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, Honda), +0:01.219; 3. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:59.464; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:05.704; 5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +1:11.266; 6. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +1:19.203; 7. Alberto Forato (ITA, Fantic), +1:20.368; 8. Tim Gajser (SLO, Yamaha), +1:23.220; 9. Tom Vialle (FRA, Honda), +1:31.757; 10. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Ducati), +1:33.474

MXGP Overall – Top 10 Classification: 1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 50 points; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, HON), 44 p.; 3. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 38 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 38 p.; 5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 32 p.; 6. Alberto Forato (ITA, FAN), 27 p.; 7. Tom Vialle (FRA, HON), 26 p.; 8. Tim Gajser (SLO, YAM), 25 p.; 9. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 24 p.; 10. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KTM), 18 p.;

MXGP – World Championship – Top 10 Classification: 1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 192 points; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, HON), 178 p.; 3. Tom Vialle (FRA, HON), 162 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 160 p.; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, YAM), 149 p.; 6. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 143 p.; 7. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 115 p.; 8. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 107 p.; 9. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 105 p.; 10. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, DUC), 90 p.

MXGP – Manufacturers Classification: 1. Honda, 222 points; 2. KTM, 202 p.; 3. Yamaha, 175 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 172 p.; 5. Husqvarna, 105 p.; 6. Fantic, 99 p.; 7. Ducati, 92 p.; 8. Triumph, 35 p.; 9. Beta, 27 p.;

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 rider Janis Reisulis claimed the fastest time in the morning Warm-Up session, ahead of the Kawasaki Racing Team MX2 machine of Mathis Valin and Guillem Farres of the Triumph Racing Factory Team.

After the first six Sunday races of the season all saw different riders take the Fox Holeshot Award, it was the pre-season favourite for the competition, Sacha Coenen, who catapulted into the lead at the start of race one, and immediately began to pour on the pace ahead of fellow Red Bull KTM Factory Racing pilot Simon Längenfelder.

Liam Everts also gave chase in third, with the Osička KTM of Julius Mikula flying high in fourth spot! Janis Reisulis battled with the Maddii Racing Honda ABF Italia of Maxime Grau, but Farres hit the deck in a left-handed corner and had to start from the back!  At least he could restart, unlike Valin who ground to a halt and had to face a long push back to the Paddock with a mechanical issue.  The Dixon Racing Team Kawasaki of Kay Karssemakers was defending the honour of the greens by holding sixth, in front of the TM Moto CRD Motosport machine of Cas Valk. 

One of the pre-race favourites, albeit battered and bruised from his Swiss crash, was way down the order.  Triumph Racing Factory Team’s Camden McLellan finished lap one in 16th place and had a sandy mountain to climb, while the leading riders held station for the opening five laps.

The first to move forward were the Latvian brothers, as Karlis Reisulis got around the outside of Grau to take eighth for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2, then Janis advanced to fourth by passing Mikula on lap six, then two laps later took advantage of a mistake by Everts to take third.  The Belgian did get back past on lap twelve, as Coenen danced away to a near 13-second winning margin, and his first Sunday race win of the year after four on Saturdays! 

Janis Reisuis held onto fourth to match his best finish yet in MX2, and Mikula scored a career high fifth place in fine style, his previous best being eighth, achieved on five different occasions! McLellan fought grittily through the pack to claim sixth ahead of his teammate Farres, after the pair had swapped places during their fightbacks. Dutch sandflies Karssemakers and Valk took eighth and ninth ahead of the Honda HRC Petronas of Valerio Lata. His former teammate Ferruccio Zanchi had got up to ninth at one point for the Beddini Racing Ducati Factory MX2 Team, before having to withdraw due to problems with his new machine.

Coenen again rocketed to the Fox Holeshot Award in race two, with the amazing Mikula in a firm second place! Längenfelder, Farres, and another fast start from Grau made up the top five, but the Champion moved inside the Czech at the bottom of the track for second place, before Farres got up to third around a fast left-hander!

Zanchi was inside the top five, battling with Everts at the end of lap one, and Karlis Reisulis was up to seventh as his brother hit the floor while battling with Grau!  However, the race got turned on its head as Sacha crashed on the face of one of the last jumps of the first full lap, gifting the lead to Längenfelder!

The young Belgian put his head down and passed the elder Reisulis, Lata, Grau, and Zanchi to get to fifth by the end of the second lap, but Längenfelder was speeding away from Farres and Mikula.  On lap three Coenen sped past Everts, before both Belgians demoted Mikula on lap five. 

