Lucas Coenen won for the fifth time on his KTM 450 SX-F in the 2026 MXGP FIM Motocross World Championship at Terra Topia and a long overdue return for the series to South African soil. Red Bull KTM also celebrated more trophies in MX2 (their tenth podium appearance in eleven rounds) thanks to Simon Laengenfelder’s 2nd position.

Terra Topia, close to Johannesburg, made its debut in MXGP for the first South African Grand Prix since 2008. The paddock discovered an elevated, long, fast, wide, rough and rippled hardpacked course with decent line choice and hefty jumps. The weather was hot and sunny and the dipping sunset made visibility in sections tricky on Sunday afternoon.

On Saturday Red Bull KTM aced both MXGP and MX2 Qualification heats for the fourth time from eleven Grands Prix in 2026. Lucas Coenen and Simon Laengenfelder owned their respective classes for a maximum Saturday points haul as well as first picks in the gate for Sunday.

Lucas marked his seventh holeshot of the season in the first moto. The Belgian then built a small advantage and controlled the rest of the race. In the second moto he rushed into the lead on lap one and repeated his escape act. The 19-year-old was flawless and managed the 30 minute and 2 lap distance to again sweep the race order. Lucas’s success means an 11-point gain in the championship for a margin of 68 over Jeffrey Herlings.

Andrea Adamo placed 8th overall. The Italian posted scores of 9-7 in the two motos. He made a bright start to run top three in the second outing and then established his pace for a worthy top seven finish. The former MX2 world champ is solidly accumulating points and sits 6th in the standings for his rookie MXGP term. KTM have now moved to P1 in the MXGP Manufacturers table.

The MX2 World Champion returned to a podium ceremony for the first time since round four in Sardinia. Simon Laengenfelder rode to 3rd place in the first moto and then almost had the holeshot in the second. He completed a lonely race in a safe 2nd to confirm 3-2 on the day and P2 on the rostrum. The result delivered Simon’s fifth trophy of the campaign and keeps him firmly in contention to defend his title: he’s 3rd in the standings, 52 points from Sacha Coenen’s red plate. The Belgian was 4th in South Africa. He took a decent 2nd in the first moto but ran off track into the first corner of the second race and then also crashed on the opening lap and had to work his way back to P6. He missed the box by just one point but still leads the championship by 14 over the next nearest pursuer.

More milestones for MXGP in two weeks: the first British Grand Prix to take place at Foxhill circuit since 2000 will form round 12 of the 2026 campaign on July 18-19.

Honda HRC Progressive enjoyed a standout Independence Day at the legendary RedBud Motocross National, as Hunter Lawrence and Jo Shimoda both took over the coveted red plates that signify the championship leads. For the third time this season and the second time in a row, Hunter secured a premier-class overall victory, while Jett Lawrence added another moto win and an overall-podium finish, despite experiencing an uncharacteristic challenging day. In the 250 class, Shimoda earned his first moto victory of the season to take over the championship lead, while Chance Hymas continued to build momentum with his strongest result of the season so far. 

Heavy rainfall during the previous 24 hours left the track in an extremely challenging condition for the motos, with deep ruts developing throughout much of the course.

After starting third in moto 1, Hunter overtook Jorge Prado and then caught and passed Jett for the lead in the closing laps. While Hunter was navigating one of the deepest ruts, dirt and debris became lodged in his bike’s chain guide and rear-sprocket area.

This caused the rear wheel to momentarily lock, resulting in an unfortunate tip-over that allowed Jett to regain the lead, and Hunter was forced to settle for second. In moto 2, Hunter started sixth but quickly worked his way through the riders ahead of him. With just over three laps remaining, he passed Prado for the lead and pulled away to a convincing 12-second victory, securing the overall win. Meanwhile, a pair of early tip-overs dropped Jett outside the top 10 in moto 2, but the defending champ responded with a determined charge back to fifth, securing third overall. 

After avoiding a first-turn incident in the first 250 moto, Shimoda steadily worked his way forward, putting in a signature late surge before finishing third. A stronger moto-2 start put him in immediate contention, and he methodically closed on the leaders before making the moto-winning pass on Cole Davies. Shimoda then pulled away to a convincing 12-second victory, earning the moto win and second overall. Hymas recorded an 8-6 moto tally as he builds consistency and works toward podium contention. 

The Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team of Marvin Fritz, Karel Hanika, and Leandro Mercado extended their FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) lead after finishing second in a dramatic 8 Hours of Spa Motos at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

After qualifying second on Friday, YART added four points to their championship total and arrived on the grid with a 17-point advantage at the top of the standings. With dry conditions greeting the riders for the start of Saturday’s eight-hour race, the reigning champions were focused on building on their strong start to the season and continuing their impressive recent record at Spa.

The Belgian round has become a particularly strong venue for YART in recent seasons, with the team winning the 24-hour edition in 2023, taking victory again in 2024 when it switched to an eight-hour format, and finishing third last year in mixed conditions on their way to the 2025 EWC title. Their second-place finish this season made it four consecutive podiums for the Austrian squad at Spa.

After a tricky start that saw Hanika drop from second to tenth off the line, the Czech rider responded immediately, producing an excellent recovery ride to climb to sixth within the opening 20 minutes before moving up to fourth by the half-hour mark, just 1.9s from the lead.

Hanika continued to push hard throughout the opening stint before pitting from fourth after 45 minutes, with Fritz taking over the Bridgestone-shod #1 Yamaha R1 in fifth. The German quickly moved into the podium fight, and by the 75-minute mark, he was part of a superb four-bike battle for the lead, with the leading group separated by just over a second.

Fritz then climbed to second before handing the R1 over to "Tati" Mercado, who delivered a composed stint to keep YART firmly in the fight at the front. With conditions beginning to shift and the race developing into a strategic test, the Argentine kept the pressure on and made sure the team stayed firmly in the victory hunt before handing back to Hanika.

With the weather changing constantly, the second half of the race became increasingly unpredictable. Heavy rain arrived shortly after one of Fritz’s stops, forcing YART back into the pits just one lap later, while the team were later caught in another chaotic period when Hanika switched from wets to slicks on a drying track, only for the rain to return almost immediately.

At one stage, the constantly changing conditions triggered three pit stops in just 20 minutes, but YART remained calm and executed each stop cleanly, adapting to whatever the race threw at them. With Crashes, delays, and strategy calls all affecting others around them, Hanika, Fritz, Mercado, and the team focused on consistency, mistake-free riding, and making the best possible decisions in a rapidly changing situation.

Despite the difficulty of judging tyre choice and timing throughout the race, YART kept the pressure on while also managing the championship picture. They eventually crossed the line second after 192 laps, 1:16.079 behind the winners, securing 24 more points, extending their championship lead to 22 points, and securing a fourth consecutive podium at Spa. The result means YART leave Belgium with 91 points after two rounds, adding to their victory at Le Mans.

There was frustration for the Belgian-based Elf Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99 squad at their home round. Randy de Puniet, Florian Marino, and Bo Bendsneyder made a strong start from sixth on the grid and were running well inside the top five before a technical issue cost them significant time. The #99 Yamaha R1 later lost further ground after a crash and eventually finished 29th overall, 22 laps down.

There was further success for Yamaha across the classes, as Team 18 Pompiers Igol CMS Motostore secured a Superstock podium by finishing ninth overall and third in SST on the #18 Yamaha, while Motobox Kremer Racing by 321 took victory in the Production category after finishing eighth overall on the #65 Yamaha.

The FIM Endurance World Championship now heads to Japan for Round 3, the Suzuka 8 Hours, which takes place from 3 to 5 July.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team’s Karlis Reisulis has narrowly missed the overall podium at round eight of the MX2 World Championship – his home Grand Prix in Latvia – by just two points, ending the weekend in fifth. Plus, with teammate Janis Reisulis placing seventh overall, it underlined a solid day for the talented brothers as the series nears the halfway point.

Spurred on by their native fans all weekend long, the Latvian teammates were focused on putting on a show and leaving the sandy Kegums circuit with solid results. With the sun shining throughout the Grand Prix, the atmosphere was electric as the MX2 class headed to the start line for the opening race of the day.

In race one, K. Reisulis didn’t enjoy the best of starts, and he was forced to work hard in order to move up the leaderboard. By the halfway stage of the race he was comfortably running in sixth and as he crossed the finish line, he trailed Simon Längenfelder by just under two seconds.

