The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team finishes the Sunday race at MotorLand with Franco Morbidelli in fifth place and Fabio Di Giannantonio in ninth. 

At MotorLand, it was a Sunday packed with great battles for the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team riders, in the Aragon GP they proved to be combative and the showed again a great potential: at the chequered flag, Franco Morbidelli was fifth, while Fabio Di Giannantonio ended in ninth place.

The #21 rider started from the front row, and he tried to defend his third position right from the start. He stayed in the fight with the top guys keeping a great pace and making fast laps. Franco was a great contender in intense battles until the finish line, where he arrived in fifth place. With today’s Top5, Morbidelli keeps sitting in fourth in the World Standings with 115 points. 

Di Giannantonio made steps forward, he started from the tenth place on the grid, and he tried to replicate his Sprint come back. Fabio was a great contender too in Sunday race, with strong overtakes and battles full of adrenaline, so he was ninth at the chequered flag. The #49 rider gains a position in the World Standings and he’s back in fifth place with 99 points.

The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team stays in MotorLand Aragon for a test day scheduled on Monday. Then, it’s time to go to Mugello, where the Italian Gran Prix will take place from 20th to 22nd of June.

Pedro Acosta scorched to a P4 finish at a steaming MotorLand Aragon today for the eighth round of 2025 MotoGP. The Spaniard blazed around the slick asphalt in eastern Spain for the Grand Prix of Aragon and for his second top five result of the season. The event was also notable for Alvaro Carpe claiming 3rd in the Moto3™ outing and Deniz Öncü’s amazing Moto2 success.

Some progress, performance and points: the Grand Prix of Aragon was another beneficial episode for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech3 teams as the squads build their competitiveness to suit different circuits and different conditions. The race lasted for 23-laps, took place in hot summer temperatures and in front of 50,062 spectators around the 5km greasy track.

The South African made a better getaway from P6 for the Grand Prix and Pedro Acosta (P5) was also in the mix at the front. Maverick Viñales (P8) had to rally back from 12^th on the first lap and Enea Bastianini had to recover ground starting from P17. The long distance was an exercise in grip management and tire preservation. Acosta and Binder hovered in the top five and with a close view of 2nd and 3rd until Brad crashed on lap 12. Pedro continued and went on to equal his season-best classification, achieved at Le Mans. Bastianini managed points with 12th.

Viñales had to chart a steady path back from 12th on the first lap. The Spaniard made some calculated passes and used his positive feeling to cut through to 8th but then spiraled out of the turning/braking phase into Turn 15 in the closing laps. He was able to recover the bike and ended the day 18th.

All four riders and the two teams will circulate MotorLand again on Monday for the second official one-day test of the season. MotoGP will next attack the Grand Prix of Italy in two weeks’ time. The date at Mugello will open a busy spell of four rounds in five weeks with trips to the Netherlands, Germany and Czech Republic to follow.

Pedro Acosta, 4th and 8th in the championship standings: “Taking the hard front tire was the right choice. I’m a guy that needs the front tire to go faster and yesterday it was a handicap. Today it was fantastic. We didn’t have the speed for the top three; it was a battle we would have lost but I really enjoyed the first five laps. We were losing a bit into the entry of the corners – we need traction and turning - but this was the race where we had a smaller gap to the winner. This is a positive.”

Heavy rainfall overnight drenched the Kegums track in Latvia, giving the riders another muddy circuit to start the day with, but as the circuit dried, Honda HRC’s Ruben Fernandez showed his speed in the sand to finish just two points off the podium.

Given the nature of the track, starts were once again a crucial factor for all the riders and Fernandez utilised his fourth gate pick to great effect. The Honda CRF450R rider rounded the turn around the top five in both races, which made his life a lot easier for the rest of the moto. In the first race, he was able to move through from sixth to fourth as he showed real grit and determination to maximise his points after a tough week of recovery.

Race two started off in a similar fashion with the #70 in fifth place as they crossed the line for the first time. He then moved into fourth after making a nice pass early on but around the mid-point of the moto, he was trying his best to hold on and eventually had to let a couple of riders through to finish in sixth place with 33 points. That gave him fifth overall, which was an excellent haul considering there were doubts he’d be fit enough to ride in the immediate aftermath of his crash in Germany last weekend.

