The opening round of the 2026 FIM World Motocross Championships took place today in front of packed hillsides of excited fans, as the YPF MXGP of Argentina delivered on all of its promise with some pulsating battles for victory around the Bariloche MX Race Track! The amazing 2026 MXGP season is really on now!

The track had minimal grading work overnight to help the circuit be a little more technical, although heavy watering was compulsory with the strong sunshine and lack of shelter from the winds coming down from the Andes. The crowds were packed in and they made their presence felt with their response to the fantastic racing!

After a tough Qualifying Race, Jeffrey Herlings made a perfect start to his Honda HRC Petronas career with a brilliant 1-1 performance to earn his 113th Grand Prix victory and his first in Argentina since 2018! Reigning World Champion Romain Febvre made a solid start to his title defence with second overall, for the third year in a row in Argentina! Saturday’s Qualifying race winner Tom Vialle completed a brilliant MXGP debut weekend with third overall! The Honda HRC Petronas teammates now share the World Championship lead, with Herlings taking the red plate by virtue of his higher number of race wins!

In MX2, another to recover from a rough Saturday was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s defending World Champion Simon Längenfelder, also taking both race wins in a smooth and calculating performance to crown the 100th GP of his career with a tenth GP win, and he now leads the series by three points heading to round two.

Triumph Racing Factory Team riders Guillem Farres and Camden McLellan packed out the podium places in second and third overall, as Guillem followed up his best career Qualifying Race with his equal-best GP result! Can he go one better at his home GP next time out?

The racing throughout was action-packed around the wide and fast circuit, and the crowd responded with a great atmosphere that only urged the riders on further! What a fantastic start to the MXGP season!

As with all of the practice sessions over the weekend, Herlings took the fastest time in morning Warm-Up, with Calvin Vlaanderen second for the newly-titled Red Bull Ducati Factory MX Team. Tom Vialle wore the red plate after his Qualifying Race win, doing so in a Grand Prix for the first time since July 2022!

The Honda HRC Petronas teammates Vialle and Herlings powered into the first corner in tandem at the head of the field in MXGP race one, and it was the Dutchman who took a rare Fox Holeshot Award ahead of the Frenchman, although Andrea Adamo stuck his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine between them for the first couple of laps.

Sadly, Venrooy KTM Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini and fellow Italian Alberto Forato for Fantic Factory Racing MXGP suffered separate crashes on the first lap, but Andrea Bonacorsi started well for Red Bull Ducati Factory MX Team, ahead of Febvre and his Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP teammate Pauls Jonass. The Frenchman was able to pass the Italian at the first climb over the big triple jump!

Lucas Coenen had started outside of the top five for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, but managed to work past both Jonass and Bonacorsi within a few corners to take fifth during the first full lap. Vialle attacked Adamo, and started lap three by jumping to the inside of the Sicilian over the finish line jump to make it a Honda 1-2 again. A lap later, he had closed the gap to Herlings and shocked ”The Bullet” with an outbraking outside move to take the lead on lap four!

By lap eight, Febvre and Coenen had both got past Adamo, and ultimately he was to drop back to 11th at the flag. Coenen got within striking distance of Febvre but couldn’t pull the trigger, the duo finishing third and fourth. Bonacorsi had crashed out of the race on lap five, and Jonass got up to a fine fifth place finish ahead of the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP duo of Tim Gajser and Maxime Renaux, the Slovenian bruised from his Saturday crash but finding he strength for an aggressive block-pass on Adamo at the highest point of the circuit.

Vlaanderen was the top Ducati rider in eighth, while Thibault Benistant put in a good ride on his MXGP class debut to take ninth for Team Honda Motoblouz SR Motul, ahead of the third factory Honda HRC Petronas rider Ruben Fernandez.

Herlings had found his groove in the last third of the race and closed in on his youngest teammate Vialle, sweeping around the outside of the Frenchman to take the lead without chance of retaliation, and he celebrated his first race win on the Honda by punching the air and accepting a gracious high-five from Vialle after the finish line!

