The blue skies were painted orange at the Motorsportpark Gelderland Midden near Arnhem as the MXGP of The Netherlands hosted the final European round of the 2026 FIM Motocross World Championships.
This 16th round of the world series lived up to expectations with a breath-taking display of sand racing across all four Grand Prix races.
The fans that line the circuit here at Arnhem added a raucous atmosphere full of racing passion that drove their favourites on to even greater heights. It’s easy to say it in the hours after the racing has finished, but today’s GP was an absolute classic.
With no sign of the rain showers that had dampened the circuit in the build-up to the event, the 30,000+ fans in attendance enjoyed a beautiful day that wasn’t too hot, but dry enough to leave the circuit at its fastest, while still being deep enough to be a major challenge for the best sand racers in the world.
The expected result in MXGP was achieved by Dutchman Jeffrey Herlings, who completed his fourth straight perfect 1-1-1 weekend for Honda HRC Petronas, but he was pushed to his maximum capacity by his compatriot Kay de Wolf, who led Herlings for most of race one, and mounted a serious charge in race two before a crash limited him to 2-2 finishes and second overall for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing.
Herlings’ team-mate Tom Vialle climbed the podium for the third time in the last 4 GPs, and is close to advancing into the top six in the Championship as a result.
There were two scorchingly intense races in the MX2 class as well, as Camden McLellan claimed his third Grand Prix victory of the year for Triumph Racing Factory Team to get closer to the runner-up spot in the championship, while Belgium’s Liam Everts took a commanding second race win for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing to put himself into second overall.
Points leader Guillem Farres strengthened his position with third overall, putting two Triumph Racing Factory Team machines onto the podium in a day of tough competition for everybody on the circuit.
The day will live long in the memory of Dutch motocross fans both onsite and watching at home, while any neutrals still had to be dazzled by the sand skills of the men at the top.
It was truly a stunning event on a brutal battleground.
Naturally, Herlings made sure he topped the warm-up session, by just the 2.3 seconds from the next best.
Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP’s #1 plate holder Romain Febvre, from France, was the rider in second, with De Wolf third ahead of Tim Gajser on the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP, and the private GCR Yamaha of Glenn Coldenhoff, racing in his last ever MXGP event as a wildcard on home turf.
After crashing out of time practice on Saturday, there was to be no return to action on Sunday for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing firebrand Lucas Coenen.
Already at the top of the 2026 holeshot leaderboard, Vialle increased his lead with his ninth such start of the year, while the two Dutchmen on the inside two gates banged elbows down the start straight, De Wolf coming out the better of Herlings for a least the next straight, but Herlings made an outside move to pass Vialle as they started the first full lap, then got it all wrong in the left-right corners after the finish line jump.
Somehow saving a massive moment that nearly put him on the ground, the Honda man allowed his team-mate back into the lead, and De Wolf crucially also got around him to claim second as they fired into the opening lap.
Gajser and the third Honda HRC Petronas of Ruben Fernandez gave chase, but Febvre went down in the first corner in a tangle with the JK Racing Yamaha of Isak Gifting, while Red Bull Ducati Factory MXGP Team duo Andrea Bonacorsi and Calvin Vlaanderen were in a heap to the outside of turn one.
Coldenhoff was able to get past Fernandez on the first full lap to move up to fifth behind Gajser, with the sole Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Andrea Adamo in seventh, another Dutch hero Roan van de Moosdijk eighth for Kosak KTM Racing, then the Dirt Store Triumph of Britain’s Ben Watson and Team Honda Motoblouz SR Motul rider Kevin Horgmo rounded out the initial top 10.
Vialle lasted a lap out in front before yielding to the flying De Wolf along the straight at the furthest edge of the track, sending the grandstand full of fans into raptures.
Herlings followed him past along the next straight, and the hoped-for clash of the Dutch sand maestros was upon us.
Behind Vialle and Gajser, Fernandez had got back past Coldenhoff, but then suffered a crash that put him out of the race with machine damage.
Adamo inherited sixth ahead of Van de Moosdijk and Watson, while Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Frenchman Maxime Renaux and Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP’s Latvian Pauls Jonass moved into the top 10 ahead of Horgmo.