Valerio Lata’s day in the MX2 class didn’t go very well, as technical issues early on in each of the motos meant he had to pull off the racetrack. After the highs of Teutschenthal, it was a real shame for the young Italian to miss out here, but he’s keeping a positive frame of mind and excited to try again in two weeks’ time, when they head to the UK for the magnificent challenge of Matterley Basin.

Unfortunately, Ferruccio Zanchi has received disappointing news from medical professionals following his recent crash in Germany. The young Italian rider has sustained a knee injury and, as a result, will be sidelined from competition for the foreseeable future.

Further medical evaluations are scheduled in one month to monitor his recovery and determine the appropriate next steps. For now, doctors have advised complete rest and avoidance of any physical activity.

This development is a significant setback for the Honda CRF250R rider, who had shown promising form earlier in the season with a moto victory and podium in Cozar, Spain. However, Zanchi will receive the highest standard of medical care as he focuses on recovery and a potential return to racing.

LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Aaron Plessinger raced to a hard-fought third-place finish in Round 3 of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship at the Thunder Valley National, earning his second-consecutive 450MX podium result.

Colorado began with Plessinger posting the second fastest qualifying time, before powering his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to the front group of Moto 1 out of the gates. After briefly making a late pass for the race lead, ‘The Cowboy’ would reach the checkered flag with a convincing P2 result.

Another strong start in Moto 2 saw Plessinger in the mix with the front-runners once again, navigating ultra-technical track conditions to claim fifth position, and third overall for the weekend. He's also currently positioned third in the 450MX standings.

Aaron Plessinger: “That first moto was a lot of fun and I was really amped! I didn’t feel fatigued after that one, and then I made a small bike change going into the second moto, which I should have just left alone. That was on me, and I struggled that second moto, but it was just a good day. I had some really good lines in the first one, but being in the battle and making passes on those guys is all I can really ask for. Back to work this week – we’ll come back next weekend looking for that elusive win.”

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle posted a consistent performance at the third round of 250MX competition, racing his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to sixth position in the opening moto. A P5 ride in Moto 2 on a deteriorating track was enough for fourth overall, and an important haul of championship points.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler has won the 2025 Red Bull Erzbergrodeo. Taking the lead at the 40-minute mark, the KTM 300 EXC CHAMPION EDITION rider delivered a near-flawless ride to claim his fourth-consecutive victory at the iconic event. FMF KTM Factory Racing teammate Trystan Hart was on course for a podium result, but a small technical issue unfortunately dropped the Canadian down to fifth at the finish.

After comfortably qualifying in the Iron Road Prologue and posting the 11th-fastest time, Lettenbichler secured a place on the front row for Sunday’s main event. The prologue was won by EnduroGP World Championship leader Josep Garcia, who blasted up the hill on his KTM 250 EXC-F to finish seven seconds ahead of second-placed Andrea Verona. 2025 Dakar Rally winner Daniel Sanders placed third on his KTM 450 RALLY.

Conditions were favorable at the start of Sunday’s race, and a strong launch off the line saw Mani move into the top five early on. He soon began chasing down early leader Billy Bolt. Twenty-five minutes into the race, Lettenbichler had passed all but Bolt and was right on the Brit’s rear wheel. As the two rivals entered their first run through the demanding Carl’s Dinner section, a mistake by Bolt allowed Mani to take the lead. From that point on, Lettenbichler was untouchable, steadily extending his advantage and cleaning the later sections with relative ease.

Despite heavy rain falling at around the one hour 20-minute mark, Mani stayed focused and put in a champion’s performance to cover the second half of the race without incident, ultimately crossing the line over 12 minutes ahead of second place. The victory makes it four in a row for the German, one away from the record set by KTM ambassador Taddy Blazusiak.

Manuel Lettenbichler: “It feels amazing to take the win here at Erzberg again. Nothing in hard enduro is guaranteed and I was definitely feeling the pressure here, even before the race. I got a good start, but Billy’s pace at the front was really fast and it took me a while to catch him. I knew when we got into the trees, I’d have a good chance to make a push for the lead. I think Billy made a couple of mistakes and I was able to get ahead. After that I just kept my head down and focused on getting through every section without any issues. The track was perfect this year, I really enjoyed it, and the fans have been incredible as always. That’s four in a row now – I’ve got one more to get to equal Taddy and then a few more wins to beat the record. I’m already looking forward to next year, it’s such an amazing event.”