The start of race two was disrupted by Forato firing into his start gate before it dropped, disrupting other riders’ gates and forcing the race to be red-flagged. Febvre had fired to the front but had to be called back to the line before two laps had completed, thus forcing a full restart.

The Fox Holeshot Award was taken by Renaux this time, with Febvre right behind him, and Vialle, after Herlings had run wide, making it a French 1-2-3 at the front! Vialle got to second as Jonass ran into his teammate and crashed in turn two, bringing down the luckless Forato, as well as the TEM JP253 KTM Racing bike of Jan Pancar and the third Red Bull Ducati of Jeremy Seewer.

Vialle pulled a fantastic pass on Renaux to take the lead, and Febvre followed past a few straights later, while Gajser was moving forward to pass his former teammate Fernandez for fourth. Herlings was outside of the top ten initially and had to charge back through the pack, and he too passed the Spaniard, after a little back and forth beforehand, down the start straight, using a wide line that veered to the inside of a small jump for more speed, a line that made him time on his rivals for most of the race.

Suddenly, Vialle dropped out of the lead by briefly stalling his bike, and he restarted within sight of a battle for fourth between Gajser and Herlings, the old rivals squaring off until Herlings’ start-straight line paid dividends again for him to move to fourth. The Dutchman then pulled a stunning outside pass on Vialle in the biggest downhill section’s braking bumps.

One Frenchman down, two to go for Herlings, but he didn’t need to pass on Renaux as the Yamaha man, who was struggling with stomach cramps, crashed at the bottom of the big hill. There was a six-to-seven second gap to Febvre at this point for Herlings, and it looked like the reigning Champ would be able to control the race.

Lucas Coenen was having a quiet race to sixth, which would ultimately see him in fifth overall ahead of Fernandez, who held on to fifth in race two. Adamo improved to seventh to take eighth overall behind Renaux, who remounted to take eighth in race two. Benistant took ninth again for that spot overall, and his teammate Kevin Horgmo rounded out the top ten after being sick for several days! Jonass recovered to 13th in race two to round out the top ten overall.

Meanwhile, Gajser marched forward to utilise Herlings’ passing spot and take third from Vialle, although it was only good enough for fourth overall for the Slovenian. Herlings, set for the GP win but still behind Vialle in the Championship, gritted his teeth and closed the gap on Febvre, sending the crowd into ecstatic roars with a smart cutback move that left the result in no doubt. It was a stunning move that levelled the Championship points with his teammate! “The Bullet” will wear the red plate in Spain, for the first time since 31st of October 2021!

The younger generation may have won out on Saturday, but the established stars struck back on GP day! Will this pattern continue for the season to come? Join us for round two to find out!

Jeffrey Herlings: “Yesterday didn’t go as planned because I crashed in qualifying and had a small bike issue after that, so I was lucky just to finish the race. Today was much better. In the first race I took the holeshot and tried to follow Tom’s [Vialle] lines before making the pass near the end. The second race was a bit chaotic with the restart and I had to come from around tenth, but I managed to close the gap and pass Romain with a few laps to go. Going 1-1 on my first outing with Honda HRC Petronas is amazing. I couldn’t have wished for a better debut, so a big thanks to the whole team and for the hard work they all put in.”

Romain Febvre: “Yesterday I didn’t get the start and got squeezed on the straight, so I had to come back to fifth and that was the best I could do. Today the starts were much better and we made some changes with the bike, which helped. In the second race I had a good flow at the front but I still didn’t feel completely myself, so we need to keep working. When Jeffrey [Herlings] came close at the end it was difficult to defend. He was the best today, but it’s a long season and starting with a podium was my goal this weekend.”

Tom Vialle: “It feels really nice to be back racing a GP. I didn’t really know what to expect coming into the first round because it’s been a while since I raced here and the level in the 450 class is very high. I had a good feeling with the bike all weekend and my starts were good, which is really important in this class. The first race was strong and I stayed close to Jeffrey [Herlings], but in the second one I lost a bit of energy before the restart and made a couple of mistakes. Overall it’s a good start and we’ll keep building from here.”