Herlings made several attempts to ruffle De Wolf’s fur, but the younger man held firm in the lead despite the intense pressure.
Gajser was able to make an outside-inside move to pass Vialle for third on lap 12, and they stayed there until the finish, ahead of Saturday’s birthday boy Adamo, who passed an understandably tiring Coldenhoff for fifth on lap 10.
Watson was also able to dart past the Dutch veteran to claim an MXGP career-best-equalling sixth place at the flag.
Coldenhoff and Van de Moosdijk were the last riders on the lead lap in seventh and eighth.
That was due to the intense pace at the top, as finally Herlings wore down De Wolf, attacking through the fast wave section in the middle of the circuit to take the lead on lap 14.
They were even able to lap the recovering Febvre after his first corner spill, the reigning Champ still finishing tenth behind a spirited Horgmo, while Renaux crashed out and decided to sit out race two to recover for the flyaway races to come.
That looked to be job done, race win number 230 in the books, but there was so nearly a twist in the tale.
From the only descent on the track to where it re-joined the start straight, Herlings suddenly came to a stop with four corners to go.
A rock had lodged itself into the rear brake lever, locking the rear wheel, and it needed a hefty boot from Jeffrey to clear the problem.
Having just stretched out a nine-second lead, he needed most of that as the eventual winning margin was just 3.7 seconds.
An incredible turn of events that just added to a race full of high drama. What could race two bring?
The answer was, more of the same. This time, however, Herlings got the jump on the neighbouring De Wolf out of the gate, and claimed his sixth holeshot of the year from Coldenhoff and Vialle, with De Wolf doing well to get into fourth ahead of Gajser, before he used a similar line to the first race to pass Vialle again, his immense speed enough to carry him past Coldenhoff as well.
The top two were back in position, with the younger Dutchman in the role of chaser this time around.
Coldenhoff was relegated by both Vialle and Gajser to fifth, with Fernandez, Adamo, Febvre, Bonacorsi, and Watson completing the first lap top 10.
The Brit moved past the Italian a lap later, while De Wolf’s initial challenge was countered by Herlings’ relentless pace. The chase seemed to be doomed to failure in the first half of the race.
Van de Moosdijk moved into the top ten at the expense of Bonacorsi, and when Watson collided with a lapped rider and left the race due to bike damage, the Dutch privateer completed his best day in the premier class by taking ninth in the race ahead of Jonass, putting the pair into eighth and ninth overall.
Landing a top 10 result through dogged consistency was Jago Geerts, scoring 14-12 finishes for MRT Racing Team Beta.
Febvre made progress past Adamo on lap eight for seventh, then Fernandez dropped two positions with a fall two laps later.
Gajser took until lap 12 to get around the outside of Vialle, and looked good for the podium, but a crash with four laps to go damaged his machine, and he would limp home in eighth, lapped in the final few corners by the leader.
That put Febvre up to fifth at the close, enough for seventh on the day, while Adamo and Fernandez continued to be close as they are in the championship table, coming home sixth and seventh.
Adamo was sixth overall the day after his 23rd birthday, but the amazing Coldenhoff, by 12 years the Italian’s senior, took fifth overall with 7-4 finishes, a worthy end to a brilliant MXGP career.
De Wolf saved himself for a late run at Herlings, and closed to within a second and a half with just three laps to go.
The crowd got into it, but De Wolf got slightly off-line into a right-hand corner and hit a big braking bump that sent the bike sideways, and threw him off it.
Lucky to get up uninjured, he was able to hold onto second due to a 50-second gap over Vialle in third. The crash allowed Herlings to cruise to an astounding 14th straight individual race win, his 122nd career GP victory, and his 17th from 19 events in his home country.
The two Dutch stars embraced at the end, with massive respect for each other.
All of this leaves Herlings 143 points ahead of Febvre in the championship title chase, giving the Dutchman a straightforward task in Türkiye, after which there will be only 120 on the table. The title could even be clinched after the first Sunday race at Afyonkarahisar.
The Dutch fans left happy that their men ruled MXGP this weekend, and that their greatest racer of all time is on track towards more motocross history. What a way to leave mainland Europe behind.