Andrea Locatelli and Yamaha Motor Europe have reached an agreement for the Italian to continue with Yamaha’s official team in the FIM Superbike World Championship in 2026 and 2027. 

The agreement will see Locatelli become one of the longest serving Yamaha WorldSBK riders in history as he enters his sixth and seventh seasons with Yamaha in the Superbike World Championship, with only the legendary Noriyuki Haga having spent more time racing for Yamaha in the premier class of production racing. 

The 2025 season has seen Locatelli enjoy his strongest start to a WorldSBK championship aboard the R1 to date with three podium finishes from the first five rounds including a remarkable debut victory with Pata Maxus Yamaha at the TT Circuit Assen. The 28-year-old currently sits fifth in the championship standings ahead of Round 6 at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli next month. 

Locatelli first joined Yamaha in the Supersport World Championship in 2020, where he dominated with the Evan Bros Racing team to clinch the world title in his rookie season. He moved up to WorldSBK for 2021 with the official Yamaha team where he has remained since, scoring 20 WorldSBK podium finishes including his Assen victory. 

Andrea Locatelli

“I am really happy to sign with Yamaha for another two years. I have been with Yamaha for many years now, and I believe in the team, I believe in the people at Yamaha and want to continue to work, because I feel that we can achieve a lot more together. The people at Yamaha believe in me and this is important. Our approach will be to continue to push and try and make progress, just like we have seen this season. And of course, before 2026, our focus is on securing the best result possible in 2025!” 

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Daniel Sanders has won the South African Safari Rally, securing his third consecutive victory in the 2025 FIM World Rally-Raid Championship. Teammate Luciano Benavides delivered a standout performance of his own, bringing his KTM 450 RALLY home in second place, while Edgar Canet claimed a decisive win in the Rally2 category, where he now lies second overall in the class.

Fresh off victories at the Dakar Rally and Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, Daniel Sanders continued his impressive 2025 season with a commanding win in South Africa. After taking three stage wins during the event and finishing second on the final day, the Australian sealed the overall victory by nearly nine minutes. Thanks to his strong run of form, Sanders has now become the all-time leader in W2RC stage wins, setting a new benchmark with 19 career victories. Daniel’s triumph extends his lead in the championship to 35 points ahead of round four, Rally Raid Portugal, cementing his status as the rider to beat this season.

Daniel Sanders: “We’ve just won the South African Safari Rally to make it three races in a row this year! What a start to the season, I couldn’t have asked for anything better. Every day has been different, from the navigation to the terrain, some of it has been crazy but I’ve really enjoyed my first time here. It feels great to put KTM on the top step again, and I’m excited to celebrate with the team. We’ve put in so much work over the past year to get to this point, so it’s great that it’s all paying off and I’m having so much fun riding this bike. My goal is of course to win the championship, and I’m feeling good for Portugal and Morocco later in the year. I’ll give it my all as always!”

Luciano Benavides delivered a superb ride at the South African Safari Rally to secure second overall, marking his best result of the 2025 season so far. Building on a strong start that saw him consistently finish inside the top three through the early stages, the Argentinian rider capped off his campaign with a solid fourth-place result on the final stage to comfortably secure the runner-up spot overall. Showcasing his skill and experience across the varied terrain, Luciano has been rewarded with a significant leap in the standings, moving from fifth to joint second in the championship behind teammate Sanders.

Luciano Benavides: “It’s amazing to finish second and make it a KTM one-two! Today was good, I knew I could hold onto second place so I stayed super focused on the navigation to avoid any mistakes. I’m really happy to be back on the podium, and I’m feeling really confident after this race that I can be on the top step again soon. I’m looking forward to Portugal and Morocco now!”

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Rally2 contender, Edgar Canet, has bounced back from injury in outstanding fashion, claiming a dominant class victory in South Africa by over 15 minutes. The young Spaniard led the Rally2 category for most of the week after securing wins on stages two, three, and four, and managed his lead expertly despite encountering some challenges on the final day. Canet continues to establish himself as a rising talent, with his full haul of points promoting him to second overall in the Rally2 standings with two rounds left to contest.