MXGP - Grand Prix Race 1 - Top 10 Classification: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, Honda), 36:02.812; 2. Tom Vialle (FRA, Honda), +0:03.450; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:16.886; 4. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:32.619; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Kawasaki), +0:46.824; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, Yamaha), +0:48.358; 7. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:51.502; 8. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Ducati), +0:52.249; 9. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Honda), +0:52.675; 10. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +1:04.826

MXGP - Grand Prix Race 2 - Top 10 Classification: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, Honda), 34:32.280; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:04.674; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Yamaha), +0:08.103; 4. Tom Vialle (FRA, Honda), +0:27.977; 5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:30.711; 6. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:37.758; 7. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:40.360; 8. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:43.051; 9. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Honda), +0:52.620; 10. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Honda), +0:54.669

MXGP Overall - Top 10 Classification: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, HON), 50 points; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 42 p.; 3. Tom Vialle (FRA, HON), 40 p.; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, YAM), 35 p.; 5. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 33 p.; 6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 27 p.; 7. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 27 p.; 8. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 24 p.; 9. Thibault Benistant (FRA, HON), 24 p.; 10. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KAW), 24 p.

MXGP - World Championship - Top 10 Classification: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, HON), 50 points; 2. Tom Vialle (FRA, HON), 50 p.; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 48 p.; 4. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 42 p.; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, YAM), 36 p.; 6. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 34 p.; 7. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 32 p.; 8. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 32 p.; 9. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KAW), 28 p.; 10. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, DUC), 24 p.;

MXGP - Manufacturers Classification: 1. Honda, 60 points; 2. Kawasaki, 48 p.; 3. Yamaha, 42 p.; 4. KTM, 42 p.; 5. Ducati, 24 p.; 6. Fantic, 18 p

The Warm-Up session saw reigning Champion Längenfelder, with his new black #1 plate, at the top of the tables ahead of his fellow GP winners Liam Everts for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing, and Sacha Coenen. Sacha wore the red plate for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing for just the second time in his career, and for once didn’t hit the top of the timings.

Just as he did in the Qualifying Race, Janis Reisulis launched into the lead to claim his first Fox Holeshot Award for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 at the first time of asking! However, there was no repeat of Saturday’s events for Längenfelder, who was right there in second early on ahead of Janis’ brother Karlis Reisulis in third! Noel Zanocz for Venrooy KTM Racing and Jens Walvoort of SB Racing KTM were battling in the top five, but Coenen and Farres were quickly past them, and then also past Karlis Reisulis by the end of lap two. 

Everts and CRD Motosport TM Moto rider Cas Valk had suffered a first corner crash but were battling through the field. Längenfelder patiently worked up to pass on Janis Reisulis on lap six, with Sacha going past a lap later, thanks mainly to Reisulis struggling to get around a lapped rider! Try as he might, Coenen couldn’t catch the Champ, who took his 25th career GP race win by over four seconds from the Belgian.

It took Farres until he was within sight of the two lap board to depose Janis for third, with the Spanish-speaking crowd cheering at the move near the pit lane! Fourth on debut was still a great result for the reigning EMX250 Champion. Mathis Valin worked forward to take fifth for Kawasaki Racing Team MX2, with McLellan sixth and a recovering Everts, also struggling with sickness, getting all the way back to seventh with a late pass on Honda HRC Petronas rider Valerio Lata. Karlis Reisulis claimed ninth and Walvoort tenth.

The second outing saw another Reisulis Fox Holeshot, with Karlis this time flying to the front ahead of Everts and Längenfelder, the Osička Racing KTM of Julius Mikula, with Janis Reisulis in fifh, but there was carnage behind them!

Walvoort had got the finish line jump wrong and landed short, leaving Lata nowhere to go but straight into a big crash! Walvoort somehow stayed onboard, but Sacha Coenen, losing his good start position with a mistake in the first corner, was not so lucky, and piled into the Italian’s bike, hitting the ground hard and ending both of their races. Sacha rode gently back to the pits clutching his knee, but checks with the physio confirmed there was no further damage. The red plate from his Saturday win, however, was not set to stay on his bike.

