Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team’s Calvin Vlaanderen isn’t having his best season of his career but continues to fight for points and hopefully reach the same type of results we have seen in the past.

Seventh in the MXGP point standings, but surely to move into sixth place with the injury of Jeffrey Herlings this week, and his team-mate Maxime Renaux also under an injury cloud, Vlaanderen might move into fifth in the points come Finland.

The Yamaha man isn't having a horrible season, but you just know he is capable of so much more. GP wins have come in the past, as have multiple podium finishes. Surely, a podium in the second part of the season will be possible for the likeable South African born Dutchie.

The Dutchman placed sixth overall at the MXGP of Great Britain a couple of weeks ago. The event marked the 12th round of the 2025 MXGP World Championship, and Vlaanderen finished sixth in both races to underline his speed and consistency.

“Solid points for me this weekend,” Vlaanderen said. “No excuses, I just wasn’t fast enough today. My speed yesterday was better. This is something to work on, although I can’t be too disappointed as I haven’t been riding much since hurting my knee in Germany. My riding was good and I was consistent all weekend with very few mistakes, so that’s a positive. If I can find one second a lap then I can be fighting for the podium, so that’s the focus going forward.”

From the moment he rolled out onto the spectacular Matterley Basin circuit, Vlaanderen was at one with his Yamaha YZ450FM. After posting the fourth-fastest time in Time Practice, the 28-year-old placed sixth in the MXGP Qualifying Race to secure a favourable gate pick for the Grand Prix races.

In Race One, Vlaanderen started in eighth, and by mid-race, he’d moved into sixth. With the top five out of reach, he continued to post consistent lap times, finishing the opening race of the day in sixth.

Vlaanderen executed a much better start in Race Two and emerged from the first turn in sixth. With conditions now considerably drier than in Race One, the track offered very few passing opportunities, and the entire top 10 remained the same for the whole race. Vlaanderen ultimately crossed the finish line in sixth to place sixth overall. The strong showing and points secured have moved him up to seventh in the MXGP World Championship standings following 12 rounds of racing.

After twisting his knee one week earlier in Germany, Vlaanderen headed to Latvia focused on putting points on the board and not aggravating his injury. The 28-year-old was consistent across both races, improving upon his 11th-place finish in Race One with ninth in Race Two for 10th overall. After 11 rounds, Vlaanderen remains eighth in the series standings.

“Tough weekend. I’m glad to have gotten through it after hurting my knee last weekend. I was aiming for top-10 results, and I accomplished that in Race Two, so now the focus is to rest, get my knee feeling better, and get back to the form I had earlier in the year.”

At the Latvian GP and for the third time this year, Vlaanderen secured a top-three finish with third in the opening race of the day. The result arguably came from the 28-year-old’s best ride of the season so far, as he crossed the line less than seven seconds behind eventual race winner Lucas Coenen.

Race Two started well for Vlaanderen, running in eighth until he twisted his knee in one of the circuit’s many deep ruts. Riding through the pain, he crossed the line in 10th for fifth overall on the day. Following 10 rounds of racing, Vlaanderen sits 10th in the championship standings.

“All weekend I’ve had a good feeling on the bike and today was a bit up and down. My first race was really good, battling with the guys and finishing third. Race Two was going good until I twisted my knee in a rut. After that I just focused on riding smoothly to the finish. I ended up 10th for fifth overall, so it’s not been too bad really.”

Now onto a sand track in Finland and hopefully, the Dutchman can pick up a podium and get his season on a bit of a roll as we enter a handful of sand circuits, that will suit the talented Yamaha rider.

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