The 2025 MXGP World Championship has reached its final round in Darwin, Australia, with the Honda HRC trio flying high after an excellent China GP where Tim Gajser (2nd) and Ruben Fernandez (3rd) stood on the podium after putting in some great performances in the hot and humid conditions in Shanghai.

With temperatures looking to be similar in Darwin, the trio – including Valerio Lata who also showed sparks of his early season form – are excited to try and end this campaign on a high with some positive results at what is a brand-new facility at the Hidden Valley Motorsports circuit near the city.

Not only is this a new circuit, but it’s also a new racing-country for all three riders as they get to experience everything that the Northern Territories has to offer after making the long trip from Shanghai on Monday. This week they’ve spent their time acclimatising to the weather, after receiving a rude awakening to it in China last weekend, but given how well they performed, it shouldn’t hold any fear for the trio.

Gajser made his return to the podium after battling back from his shoulder injury and gradually improving with every round. In fact he very nearly won the overall, crossing the finish line less than a second behind the winner after a final lap charge. Now, he has two motos on Sunday to try make the last improvement, and the Slovenian is full of confidence that he can make that step and finish the season on a high.

In what was their first podium together, Fernandez was in excellent form in Shanghai, going five-three and making the necessary passes to get himself on the podium behind his teammate. It was the first podium for the prototype CRF450R and shows the excellent work that the team has done to make it so successful, so quickly. Having had a taste of it now, he is also hoping he can head back up the steps for this final round in Australia.

And in the MX2 class, there were encouraging signs for Lata, who showed with a fifth in the first moto that he is adding the stamina to his race-speed. Unfortunately a collision with another rider in race two thwarted any attempts to back up that effort, but he coped with the demands of China – which was a brand new experience for him – and is excited for doing even better in Darwin, and round out his rookie MX2 campaign with a successful outing.

Tim Gajser: It was really nice to get back onto the podium before the season ended. Things have been going in the right direction ever since I got back from injury, so to get rewarded in China – and to be alongside Ruben – was a very nice feeling indeed. Now we just have Australia to go, and while this season didn’t go completely to plan, I can be proud of my efforts on the race track and this last round gives me one last chance to try and stand on top of the box.

Ruben Fernandez: It was a really good feeling to get onto the podium. I knew after race one, what I had to do, and to go out there and accomplish it, was extremely satisfying. The heat made things difficult, but I think our preparation was good, and as a team, we definitely did things right because I was standing on the podium with Tim. I know we are all working extremely hard to finish this year off right, and despite all the travel and the extra things that need to be done with the flyaways, I am proud of everyone and all their efforts.

Valerio Lata: China felt a lot better and I think that showed in my results. I was especially pleased to have coped with the heat and humidty, and with Darwin also being hot, I think I can do well again this weekend. I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank my team and everyone who has supported me this year. It has definitely been a learning experience, with ups and downs, but I’m proud to have made it to the end with some good results and I feel I already know what I can do better next year.

Marcus Pereira de Freitas - HRC General Manager – MXGP: I have to really congratulate the team for all their hard work these past few weeks. It hasn’t been an easy schedule for anyone and they continue to do everything necessary to compete at the highest level of motocross racing. I think that showed last weekend in China when Tim and Ruben got on the podium, so now, with one round left to go, it is one final push to end the season on a high. Valerio also looked much better in some of the toughest conditions we’ve had this year so that is a positive and he is excited to do even better in Australia.

David Bulmer story Bavo Swijgers image