The cacophony of noise from horns, whistles, voices, and of course the chainless chainsaws meant that we could only be in one place, at the Talkessel circuit, near Teutschenthal, for the MXGP of Germany.
Round seven of the 2026 FIM World Motocross Championships saw some mixed conditions, a track that had every challenge thrown at it, and some incredible racing action to continue the tradition of the fantastic Germanic atmosphere unique to this classic venue.
The MXGP class was dominated, for the third time this season, by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Championship leader Lucas Coenen, who scored a perfect 1-1 victory and benefitted from problems for his title rivals.
Andrea Adamo scored his first MXGP class podium to make it a 1-2 for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, and the Honda HRC Petronas teamster Ruben Fernandez climbed onto his first podium of the season with a fighting third overall.
The MX2 class saw an emotional first Grand Prix victory for Mathis Valin, as the young Frenchman took 2-1 race finishes to become the third first-time GP winner this season, also taking the first GP win for his Kawasaki Racing Team MX2 squad in its current form.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Sacha Coenen had to be content with second overall after crashing from the lead in race two, but he can console himself with his new position as the red plate holder after taking the lead of the series.
South African star Camden McLellan took a solid third overall for the Triumph Racing Factory Team.
It was a difficult day at the office for many of the fancied runners, and it leaves both of the men’s World Championships in much different shapes than they were in before!
Under much drier conditions, Maxime Renaux set the fastest time for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP in the morning Warm-Up, with Honda HRC Petronas’ Jeffrey Herlings in second ahead of Renaux’s team-mate Tim Gajser.
Lucas Coenen was irresistible into the first corner at the start of race one, however, and took his fourth holeshot of the season, as Ruben Fernandez and Gajser disputed second place.
The Slovenian passed his former team-mate on the exit to the tight corner before Pit Lane, and gave chase to the flying Belgian out in front. In the meantime, the Spaniard’s team-mate Herlings had started down in 15th, and was struggling to progress at the rate expected.
Adamo held fourth ahead of Qualifying Race winner Romain Febvre, and the Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP man was doing all he could to pass the Italian, who was holding steady.
Alberto Forato, again gating well for Fantic Factory Racing MXGP, was passed by Renaux at the start of the first full lap to lose sixth place, as Febvre’s team-mate Pauls Jonass held eighth ahead of Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kay de Wolf. Herlings completed the first full lap in tenth.
Passing may have been tough with the rutted conditions worsened by sporadic rain, but there was still plenty happening, as Adamo passed Fernandez briefly on lap four, before tangling with the Spaniard at the end of the start straight, in a collision which left the Italian on the floor.
He remounted in ninth, just behind Herlings.
Suddenly, a visibly struggling Herlings pulled into Pit Lane with a technical issue, unable to finish the race.
On the same lap, De Wolf made a forceful move on Forato to take sixth place. Renaux found some good pace to close in on Febvre, and made a brilliant move to pass his countryman over the new “Dragon’s Back” obstacle after the finish line jump.
The Champ tried to retaliate instantly, but got caught out in the ruts and crashed awkwardly! He struggled to restart in the sticky conditions, and dropped to 17th at the flag.
Coenen eased away to a five second win over Gajser, with Fernandez a delighted third. De Wolf had closed on Renaux, but fell in a tight left-handed corner, recovering to hold fifth ahead of Forato, Adamo, Jonass, and with his season’s best race finish, Brent van Doninck, making it two riders in the top 10 for the Fantic Factory Racing MXGP squad.
Dutchman Roan van de Moosdijk took a good tenth for Kosak KTM Racing, but his countryman Herlings’ DNF meant that Coenen now held a strong 28-point lead in the championship.
To add further momentum to his title campaign, the teenaged Belgian took yet another holeshot at the start of race two, although Adamo was able to rail around the outside in the second corner, just as Febvre and the Team Honda Motoblouz SR Motul rider Kevin Horgmo passed Herlings into third and fourth.
Herlings was able to respond quickly, but another title contender then hit problems as Gajser crashed in the fast valley between the Pit Lane and the finish line jump.
It put the Slovenian towards the back of the pack, and he would only be able to recover to 19th at the chequered flag.
At the furthest end of the circuit from the start, Coenen made his move past Adamo to take the lead in convincing fashion, and again nobody could catch him, even though Herlings did his best after firing across the bows of Adamo to take second into the last corner of the first full lap! Febvre, Fernandez, Horgmo, De Wolf, and Renaux were all giving chase in the top order.
Febvre caught Adamo quickly, but as the Italian got cross-rutted he had to change direction, just as the champion was drawing near, and the Frenchman hit the ground as his front wheel hit the back one of the KTM.
He was able to remount quickly enough to stay in fifth. He was fortunate to do so, as De Wolf nearly crashed trying to pass Fernandez, and just as Renaux was catching them after passing Horgmo for seventh, the Dutchman attacked in the same corner, and they both went down as they hit the same rut in unison.