Edgar Canet: “I’m super happy to finish this race with the win in Rally2! It’s been a long week with a lot of bike time, so I’m really pleased to cross the finish line and to take the class win is amazing. I feel that I am improving so much with each race, and to finish seventh overall here in South Africa is something I’m really proud of. I’m happy for the team, we have had the best results possible, and we will continue to work hard. Bring on Portugal!”

Andreas Hölzl – Rally Team Manager: “We’re super happy for Chucky and the team! He has had an incredible performance, and he has proven race after race that he is the man for the job. Not only is he winning in the desert, but he has also come to South Africa, faced completely different terrain and won again. Luciano has worked really hard over the past few months, so we’re really happy for him to get a podium finish. It sets him up nicely for the next race in Portugal in September. Edgar continues to impress us at every race. For him to be fighting with the top guys and winning Rally2 is amazing. He is super consistent, and we’re really pleased with his progress. What an incredible week for the team!”

Ricky Brabec stormed through the final stage of this year’s South African Safari Rally, securing an impressive stage win to cap off the event.

The last day of rally-raid action in South Africa was shaping up to be a thrilling one, with all the Monster Energy Honda HRC riders pushing hard to grab a last-minute stage victory.  With only 111 km of special stage remaining, there was no room for error across the expansive grasslands.

Brabec came out strong from the start setting the fastest time at the first checkpoint, with his teammates Skyler Howes and Adrien Van Beveren, hot on his heels, just one second behind.  As the stage progressed, Brabec faced stiff competition from Daniel Sanders and Luciano Benavides and although he briefly lost the lead midway through, trailing by just eight seconds, he responded with a determined surge in the closing kilometres to reclaim the top spot and win the stage by 42 seconds.

It was a strong finish for the American, who not only took the stage victory but also secured third place overall claiming the final step on the podium.

Skyler Howes was competitive early on, navigating the gravel tracks with confidence. However, he eventually finished the stage in sixth place, 5’09” behind Brabec.  Ending the rally in fifth overall and out of podium contention, Howes now turns his focus to training during the summer break ahead of the World Rally-Raid Championship’s return in September.

Adrien Van Beveren, who began the day with a slim 25-second advantage over Brabec for the final podium spot, was optimistic aboard his Honda CRF450 RALLY.  Unfortunately, technical issues with his road book tablet caused significant delays.  Struggling both to fix the device and to navigate without it, Van Beveren lost valuable time and ultimately finished the stage in eighth place.  It was a frustrating end to his rally, dropping him off the podium by a margin of five minutes.

In the World Rally-Raid Championship standings, Ricky Brabec now leads the Honda charge with 53 points, placing him third overall.  Adrien Van Beveren follows closely, just five points behind, while Skyler Howes holds sixth place with 35 points.  After withdrawing from this rally, Tosha Schareina drops from second to fifth in the standings, now sitting on 46 points.

With the summer break ahead, the Monster Energy Honda HRC team will return to competition at the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, scheduled for 22–28 September.

Vive KTM! The Grand Prix of France permitted more MXGP spoils for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing crew at Ernee today as Lucas Coenen won another moto and finished runner-up in the premier class and Simon Laengenfelder, Andrea Adamo and Sacha Coenen filled all three steps of the MX2 podium respectively to prove the exceptional capabilities of the KTM 250 SX-F.

For the second time in 2025, MXGP jumped into French soil. Famed Motocross of Nations and established world championship venue, Ernee, packed the fans into the hillside setting, not far from Le Mans, for the ninth round of the season. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing aimed to continue their march of success in both MXGP and MX2 classes: the works line-up had won two GPs with the KTM 450 SX-F and four with the KTM 250 SX-F so far.

Ernee was overcast but busy on Saturday where the schedule included the ninth points-scoring Qualification Heat of the campaign. Coenen started well and led every lap of the MXGP race to ensure his third checkered flag and Pole Position. Jeffrey Herlings was 10th. In MX2 Andrea Adamo won the Heat convincingly after dealing with the threat of teammate Simon Laengenfelder and with Sacha Coenen in P3 ensuring a top three lockout.

