Although the sun hid behind the clouds for most of GP race day at Matterley Basin, the stars of MXGP shone through with high-speed motocross at the British GP.
It was the 12th round of the 2025 FIM Motocross World Championships and the riders responded with maximum effort all round, and it was the championship leaders in both classes that prevailed with some flawless riding to strengthen their positions as series leader red plate holders.
Romain Febvre bounced back from third in race one to dominate race two and clinch his fourth GP win of the season for Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP, while Lucas Coenen took second overall yet again for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.
Matterley Basin also saw a podium return for Glenn Coldenhoff, after clinching the first ever race win in the opener for Fantic Factory Racing MXGP.
MX2 saw the completion of a perfect weekend for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Simon Längenfelder, showing patience to fight through the field in race one before enjoying a gate-to-flag victory in race two.
Belgium’s Liam Everts had his best result for some time with second overall for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing, with Längenfelder’s team-mate Sacha Coenen in third.
Once more the natural amphitheatre of Matterley Basin challenged the very best in front of an enthusiastic crowd, who will surely be back for more in years to come.
The morning warm-up saw Frenchman Romain Febvre in a mood to show who was boss by setting the only sub-two-minute lap of the session, with Lucas Coenen over a second and a half behind in second, ahead of Andrea Bonacorsi for Fantic Factory Racing MXGP.
Despite not looking comfortable in Saturday’s Qualifying Race, Coenen gave himself the best shot at redemption on Sunday with a storming holeshot, his tenth of the season, as Coldenhoff gave chase ahead of Ruben Fernandez for Honda HRC.
Italian multi-time former world champion Antonio Cairoli, racing for the second time this season for the Aruba.it Ducati Factory MX Team, showed he wasn’t just playing around as he moved into fifth behind the Red Bull KTM of Jeffrey Herlings, putting series leader Febvre behind him in turn three.
Cairoli even gave Herlings a little contact halfway around the lap, and was clearly enjoying one of his favourite circuits, even though Febvre got past him towards the end of the first full lap.
Isak Gifting enjoyed barging his JK Racing Yamaha past Cairoli for sixth at the end of the start straight, while the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP machine of Calvin Vlaanderen started in eighth ahead of fellow Dutchman Brian Bogers on the second factory Fantic.
With his best start of the season, Team Motul Honda Motoblouz SR rider Alberto Forato rounded out the top ten at the start of the race.
Halfway around lap two, Coenen had his wheels slip out from under him, allowing Coldenhoff into the lead. By lap six, Herlings had found his flow and pushed up the inside of Fernandez for third. It took Herlings only three laps to chase down Coenen and advance into second, initially pulling away and seeming ready to threaten Coldenhoff for the lead.
Further back, Vlaanderen had railed round the outside of Gifting for sixth, after passing Cairoli along pit lane as the Italian seemed to signal that he had a brake problem, although the nine-time champ recovered to score seventh behind the surviving factory Yamaha man.
Jago Geerts had already crashed out and was to miss race two with a suspected foot injury.
As Gifting pulled out of the race after a crash, Bogers and Forato moved up to secure eighth and ninth, with Brent van Doninck taking a good tenth place for JM Racing Honda.
Lap 13 was unlucky for Herlings, slipping to the ground after the big uphill quad jump, dropping himself from second to fourth, still ahead of Fernandez but behind Febvre.
Coenen had drawn breath and launched an attack on Coldenhoff for the lead, but the veteran Dutchman held fast to take a brilliant first ever race win for Fantic as an MXGP manufacturer.
Amazingly, it was also the Dutchman’s first race win here, after winning the 2013 MX2 Grand Prix overall with a 3-4 scorecard.
Gusts of wind hit the circuit hard for race two, and it was clear that the ultra-professional riders were in a cautious mood over the many big jumps around the track.
Febvre rocketed into the lead for his fourth holeshot of the season, while Fernandez held back the two Red Bull KTMs of Coenen and Herlings.
Coldenhoff was still in the hunt in fifth ahead of Vlaanderen, while Kevin Horgmo of Team Motul Honda Motoblouz SR ran well up in seventh, in his first GP back from a shoulder injury sustained at Ernée.
Cairoli held onto eighth ahead of his Aruba.it Ducati team-mate Jeremy Seewer, while Forato backed up his first race result with tenth in race two, enough to earn him eighth overall ahead of Horgmo and Seewer.