Encouraged by his excellent ride in the opening race of the day, K. Reisulis delivered his best performance of the season so far in Race Two. Starting second, the Yamaha YZ250FM rider kept the leader in sight for the duration, until he made a minor mistake on the final lap that allowed Camden McLellan through. This ultimately cost K. Reisulis a place on the overall podium, but it was nevertheless an exceptional performance to secure his season-best race result of third for fifth overall on the day. A result that moves him up to eighth in the series standings.

Following a series of impressive overall results in recent Grands Prix, including fourth last weekend in Germany, J. Reisulis was understandably focused on impressing at his first home Grand Prix. After being pushed wide in the tight first turn, the reigning EMX250 Champion was soon into 10th, and by mid-race he was up to seventh. J. Reisulis then lost one position as the laps wound down to finish eighth.

Race Two started with J. Reisulis running inside the top 10 until a mistake on lap six dropped him to 14th. From there, the 18-year-old worked his way through the field to secure 10th for seventh overall. After eight rounds, the MX2 rookie remains seventh in the championship.

With three consecutive Grands Prix now complete, the teammates will now enjoy a weekend off before returning to action in Montevarchi, Italy, for round nine of the MX2 World Championship on June 20-21.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler has claimed a record-equalling fifth consecutive victory at the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo, delivering another dominant performance aboard his KTM 300 EXC. Joined on the podium by FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Trystan Hartin second, the result secured a KTM 1-2 finish at the iconic event and further cemented Lettenbichler’s place among the race’s all-time greats.

Starting from pole position in the Red Bull Hare Scramble following his fourth-place finish in the qualifying Iron Road Prologue, Lettenbichler made a strong start to the main race and immediately settled into the battle at the front. Running second through the early checkpoints, and with only seconds separating the leaders, Mani moved into to the lead by checkpoint four and quickly began building an advantage.

Once out front the German steadily increased his pace and control over the race. By checkpoint 13, he had opened a lead of 40 seconds, before stretching that margin to five minutes by checkpoint 18. Continuing to master the demanding Austrian terrain, Lettenbichler expertly negotiated the event’s most famous obstacles, including Carl’s Dinner, Dynamite, and Lazy Noon.

At the iconic Carl’s Dinner, he held a commanding 12-minute advantage and continued to pull away through the closing stages. Crossing the finish line almost nine minutes ahead of his nearest rival, Mani secured his fifth consecutive Erzbergrodeo victory, equalling both the all-time win record and the record for consecutive victories at the legendary event.

Manuel Lettenbichler: “Five wins at Erzberg, I have no words! It’s been an unbelievable race and I couldn’t be happier. I had an alright start, but quickly got in the mix with Mitch [Brightmore] and Trystan [Hart] and they were really pushing me hard. After that I felt so good on the bike and just enjoyed every section so much. It feels incredible to make it five in a row and equal the record. I am speechless!”

Hart also delivered an outstanding ride throughout Sunday’s main race. The Canadian ran third through the opening checkpoints before moving into second place by checkpoint 11 after a determined charge through the field. Although he briefly lost ground during the middle stages and dropped back to third, Hart responded strongly and reclaimed second position after an intense battle with Mitch Brightmore (GASGAS). Maintaining a strong pace through the final checkpoints, Trystan built a comfortable advantage over third place and ultimately secured second overall, completing an impressive KTM 1-2 finish at the 2026 Erzbergrodeo.

Trystan Hart: “I’m happy to come away with second place at Erzberg. It was a really tough race and I had to manage a few issues throughout, so it definitely wasn’t straightforward. I felt like I rode well in sections, but there were also areas where I know I can improve. That’s part of racing at an event as demanding as this. We’ll take the positives, keep working, and come back stronger next year.”

Yamaha riders Pol Tarrés and Kevin Gallas took on the legendary Red Bull Erzbergrodeo aboard the Ténéré 700, taking on the event’s landmark 30th edition from 4–7 June in Austria.

The Ténéré 700 showed impressive reliability with no mechanical issues across four hours of gruelling conditions, allowing Tarrés to fight his way to Checkpoint 19 – entering the history books by achieving an incredible new record for big bikes at the event and finishing a very impressive 77th out of 500 competitors.