The potential for performance continued into Sunday. Morning rainfall created a soft and very rough surface and where starts were at a premium. Coenen started ahead of Herlings in the first moto and the Belgian kept P1 all the way to the line. His win banked a seventh haul of 25 points and means he is now the most prolific racer in the division in his rookie term. Herlings 3rd place was a personal best of 2025 to-date. In the second moto Coenen could not stop Romain Febvre. His 2nd position behind the Frenchman ultimately meant the second step. Herlings was 5th and tied on points for the rostrum; just missing out on a first top three and ranked 4th.

Laengenfelder excelled on the bumpy and technical track. The German was a fast starter along with his teammates. He beat Adamo in the first moto as Sacha Coenen confirmed P6. Simon then got the better of the Italian in the second race as Coenen improved to P4. The post-race ceremony was a sweep for the team for the first time.

The upshot of the results in Ernee makes for bright reading in the championship standings. Coenen is 2nd and 47 points behind Febvre. Laengenfelder has the red plate by 11 points from Adamo with Coenen hovering in 6th.

Round seven of 2025 EMX250 pushed Gyan Doensen into the gate and the Dutch rookie took his Gabriel SS24 KTM 250 SX-F to a new milestone. Doensen was runner-up in the second moto for his highest classification yet. Gyan had been 3rd earlier in the weekend and his 3-2 card – the best of 2025 so far – allowed him to be P2 on the podium despite the muddy and slick surface on Sunday. Ernee also entertained round seven of EMX125 and more action for the KTM Racestore Factory Rookies squad. Nicolo Alvisi was perfect, going 1-1 on the KTM 125 SX for the first time this season and consolidating his championship lead ahead of teammate Aron Katona who did not pick up any points in France.

MXGP spins south and east for the Grand Prix of Germany and the halfway point of the 2025 calendar. Talkessel in Teutschenthal, close to the city of Halle, has been the constant home of world championship motocross in the country since the start of the century and the narrow hard-pack course will become rutted again for round ten next weekend.

Lucas Coenen, 1st and 2nd for 2nd overall in MXGP: “We had to put on a charge at times today and it was good for the fans here! I struggled with arm-pump a bit and got tired but, honestly, P2 and three podiums in a row: it’s really good. We’ll hope for some more strong races coming up.”

Jeffrey Herlings, 3rd and 5th for 4th overall in MXGP: “It was quite disappointing to have the same points as 3rd and not get on the podium. I was fighting for the lead for a long time in the first moto and at the end I had to back-it-off a bit because of arm-pump and took P3. It was a bit less in the second moto, and I then had to comeback from the start and the small crash. I just missed the pass for 4th which would have given me the podium. Very close. P4 overall and a good step. We are getting there every weekend.”

Featuring heavily in the fight for the top ten, Luca Marini and Joan Mir showed Honda HRC’s progress with a scintillating Sunday in Silverstone – their true potential masked by late complications for both.

Morning rain couldn’t fault the steely focus of Luca Marini and Joan Mir as they completed their final preparations for the British GP. With the track quickly drying, it was clear the 20-lap race would be held in the dry as the clouds continued to fade. Both Honda HRC Castrol riders would make their best starts of the year as the lights went out, Marini shooting forward into the top five with Mir close behind. But a crash down the field and oil on the track would bring out the red flag early on.

Reduced to 19-laps, the restart saw another impressive launch from Joan Mir to start making up ground as he looked for open space to attack. Moving past his teammate on the next lap, Mir locked into the battle for fifth with Morbidelli and Alex Marquez. Having made such an impressive start, the #36 went into defence mode in the closing stages of the race as he worked to hold off Marini and Aldegeur. Taking 11th at the flag, Mir returns to the points and enjoys a small reward for his and the team’s efforts.

Able to again stay with the leading group after the red flag, Marini produced an incredibly consistent pace and recovered the ground to his Honda HRC Castrol teammate later in the race. Crossing the line in eighth, Marini matched his best finish as a Honda rider but would be hit with a post-race tyre penalty. This dropped him from eighth to 15th, continuing his point scoring run. His result moved teammate Joan Mir to 10th.

The march of progress and MotoGP never stops, round eight taking place in just under two weeks at MotorLand Aragon. This is the final solo stop on the calendar before seven back-to-back weekends round out the year.