De Wolf was up quickest, and Renaux pounced on Fernandez to take seventh. The move dropped Fernandez to third overall, promoting Adamo to second.
Renaux needed one more spot for a podium, but De Wolf had too much pace and finished fifth in the race behind winner Coenen, Herlings, Adamo, and Febvre, who tried again to pass Adamo but was unable to.
Fernandez took seventh, good enough for the podium result by a point from Renaux, with De Wolf fifth overall.
Horgmo, Forato, and Red Bull Ducati Factory MX Team pilot Andrea Bonacorsi rounded out the top ten in race two, after Forato had pulled a late pass in the clash of the two tall Italians.
Forato was therefore a season-best-equalling sixth overall with Gajser seventh, Horgmo eighth, Herlings’ single score good enough for ninth, and Febvre rounding out the overall top 10.
Coenen claimed his 19th career Grand Prix win with another controlled five-second victory, and extends his points lead over Herlings to an impressive 31. Adamo and Fernandez both scored their first podium results since China in 2025.
Next weekend the series heads to Kegums for the MXGP of Latvia. Herlings has won a record nine times at that circuit, while Lucas has yet to taste victory in the Baltics. Will this situation change?
Lucas Coenen: “Good weekend, two holeshots and just led every single lap. The track was crazy, every time you hit one you were almost looping out. I had two big moments and I said, let the race finish because I don’t want to end up on my ear.
“Overall, I’m happy, I think I did a good job this weekend. I’m looking forward to the next weekend in Latvia.”
Andrea Adamo: “It’s amazing! It’s my first podium in my rookie season and there are many fast guys out there, many world champions. The line between P3 and P10 is really thin.
“Following is almost more easy than leading at the moment because I learn quite well when I’m behind. The expectations are not so high; I came into the season just to learn every race, keep pushing, don’t give up and learn. That’s the main goal for this season.”
RESULTS AND STANDINGS:
MXGP – Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 36:20.693; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Yamaha), +0:04.947; 3. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:16.681; 4. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:19.783; 5. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:36.312; 6. Alberto Forato (ITA, Fantic), +0:42.925; 7. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +1:07.904; 8. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Kawasaki), +1:13.145; 9. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Fantic), +1:17.545; 10. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KTM), +1:21.993.
MXGP – Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 34:47.752; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, Honda), +0:04.841; 3. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:25.605; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:28.046; 5. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:40.060; 6. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:43.987; 7. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:53.477; 8. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Honda), +0:56.716; 9. Alberto Forato (ITA, Fantic), +0:58.284; 10. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Ducati), +1:00.488.
MXGP Overall – Top 10 Classification: 1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 50 pts; 2. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 34 pts; 3. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), 34 pts; 4. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), 33 pts; 5. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 32 pts; 6. Alberto Forato (ITA, Fantic), 27 pts; 7. Tim Gajser (SLO, Yamaha), 24 pts; 8. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Honda), 23 pts; 9. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, Honda), 22 pts; 10. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), 22 pts.
MXGP – World Championship – Top 10 Classification: 1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 344 pts; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, Honda), 313 pts; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), 263 pts; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, Yamaha), 256 pts; 5. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), 251 pts; 6. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 223 pts; 7. Tom Vialle (FRA, Honda), 219 pts; 8. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), 216 pts; 9. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 211 pts; 10. Alberto Forato (ITA, Fantic), 142 pts.
MX2 – Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 36:17.071; 2. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:05.492; 3. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:33.211; 4. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:35.096; 5. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +0:40.721; 6. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +0:43.140; 7. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +1:02.204; 8. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +1:09.283; 9. Julius Mikula (CZE, KTM), +1:22.819; 10. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +1:31.319.
MX2 – Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), 35:09.458; 2. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:01.049; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:02.549; 4. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +0:04.136; 5. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:25.711; 6. Camden McLellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:27.042; 7. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:33.726; 8. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +0:34.693; 9. Kay Karssemakers (NED, Kawasaki), +1:07.330; 10. Noel Zanocz (HUN, KTM), +1:21.070.
MX2 Overall – Top 10 Classification: 1. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), 47 pts; 2. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 47 pts; 3. Camden McLellan (RSA, Triumph), 35 pts; 4. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), 34 pts; 5. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 33 pts; 6. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), 33 pts; 7. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), 29 pts; 8. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), 28 pts; 9. Kay Karssemakers (NED, Kawasaki), 22 pts; 10. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), 20 pts.
MX2 – World Championship Classification: 1. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 320 pts; 2. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 314 pts; 3. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), 294 pts; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), 273 pts; 5. Camden McLellan (RSA, Triumph), 268 pts; 6. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), 258 pts; 7. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), 243 pts; 8. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), 187 pts; 9. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), 185 pts; 10. Julius Mikula (CZE, KTM), 142 pts.
Photo courtesy Infront Moto Racing
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