Cairoli was as impressive as always with seventh overall, and Vlaanderen finished sixth again to take that position in the GP.
It was one of those races where the riders were equally matched and passing proved next to impossible.
Herlings was unable to make his early pressure on Coenen pay off with an overtake, and ultimately the closest battle was between him and his compatriot Coldenhoff, who twice drew level to take fourth but simply could not force past the canny GP-win record holder.
Herlings’ two fourth places were only good enough for fifth overall, while Fernandez put in a solid ride for second to claim fourth on the day.
Coldenhoff took third overall for his first podium in over two months, as Coenen took second overall for the fifth straight Grand Prix. Febvre was peerless to take his 25th career GP victory, and increases his championship lead to 32 points over his teenage pursuer.
Fernandez advances to fourth in the series behind Coldenhoff but ahead of the absent Maxime Renaux, while Herlings is now sixth in the championship.
Vlaanderen advanced to seventh at the expense of the injured Tim Gajser and Bonacorsi, who had a very disappointing British GP in 16th overall.
The championship takes the next two weekends off before the MXGP of Finland on the 12th & 13th of July.
Who will cope with a brand-new circuit better than the rest? Join us to find out!
Romain Febvre: “It’s been a good weekend. Like I said yesterday, I felt really good on the track. Yesterday was good, but in the first race I didn’t get the start. I came close to the front at some point, but in the end they had a little bit more pace and I had to fight hard to come back. So I finished third.
“But in the second race I pulled the holeshot and that changed my life. I could ride free, take my own lines, and make a gap. Fernandez was coming back at the end, he was quite strong, but I won the overall. So yeah, it’s been a really good weekend. Thanks to all my sponsors and my team.”
© Photo courtesy Kawasaki
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RESULTS & STANDINGS, ROUND 12:
MXGP – Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), 34:21.230; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:01.128; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:12.392; 4. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:15.484; 5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:17.105; 6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:48.579; 7. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, Ducati), +0:53.691; 8. Brian Bogers (NED, Fantic), +0:56.396; 9. Alberto Forato (ITA, Honda), +0:58.123; 10. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Honda), +0:59.080.
MXGP – Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), 35:50.762; 2. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:01.427; 3. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:02.495; 4. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:10.713; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:11.121; 6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:35.429; 7. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Honda), +0:36.934; 8. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, Ducati), +0:38.346; 9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Ducati), +0:40.438; 10. Alberto Forato (ITA, Honda), +0:46.297.
MXGP Overall – Top 10 Classification:
1. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 45 points; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 41 p.; 4. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 38 p.; 5. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 36 p.; 6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 30 p.; 7. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, DUC), 27 p.; 8. Alberto Forato (ITA, HON), 23 p.; 9. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 21 p.; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, DUC), 20 p.
MXGP – World Championship – Top 10 Classification:
1. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 584 points; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 552 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 411 p.; 4. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 383 p.; 5. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 347 p.; 6. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 325 p.; 7. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 319 p.; 8. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, FAN), 312 p.; 9. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 305 p.; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, DUC), 274 p.
MX2 – Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 35:30.890; 2. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:05.401; 3. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:10.850; 4. Camden McLellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:24.946; 5. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +0:26.515; 6. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:26.761; 7. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:28.999; 8. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:30.821; 9. David Braceras (ESP, Honda), +0:41.392; 10. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:42.153.
MX2 – Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification:
1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 34:13.385; 2. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:06.362; 3. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:11.721; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:14.077; 5. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +0:22.929; 6. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:29.891; 7. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:36.397; 8. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:43.038; 9. Camden McLellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:58.225; 10. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +1:14.771.
MX2 Overall – Top 10 Classification:
1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 50 points; 2. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 37 p.; 3. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 37 p.; 4. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 32 p.; 5. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 31 p.; 6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 30 p.; 7. Camden McLellan (RSA, TRI), 30 p.; 8. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 29 p.; 9. Mathis Valin (FRA, KAW), 27 p.; 10. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 27 p.
MX2 – World Championship Classification:
1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 575 points; 2. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 523 p.; 3. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 505 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 464 p.; 5. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 433 p.; 6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 417 p.; 7. Camden McLellan (RSA, TRI), 358 p.; 8. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 281 p.; 9. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), 267 p.; 10. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 246 p.