The Honda HRC Team has concluded the seventh round of the Superbike World Championship at Donington Park with a hard-fought top ten result for Iker Lecuona in Race 2, while Xavi Vierge also scored points. Despite the challenges, both riders climb one position in the overall standings and are now tied on points, with Vierge seventh and Lecuona eighth.

After a brief morning warm-up, factory rider Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona were ready for the Superpole race.

Lining up for the ten-lap sprint on the fourth and sixth row of the grid respectively, Iker and Xavi were unable to fully exploit the start, finding themselves fifteenth and sixteenth through lap one. Lecuona appeared to find a little more pace in the second half of the race, but his efforts were unfortunately thwarted when a small technical issue emerged on lap seven and put a premature end to his fight. Having gained one position in the early stages, Xavi moved up into thirteenth place towards the end of the sprint, a position he was able to hold to the line.

The second and final 23-lap SBK race ran in the early afternoon in sunny conditions. Fifteenth through the first turns, Lecuona was soon up into twelfth. Although a gap had begun to open up in front of him, the Spaniard was undeterred, steadily closing in and breaking into the top ten in the later stages. Teammate Vierge was tasked with making up ground from seventeenth, the Spaniard immediately getting to work and making up positions right from the early stages. Inside the points zone, Xavi held fifteenth for a good part of the race before progressing to thirteenth in the final stages but was ultimately handed a one-position penalty for exceeding track limits on the final lap.

Competing as a wildcard this weekend, Honda test rider Tommy Bridewell placed eighteenth in the Superpole race but unfortunately crashed out of race 2.

Next up for the Honda HRC team is round eight, to take place at the Balaton Circuit in Hungary on 25-27 July.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing ended the 2025 German Grand Prix with a top seven result thanks to Brad Binder’s push at a crowded Sachsenring and a 98,573 attendance. The first of another double-header of fixtures took the series to the short and curving layout in Saxony and the eleventh round of the season played out in sunny conditions. The KTM GP Academy left the venue with more silverware with the KTM RC4 in Moto3™ and Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Deniz Öncü earned his second Moto2™ victory.

The distinctive and technical challenges of Sachsenring and a historic site for Grand Prix motorcycling were complicated further thanks to the changing climate covering the sold-out circuit west of Chemnitz. After a wet and chilly Saturday for qualification and the Sprint, the 30-lap Grand Prix took place under brighter and drier skies but with the continued threat of showers.

The Red Bull KTM contingent dropped to two-rider representation after the bad luck for both Maverick Viñales and Enea Bastianini but Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder were determined to demonstrate the potential and competitiveness of the KTM RC16 race package at the midway point of the season.

Acosta bustled into podium contention after throttling away from the middle of the second row and Binder was also active to figure in top ten running from the first lap. However, Pedro couldn’t settle into a rhythm after losing control into Turn 2 early on. The onus for Red Bull KTM fell to Binder who moved up to scrap with three other rivals for P6. The South African endured tire pressure problems for the duration but stayed on two wheels when a series of other riders fell into the gravel. He came home with 7th and nine points and was less than a tenth of a second from 6th.

Pedro holds 8th in the world championship standings. Maverick is 11th, Brad 12th and Enea is now 17th. MotoGP moves immediately east and to the fabled Brno circuit for the Grand Prix of Czechia. The last time Brno entertained the series in 2020 Brad Binder notched a special milestone for Red Bull KTM with the manufacturer’s first MotoGP triumph.

Brad Binder, 7th and 12th in the championship standings: “From a working point of view and the weekend as a whole this was definitely a step. The main race was super-difficult, such a long race and a lot of guys going down. It was chaos out there and very tricky for the front end. I was in a group the entire time and that was hard for the tire pressure and keeping the whole thing up. It was sketchy so, even though I would have liked a much better result, it was an accomplishment to get to the line.”

The opening FIM Supersport World Championship race at Donington Park saw Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing rider, Stefano Manzi, claim his fifth victory of the season aboard the Yamaha R9, extending his championship lead to an impressive 61 points. 

Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) crossed the line in third, fending off pressure from Can Öncü (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Racing) throughout the closing stages of the race. 

At the lights, Öncü made the hole shot to take an early lead, pushing pole-sitter, Manzi, into second. As the race progressed, the pair would enter a battle for second, ending with Manzi ahead with 16 laps remaining and Öncü slipping down to fourth. 

Later, Manzi took the lead with 14 laps to go, soon slipping back into second behind home rider, Tom Booth-Amos. 

A battle for the lead sparked with a handful of laps remaining, with Manzi fighting back and forth with the Brit and coming out in front, before a mistake from his rival allowed the R9 rider to pull a gap at the front, crossing the line victorious after 19-laps. 

Further back, an ongoing fight for third place between Öncü and Mahias was decided at the final corner of the final lap, with an unsuccessful attempted overtake from Öncü running the pair wide and causing Mahias to claim the final step on the Donington Park podium. 

The opening race of the weekend for GMT94 Yamaha was a tale of two halves, with a hard-charging Roberto Garcia enduring a disappointing end to the race, crashing out of sixth during an attempt to move forwards through the field at Melbourne Hairpin. He eventually crossed the line in 20th. 

Meanwhile, Aldi Satya Mahendra (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Racing) mounted a strong effort from 18th on the grid, fighting forwards to cross the line in an impressive tenth place. 

Having set the fastest lap of the race, Manzi will start from pole position yet again for Race 2 tomorrow, joined on the front row with Öncü in third. On row 2, Mahias and Garcia will start from fourth and fifth respectively, with Mahendra in 18th.

MXGP made its first visit to KymiRing for the Grand Prix of Finland and for the next sequence in the 2025 campaign that involve races in Czech Republic, Belgium, Sweden and the Netherlands during July and August. The thirteenth round of the season was notable for Lucas Coenen’s 1-1-1 shutout and his third overall victory of the year for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. In the MX2 class Andrea Adamo and Sacha Coenen classified 2nd and 3rd respectively behind Kay De Wolf in the sand.

Red Bull KTM were without the presence of five-times world champion Jeffrey Herlings for the Grand Prix of Finland but were able to re-focus on their double title pursuit in 2025 with Lucas Coenen 32 points from the red plate in MXGP and Simon Laengenfelder heading the MX2 division by 52 points from teammate Andrea Adamo.

After years of delays and speculation, the KymiRing was finally ready for MXGP duty and the course was flat, long, sandy and jumpy. The layout presented a fresh challenge for all teams and riders in both categories. The Finnish summer weather played ball on Saturday and Lucas Coenen controlled the warm MXGP Qualification Heat with his KTM 450 SX-F for a fifth Pole of the year; more than double the next nearest rider in the list. In MX2, Sacha Coenen earned the holeshot and secured P2 with his KTM 250 SX-F. Simon Laengenfelder was 4th and Andrea Adamo posted 6th.

Sunday was again hot and sunny. Coenen grabbed the lead from the first corners of the opening MXGP moto and had a ten-second cushion by the third lap. He eased to the finish line for his ninth success of the season and first since the German GP. In the second race the youngster almost produced a replica performance but had a worrying moment with a small crash that forced him to recover his racebike, restart and retake P1. Lucas was able to consolidate a new zone of superiority to end a three-GP streak of runner-up finishes.

Delight and devastation for Honda HRC Castrol in equal measure at the German GP, Luca Marini returning to action with his season best while Joan Mir cemented himself as the unluckiest rider on the grid.

A damp morning Warm Up quickly gave way to the best conditions of the weekend at the Sachsenring. With a record-breaking crowd of over 250,000 fans over the weekend, the German GP ended with a fascinating and dramatic 30-lap race.

Luca Marini made perhaps his best start of the year, rocketing from 15th on the grid to end the first lap in ninth spot. It was an ominous first lap as the Italian fought through the pain barrier to stay with the top ten, holding just enough back for the final laps. With conditions and tyre wear catching out a number of riders, Marini was inch perfect as he blasted past Binder and Miller to go into sixth just a few laps from the end. With ten points in hand, Marini secures his best result as a Honda HRC rider to date and continues his perfect run of point-scoring finishes.