“It was a really good GP. It was nice to battle with Kay [de Wolf] again,” said Herlings afterwards.
“We have known each other for a long time, and when you race each other you have to race hard but respect each other at the same time, so we came close a few times but never anything crazy. He wanted to win, I wanted to win, and I know Kay is very good in the sand, so it was super fun.
“Racing at home is special, but it is not easy: I had all my fans, friends, family, almost all my sponsors, even my doctors and my surgeons here, so it was difficult to stay focused with everything going on around the race. The team did a great, great job.
“We made a big step with the bike and this weekend was really perfect. We are more than 140 points in front now, so the championship is coming closer and I am looking forward to Turkiye.”
Photo courtesy Infront Moto Racing
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RESULTS AND STANDINGS:
MXGP – Race 1 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, Honda), 34:36.581; 2. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:03.773; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Yamaha), +0:44.802; 4. Tom Vialle (FRA, Honda), +1:00.724; 5. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +1:28.247; 6. Ben Watson (GBR, Triumph), +1:29.725; 7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Yamaha), +1:31.734; 8. Roan van de Moosdijk (NED, KTM), +2:00.674; 9. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Honda), +1 lap; 10. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +1 lap. Fastest lap: Kay de Wolf – 1:45.522 (lap 11).
MXGP – Race 2 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, Honda); 2. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna); 3. Tom Vialle (FRA, Honda); 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Yamaha); 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki); 6. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM); 7. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda); 8. Tim Gajser (SLO, Yamaha); 9. Roan van de Moosdijk (NED, KTM); 10. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Kawasaki). [Times, gaps and fastest lap to be added from the Race 2 classification].
MXGP Overall – Top 10 Classification:
1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, HON), 50 points; 2. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 44 p.; 3. Tom Vialle (FRA, HON), 38 p.; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, YAM), 33 p.; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 32 p.; 6. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 31 p.; 7. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 27 p.; 8. Roan van de Moosdijk (NED, KTM), 25 p.; 9. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KAW), 21 p.; 10. Jago Geerts (BEL, BET), 16 p.
MXGP World Championship – Top 10 Classification:
1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, HON), 795 points; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 652 p.; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, YAM), 611 p.; 4. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 566 p.; 5. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 522 p.; 6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 502 p.; 7. Tom Vialle (FRA, HON), 496 p.; 8. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 449 p.; 9. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 428 p.; 10. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KAW), 333 p.
MX2 – Race 1 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Camden McLellan (RSA, Triumph), 35:22.958; 2. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:07.494; 3. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +0:22.014; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:27.548; 5. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +0:39.367; 6. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:43.692; 7. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:58.525; 8. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +1:03.984; 9. Scott Smulders (NED, Husqvarna), +1 lap; 10. Noel Zanocz (HUN, KTM), +1 lap. Fastest lap: Sacha Coenen – 1:47.792 (lap 3).
MX2 – Race 2 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna); 2. Camden McLellan (RSA, Triumph); 3. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph); 4. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM); 5. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha); 6. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, KTM); 7. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha); 8. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda); 9. Kay Karssemakers (NED, Kawasaki); 10. Scott Smulders (NED, Husqvarna). [Times, gaps and fastest lap to be added from the Race 2 classification].
MX2 Overall – Top 10 Classification:
1. Camden McLellan (RSA, TRI), 47 points; 2. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 43 p.; 3. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 40 p.; 4. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 40 p.; 5. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 29 p.; 6. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, KTM), 29 p.; 7. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 29 p.; 8. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 29 p.; 9. Scott Smulders (NED, HUS), 23 p.; 10. Noel Zanocz (HUN, KTM), 21 p.
MX2 World Championship – Top 10 Classification:
1. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 749 points; 2. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 724 p.; 3. Camden McLellan (RSA, TRI), 712 p.; 4. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, KTM), 674 p.; 5. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 648 p.; 6. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 587 p.; 7. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 473 p.; 8. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 414 p.; 9. Mathis Valin (FRA, KAW), 352 p.; 10. Julius Mikula (CZE, KTM), 352 p.