McLellan had to charge from tenth this time, and was making great progress.  At the halfway point he had got up to fifth behind Längenfelder, Farres, Coenen, and Everts.  Karlis Reisulis was in a fine sixth ahead of Valin, who had dropped Mikula to eighth with a pass over the finish line, then Janis Reisulis also got past the Osička KTM man.

McLellan pulled a fine pass on Everts to take fourth on lap 13, up the inside of a huge bowl turn, as Karssemakers fought past Mikula.  The Dutchman finished seventh to claim a career best seventh overall in the GP, and Mikula’s eighth gave him a career best sixth overall!

With just two laps to go, Farres buried his Triumph into some advertising banners and dropped to an eventual tenth in the race, losing a podium result to finish only ninth overall, ahead of another Dutchman with a personal best, Scott Smulders for the Sixtyseven Husqvarna Racing team, whose 12-11 score-line was good enough for tenth on the day!

Valin was promoted to sixth to make up for his first race disappointment, and Karlis Reisulis matched his best of the year with fifth, and eighth overall. His brother Janis’ ninth put him into the top five for the day, just behind McLellan, who missed the podium in Sardegna for the first time.

Everts was happy with his second straight podium, but Coenen had lost another GP win due to a crash, leaving Längenfelder to earn a second consecutive GP win for the first time in his entire career! This also gives the German a 24-point lead in the Championship ahead of Coenen, while Everts has now moved up to third, 15 points behind his compatriot.

With the quick turnaround to Trentino ahead of the riders, recovery will be key as they leave the toughest physical test of the year so far! The contrasting terrain of northern Italy could throw up some wildly different results in both classes, but for sure the racing and the atmosphere will once again be of the highest order!  Come and join us in less than a week’s time!

Simon Längenfelder: “To be honest, in Spain I didn’t expect that much sand and we struggled a bit, but we put in some work on the suspension and it got quite good. I could ride more freely and let the bike do the work, which was really positive. Sacha [Coenen] was really fast, but his mistake helped me a bit, and I’m really happy to go back-to-back with the overall.”

Sacha Coenen: “I was riding good all weekend, from Saturday into both Races, but I made a mistake in the first laps of the second race. I don’t really know what happened, I just lost the front at high speed, so I was lucky to be okay. After that I came back from around twelfth and made my way forward, so finishing second overall is not a bad weekend.”

Liam Everts: “I’ve always struggled here for some reason, so to be on the podium this weekend is definitely a big confidence booster. At the moment we’re just trying to get as many points as possible and make the most out of the situation, especially as I’m not riding much during the week. Every podium is a bonus right now, so I’m really happy with this one.”

MX2 – Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 35:26.597; 2. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:12.967; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:28.886; 4. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:35.822; 5. Julius Mikula (CZE, KTM), +0:37.946; 6. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:38.661; 7. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +0:48.135; 8. Kay Karssemakers (NED, Kawasaki), +0:53.443; 9. Cas Valk (NED, TM), +0:57.828; 10. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +1:12.315

MX2 – Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 35:46.884; 2. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:08.311; 3. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:13.956; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:22.690; 5. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:25.607; 6. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:25.995; 7. Kay Karssemakers (NED, Kawasaki), +0:48.615; 8. Julius Mikula (CZE, KTM), +0:52.819; 9. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +1:00.190; 10. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +1:06.344

MX2 Overall – Top 10 Classification: 1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 47 points; 2. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 47 p.; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 38 p.; 4. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 35 p.; 5. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 30 p.; 6. Julius Mikula (CZE, KTM), 29 p.; 7. Kay Karssemakers (NED, KAW), 27 p.; 8. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 26 p.; 9. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 25 p.; 10. Scott Smulders (NED, HUS), 19 p.

MX2 – World Championship Classification: 1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 205 points; 2. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 181 p.; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 166 p.; 4. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 162 p.; 5. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 153 p.; 6. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 143 p.; 7. Mathis Valin (FRA, KAW), 118 p.; 8. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 114 p.; 9. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 105 p.; 10. Kay Karssemakers (NED, KAW), 87 p.

MX2 – Manufacturers Classification: 1. KTM, 227 points; 2. Triumph, 203 p.; 3. Husqvarna, 166 p.; 4. Yamaha, 152 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 142 p.; 6. Honda, 121 p.; 7. TM, 70 p.; 8. Ducati, 19 p.; 9. GASGAS, 13 p.; 10. Fantic, 8 p.;