The result sees Marini 15th in the World Championship standings, a single point behind Ogura. Honda sit just nine points behind KTM in the Constructor standings.

Like his Honda HRC Castrol teammate, Joan Mir’s race got off to a very positive start as he picked his way forward. Joining Marini in the top ten during the middle stages of the race, Mir was in prime position to fight for top Honda honours until the very end of the race. Unfortunately, Ogura’s wayward bike hit Mir’s Honda RC213V at Turn 1 and ended any hopes of delivering on his potential. Yet again, Mir and the team were left to rue a luckless race which at one point had shown so much potential. He escaped any serious injuries in the fall.

It’s straight on to the next one as Honda HRC Castrol pack up and head for Czechia – the Brno Automotodrom making a welcome return to the calendar for the first time since 2020. Freshly resurfaced, it’s sure to be another thrilling weekend of MotoGP action.

MILLVILLE, Minn. – Third overall in Round 7 of the 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship at the Spring Creek National continued Chase Sexton’s successful return to racing in the mid-stages of the 450MX season, with the defending champion posting a consistent 3-3 scorecard across the pair of premier class motos.

The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider powered his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to sixth during the morning’s qualifying sessions, before charging to a solid P3 result in Moto 1 after featuring toward the front of the field on what was a high-speed Millville circuit this weekend.

Faced with a deteriorating track later in the afternoon, the number 1 posted another measured performance in Moto 2, recording another third-place result, and continuing to build back into form as the series develops.

Chase Sexton: "I didn’t have a lot of expectations coming back during the season. I think speed-wise, especially my first few laps, were better today than at RedBud, but we still have a lot of work to do. I enjoy Washougal, as well as the next few tracks coming up, so we’ll keep aiming to improve and get closer toward the battle at the front."

450MX teammate Aaron Plessinger entered today still feeling the effects of the illness he experienced at the previous round. Still, he qualified fourth onboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, before running as high as second in Moto 1. Despite displaying that impressive speed, a depleted Plessinger would ultimately be forced to retire from the race and elected to withdraw from Moto 2.

Equipped with the KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, two-time MX2 World Champion Tom Vialle qualified seventh, but found himself outside of the top 10 during the early stages of Moto 1. A convincing charge would follow, eventually claiming sixth position, before an early fall in Moto 2 left the Frenchman with a DNF and 14th overall for the round.

Ian Harrison, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: "Practice in Millville went well for us and looked a little better than last week, but then it become more difficult in relation to Tom and Aaron. Tom actually had a good first moto, he recovered from a mediocre start all the way back to sixth place, which was nice. Then in the 450 moto, it was a good race for Chase, and Aaron was up there, but definitely had some issues and he had to retire, so we will look into this and find out what we can do to help him. Second moto in the 250s was tough – we lost Tom in the whoops at the back, and that was the end of his day. We went into the second 450 moto with Chase, and he had a good six laps before losing touch with the leaders, but I feel like we are making progress there, and I think we can improve on this by next week."

MURRIETA, Calif. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Julien Beaumer will sit out the next two rounds of the 2025 Pro Motocross Championship, aiming to regain 100 percent fitness with a goal of returning for Round 9 at Ironman Raceway in mid-August.

Beaumer has been experiencing ongoing effects from his heavy crash during the second 250MX moto at High Point last month, with both the 19-year-old and the team collectively making the decision to miss the upcoming Spring Creek and Washougal Nationals.

With an additional two-week break in the series scheduled following Washougal, it's anticipated that Beaumer will benefit from that extended time on the sidelines before completing the final three rounds of the outdoors at Ironman Raceway, Unadilla, and Budds Creek onboard his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION.