Everts was quickly able to pass Karlis for the lead, while Farres got past both Mikula and the Latvian’s brother to move into third, but a back and forth duel with Längenfelder went the way of the German, a firm move past pit lane forcing the Spaniard wide and off the track!

The Champ set about closing down a suffering Everts, who was also struggling with sickness over the weekend, and despite mustering some resistance, couldn’t hold the #1 rider back when he outbraked the Belgian down the biggest hill in a stunning move!

McLellan was also on a tear, aggressively passing both Reisulis brothers, and finally Everts, to take a brilliant second position! Farres recovered to fourth, Karlis Reisulis held onto a great fifth ahead of his brother, then came Valin, Valk, and the SixySeven Racing Husqvarna of Scott Smulders to round out the top ten!

Längenfelder took his tenth career Grand Prix victory ahead of Farres and McLellan, with Everts and Janis Reisulis completing the top five overall. It was a brilliantly competitive day on the MX2 class!

The 2026 season promised much, and it has to be said that over the weekend of the YPF MXGP of Argentina, it certainly delivered! Treat yourself to witnessing this spectacle live when the series come to Europe, or join us on MXGP-TV. You won’t regret it!

Simon Längenfelder: “Yesterday was not the best day because I tried to be a bit too aggressive and crashed at the start, which put me last. We had to change the wheel and it made things difficult. Today was much better though. I had two good starts from the outside and my riding felt good, so I could make the passes and go 1-1. Coming here as the defending champion just gives me more motivation because I know what I’m capable of.”

Guillem Farrés: “I felt pretty good on the bike this weekend and I’m really happy to be back racing. Saturday was good with a strong start and I was up there, and today even though the starts weren’t perfect it was still a solid day. My goal this season is to stay consistent and fight at the front. We had a really good winter training with the team and that helped me grow a lot, both as a rider and as a person, so I’m excited for the rest of the season.”

Camden McLellan: “I felt confident and relaxed coming into the races and that comes from having a really good winter. I had some time at home with my family and when I came back I just felt a mental click – I’m more motivated and confident than before. Getting a double podium for the team with Guillem [Farres] is really special because the mechanics and everyone behind the scenes put in so much work. We push each other a lot, so sharing the podium with him is pretty cool.”

MX2 - Grand Prix Race 1 - Top 10 Classification: 1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 34:55.834; 2. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:04.422; 3. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +0:13.557; 4. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:16.928; 5. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:19.977; 6. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:21.342; 7. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:34.164; 8. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +0:36.712; 9. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:45.409; 10. Jens Walvoort (NED, KTM), +0:56.574

MX2 - Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 35:08.451; 2. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:03.500; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:20.975; 4. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +0:34.985; 5. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:36.783; 6. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:37.465; 7. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:39.823; 8. Cas Valk (NED, TM), +1:01.988; 9. Julius Mikula (CZE, KTM), +1:08.553; 10. Scott Smulders (NED, Husqvarna), +1:23.225

MX2 Overall – Top 10 Classification: 1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 50 points; 2. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 38 p.; 3. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 37 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 34 p.; 5. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 33 p.; 6. Mathis Valin (FRA, KAW), 30 p.; 7. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 28 p.; 8. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 22 p.; 9. Jens Walvoort (NED, KTM), 21 p.; 10. Cas Valk (NED, TM), 20 p.

MX2 - World Championship Classification: 1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 50 points; 2. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 47 p.; 3. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 43 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 41 p.; 5. Mathis Valin (FRA, KAW), 38 p.; 6. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 38 p.; 7. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 32 p.; 8. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 29 p.; 9. Cas Valk (NED, TM), 22 p.; 10. Jens Walvoort (NED, KTM), 21 p.

MX2 - Manufacturers Classification: 1. KTM, 60 points; 2. Triumph, 51 p.; 3. Husqvarna, 41 p.; 4. Yamaha, 39 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 38 p.; 6. Honda, 26 p.; 7. TM, 22 p.; 8. GASGAS, 10 p.; 9. Ducati, 9 p.; 10. Fantic, 8 p.

Ben Rumbold report Bavo Swijgers image