At the Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya, a stoic Fabio Di Giannantonio claims his maiden victory with the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team in a race that was affected from two red flags. Franco Morbidelli bounces back and he is tenth. 

The Catalan GP proved to be very hard, with two race interruptions due to incidents: in the second re-start, Fabio Di Giannantonio was heroic, and he claimed his second MotoGP win, his first one with the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team. Both Fabio and the Team went on the highest step of the podium for the first time in 2026, confirming the Top3 in the World Standing. It was a come back race for Franco Morbidelli, who crossed the finish line in twelfth place, that eventually became tenth because of penalties to other riders. 

Di Giannantonio started from the second row and showed a good rhythm since the early stages of the races, that was interrupted for an incident that involved him. Fabio managed to be back on track at the re-start, where he confirmed to be competitive. Despite a second red flag that interrupted his rhythm, the rider from Rome fought with determination since the third start, and he completed the crucial overtake that allowed him to win the race. This is Di Giannantonio’s first win with the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team and his second in MotoGP (Qatar 2023). Now, Fabio is third in the World Standing with 116 points. 

It was a complicated race for Morbidelli too, despite starting from the front row. Franco managed to stay in the top positions at the start, but both the first and the second red flag stopped his rhythm. At the third start, the Italian Brazilian rider had a difficult start and he lost some positions. Franco showed a great determination, recovering many positions in the 12-laps race and he crossed the finish line in twelfth position, that eventually became tenth due to penalties to other riders ahead. Morbidelli is now fifteenth in the World Standing with 36 points.

The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team wishes a speedy recovery to all the riders involved today’s incidents and wishes to have them back on track soon. The next MotoGP round is scheduled in two weeks and it’s one of the most anticipated events of the season for the Tavullia-based team: the Italian GP, which will take place at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello from 29^th to 31^st May. But before, it’s testing day tomorrow at Barcelona. 

De Baets Yamaha Supported MX Team’s Lotte van Drunen has begun her quest for a third consecutive WMX World Championship with a fighting fourth overall at the MXGP of France. The two-time WMX Champion overcame a heavy fall in the opening race of the season to finish ninth, before placing third in Race Two. The EMX125 series resumed in France with MJC Yamaha Official EMX125 Team’s Sleny Goyer finishing on the overall podium in third, while the returning-from-injury Levi Townley placed fifth.

After competing in three rounds of the MX2 World Championship earlier in the year, van Drunen was excited for the season opener at Lacapelle Marival in southern France. The defending WMX World Champion kicked off the weekend with third in qualifying to set herself up for a promising weekend of racing.

In Race One, van Drunen started the season in the best way possible by executing a perfect jump from the start line and she emerged from the first turn at the front of the 40-rider field. By the end of the opening lap, van Drunen had slipped to third, and then disaster struck as she crashed spectacularly over the finish line jump. Remounting in last place, the 18-year-old then rode an incredible race to make her way up to ninth and claim 12 valuable championship points.

Eager to make amends in Race Two and after the track had been watered heavily overnight, van Drunen rode with caution through the opening laps. From seventh early on, she was into third by the end of lap two, however by this time the leading two riders had broken away at the front. The Dutch sensation then built a comfortable margin over fourth and secured third in the race for fourth overall.

In EMX125, Goyer was aiming to impress in what was his, and the MJC Yamaha Official EMX125 Team’s home race. Posting the third fastest time in his qualifying group marked a strong start to the fifth round of the series, with Goyer focused on maintaining the impressive form he has shown so far in his 2026 campaign.

From 10th on lap one in the opening EMX125 race, Goyer pushed forwards to claim fourth at the finish. Then in Race Two, he capitalised on his strong start aboard his GYTR-kitted YZ125 to place second for third overall. The result marks the third podium appearance from three rounds this season for the young Frenchman, who remains third in the series standings.

Goyer’s teammate Townley made a very welcome return to racing in France. After missing the first four rounds through injury, the New Zealander posted improving results across the two races to post his 7-6 result for fifth overall. The impressive showing places Townley 20th in the EMX125 Championship standings with five rounds remaining.

Following her strong start to the WMX season in France, van Drunen returns to action next weekend in Germany for WMX round two where the EMX250 season resumes. The EMX125 Championship continues alongside the MXGP of Latvia on June 6-7.