After finishing inside the top-five at the opening two rounds of the Pro Motocross season, Beaumer has faced adversity in the following races. After qualifying P5 at RedBud on Saturday, he recorded 16-13 moto finishes for 16th overall and is currently ranked 13th in the championship standings.

Ian Harrison, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: "The last few weeks we noticed Julien just seemed to be off his game and, after digging a bit deeper into his issues and in consultation with a doctor, it seems he is likely having lingering effects from his crash at Round 4 of the series. As our riders' health and safety is always our number one priority, we are taking the doctor’s advice and decided that at this point in time Julien will sit out both the Millville and Washougal rounds."

The Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team (YART), which regularly contests the Endurance World Championship (EWC), will race with a special red and white livery along with the factory Yamaha Racing Team (YRT) on their YZF-R1 race bike for the 46th edition of the FIM Endurance World Championship "Coca-Cola" Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race set to be held on Sunday, August 3, 2025.

Red and white colours were first seen on a Yamaha racebike in 1964, and in 1973, they adorned the YZR500 (0W20) for Yamaha’s first full season challenge in the 500cc world championship. Since then, it has become a symbolic colour for Yamaha race bikes.

This year, as Yamaha Motor celebrates the 70th anniversary of its founding in 1955 and returns to the legendary Suzuka 8 Hours with a factory team for the first time in six years, they have adopted a special red and white livery on the YZF-R1, based on the 1999 YZF-R7 production race bike.

As Yamaha’s top team in EWC, carrying on the manufacturer’s spirit of challenge, YART will feature this red and white livery together with YRT, as the two teams challenge for a podium and win in the legendary Suzuka 8 Hours.

The leathers worn by riders Marvin Fritz, Karel Hanika and Jason O’Halloran, along with the shirts worn by all the team staff, and the pit garage itself, will be fully coordinated in red and white throughout the 8 Hours race weekend.

Marvin Fritz
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“Every year we run a special livery for the 8 Hours, but this year’s is especially beautiful. I think everyone who sees it is going to get excited. I asked Mandy what colour the bike would be this year, and he told me to remember the classic R7, so I immediately knew. I used to watch Superbikes when I was a kid, and I remember Noriyuki Haga's R7 with the number 41. I’ve always thought that livery was special. For me, it’s really an honour to be able to ride our R1 with those same colours at Suzuka this year. To everyone watching, I want to say, remember that we’re red and white this year, not blue, and I hope you’ll cheer for us in the race!”

Karel Hanika
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“I love this year’s special red and white colour scheme, and I think it’s gorgeous to look at. I can't wait to ride it on the track. At this year’s 8 Hours our YART bike will look a bit different than usual, but I hope the fans will like it. This bike reminds me of Noriyuki Haga, who used to race in the 8 Hours and in Superbikes on the Yamaha factory team. We’ll do our best to achieve a big result like he used to, so come to the race and support us!”

Jason O’Halloran
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“I’m honoured to be riding the red and white R1 to celebrate Yamaha's 70th anniversary. I remember the old R7, and it was a really cool design, so I’m looking forward to seeing our bike with the same livery on the starting line at the 8 Hours. We usually race in the traditional Yamaha blue, which is also very nice, but to have our bike in these special colours makes it extra exciting. I hope all the fans will enjoy the race, and enjoy seeing this bike on track. To everyone coming to the race, we hope you’ll be cheering for all the Yamaha riders, and especially the number seven YART bike. I’m looking forward to seeing you there!”

Mandy Kainz
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team - Team Manager
“This year’s special livery for the Suzuka 8 Hours is truly amazing. I remember the OW02, called the YZF-R7, was the bike that inspired me to join the Yamaha family 26 years ago. I actually have an R7 displayed in my office, so every time I go to work, I get to see it. And now to race the R1 in the same colours in the 8 Hours is just awesome. These are my ‘dream colours,’ so of course it’s a present to the fans, but also a present to me! When I first started riding, Yamaha bikes were red and white, and those iconic machines were the ones I wanted to ride so badly. I still have vivid memories of that, and when I think about those days, the red and white Yamahas are what stand out. We’ve won two titles (2009/2023) with red and white Yamahas, and I hope to make it a third in these colours in 2025."

Honda HRC Progressive continued their impressive form in AMA Pro Motocross, this time at The Wick 338 in Southwick, Massachusetts—a unique track on the circuit that is famous for its brutal, sandy conditions. Jett and Hunter Lawrence once again swept the top two spots in the 450 class, with Jett delivering another perfect 1-1 performance and Hunter not far behind with consistent 2-2 moto finishes. In the 250 ranks, Jo Shimoda rebounded from falls in moto 1 to claim second in the final outing and secure fifth overall.

The first 450 moto saw the CRF450RWE race machines of Jett and Hunter cross the holeshot line first and second, respectively, and Jett immediately put in a sprint to establish a gap at the front. At the halfway mark, he had a cushion of 10 seconds, with Hunter an additional seven seconds up on the next rider. Jett mostly maintained his edge from that point, while Hunter continued to stretch his margin over third. At the checkers, the gap between the brothers was 13.786 seconds, with an additional 18.922 seconds separating third place.

Jett snared yet another holeshot in moto 2, with Hunter a couple spots back this time. While Jett opened an advantage on Jorge Prado, Hunter pressured Eli Tomac, muscling by in a corner to take third on lap 6. Hunter assumed second when Prado went down at around the midway point, and the Honda rider then fended off a couple of challenges from Tomac before going on to finish a commendable second, 20 seconds behind his brother and 12 seconds ahead of Tomac. Among the other Red Riders, Joey Savatgy (Quad Lock Honda) was 12^th overall, Cornelius Tondel (JWR Honda Racing) was 17^th, Michael Witkowski (Phoenix Racing Honda) was 28^th, Deven Sorensen (Sorensen Racing) was 34^th and Brandon Ray (Raylentless Racing) was 35^th.

Thanks to a first-turn crash, Shimoda began the first 250 moto nearly dead last, and another early fall penalized him further. The Japanese racer had no choice but to begin a race-long charge, and it eventually carried him up to a 10th-place result. Shimoda got a much better start in moto 2, exiting turn 1 in fourth place. From there, he executed a couple of passes and maintained the gap to the front, taking second in the moto for fifth overall. Other Red Riders included TJ Albright (Phoenix Racing Honda) in 27^th overall, Lance Kobusch (SPR) in 37^th overall and Mark Fineis (TiLube Honda) in 39^th overall.

A hard-charging Joan Mir found himself devoid of luck again, unable to avoid the fallen bike of another rider. Aleix Espargaro completed the Dutch GP and leaves with valuable insight for the Test Team.

The weekend in the Netherlands continued to be a one of promise masked by complications and external factors for the Honda HRC Castrol team. Joan Mir was able to make another strong start from 13th on the grid, able to join the battle for the top ten by just the third lap. Lapping at a similar pace to the race leaders, the #36 closed down the gap to Quartararo and the group ahead. Unfortunately, a high side from Fermin Aldeguer just ahead would result in Mir being unable to avoid Aldegeur’s stricken Ducati, ending Mir’s race with a heavy fall. The 2020 World Champion will return home for further checks after being cleared of any major injuries at the circuit medical centre.

Aleix Espargaro’s 26-lap Dutch Grand Prix followed a similar schedule to his Dutch GP Sprint. Starting well, the Honda HRC Test Rider found himself quickly in the point scoring positions and worked to defend himself from several other riders. As in the Sprint, the #41 had to shift his attentions to riding around the vibrations from his machine and crossed the line in 16th place as a result, just shy of the points. Although the final results were not as he wished, more seat time will only benefit him and Honda HRC in the future.

After an intense pair of races, Honda HRC Castrol will now have a brief period of rest before another set of back-to-back races in Germany and at the returning Brno Circuit. Both Grands Prix will be key for Honda HRC to find their early season form and continue progressing.

Brno will host a test ahead of the German GP where Luca Marini will assess his physical condition after his heavy fall in Suzuka.