MXGP

Jeffrey Herlings Stars At MXGP of France as Guillem Farres Fires To First MX2 Win

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Photo of Jeffrey Herlings at round six of the 2026 Motocross World Championships, the MXGP of France at  Lacapelle-Marival, France
Jeffrey Herlings charged to victory with a 2-1 scorecard, surviving relentless pressure from Lucas Coenen to claim his third win of the season and close the championship gap to just two points. Photo: Bavo Swijgers

The MXGP of France marked the return of the 2026 FIM Motocross World Championship after a four-week break, and everything about the comeback at the Circuit Georges Filhol at LaCapelle-Marival was hot: the weather, the atmosphere, the racing, and even the tight, technical layout of the circuit itself.

The returning venue, back on the calendar for the first time in five years, produced a brutal hardpack test under unrelenting sunshine. The track crew were once again praised for their work as they battled conditions that threatened to bake the circuit into a slick, one-line survival test, but instead delivered a demanding but raceable surface that rewarded precision and patience.

The MXGP class delivered a heavyweight showdown between the top two in the championship, with Jeffrey Herlings backing up his qualifying race win from Saturday with a 2-1 scorecard to take his third Grand Prix victory of the season. Lucas Coenen matched him on points after a win in race one, but it was Herlings who ultimately prevailed on countback, cutting the championship gap to just two points. Rounding out the podium was Romain Febvre, who produced a gritty 7-3 scorecard to salvage third overall for Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP after a difficult opening moto.

The MX2 class produced another dramatic day of racing, ultimately dominated by Guillem Farres, who delivered a flawless 1-1 scorecard to claim his first-ever Grand Prix victory for Triumph Racing Factory Team. He was backed up by teammate Camden McLellan in second overall, while home favourite Mathis Valin celebrated back-to-back podiums in third for Kawasaki Racing Team MX2.

Before the racing began, attention was drawn to Thibault Benistant, the Team Honda Motoblouz SR Motul rider contesting his home Grand Prix in the premier class. After scoring his first Qualifying Race points of the season on Saturday, the Frenchman was involved in a first-lap collision in race one and was taken to hospital by air ambulance. At the time of writing, an official update was still pending, with the entire paddock wishing him a full recovery.

MXGP

The opening moto of MXGP saw Coenen grab the Holeshot Award ahead of early pressure from Andrea Adamo and Tom Vialle, with Herlings quickly settling into the fight after moving past Vialle on the opening lap. Kay de Wolf held fifth early ahead of the Yamaha duo of Maxime Renaux and Tim Gajser, while Febvre was buried outside the top ten after contact in turn one.

Herlings worked his way forward, eventually moving into second and setting the fastest lap of the race as he closed to within striking distance of Coenen. But the Belgian responded immediately, controlling the gap to hold on to victory.

Photo of Lucas Coenen at round six of the 2026 Motocross World Championships, the MXGP of France at Lacapelle-Marival, France
Lucas Coenen delivered a 1-2 performance across the motos but was narrowly defeated on countback, still extending his championship lead by two points after an intense duel at the front. Photo: Juan Pablo Acevedo

Tim Gajser delivered one of the strongest rides of the race, working his way forward by passing Renaux, De Wolf and Adamo in a measured charge, while De Wolf eventually reclaimed fourth from Adamo late in the moto.

Maxime Renaux’s home GP unravelled after a fall while attempting to pass Adamo, forcing him to remount and settle for sixth. At the same time, Febvre recovered to seventh ahead of Vialle and Ruben Fernandez.

Race two turned chaotic immediately when Vialle ran wide and crashed heavily in the first corner, triggering a multi-rider pile-up that included Gajser, Oriol Oliver, Brent Van Doninck and Kevin Brumann. The race was red-flagged, with Vialle and Gajser unable to restart.

At the restart, De Wolf grabbed the holeshot, but Herlings and Coenen quickly demoted him. A separate first-turn crash between Jonass and Jan Pancar also disrupted the pack, with Jonass salvaging 11th and Pancar retiring.

Photo of Romain Febvre at round six of the 2026 Motocross World Championships, the MXGP of France at Lacapelle-Marival, France
Romain Febvre fought back from a difficult opening race to secure third overall with 7-3 results, rewarding a gritty comeback ride in front of the French fans. Photo: Pascal Haudiquert

Herlings and Coenen quickly distanced themselves at the front, locking into a relentless battle that defined the moto. Behind them, Febvre and Renaux fought through traffic, eventually working their way into podium positions as the race developed.

The fight for the lead became a straight duel between experience and youth, with Coenen applying constant pressure but unable to find a way past Herlings. The gap never stretched, but neither rider could make the decisive mistake.

Herlings eventually held firm to win the moto and secure overall victory by just two points, later reflecting on how physically demanding the race became in the French heat as he admitted, “I started to cramp with three or four laps to go… I thought, this is not the right time for that. But we managed to keep charging and win.”

Photo of Jeffrey Herlings at round six of the 2026 Motocross World Championships, the MXGP of France at  Lacapelle-Marival, France
Jeffery Herlings has settled in nicely at his new home with Honda, notching up his third round win of the season already. Photo: Bavo Swijgers

Coenen, meanwhile, was left frustrated after spending almost the entire moto glued to the rear wheel of the race leader. He said, “I tried everywhere, left and right, and I couldn’t find a way through… he needed to make a mistake, honestly. I’m a little disappointed with the second race, but overall the weekend went great, and I kept the red plate, which is important.”

Febvre’s charge to third overall came after a physically draining weekend in front of his home crowd, with the Frenchman admitting, “In the first race I crashed, and it took a lot of energy to come back… it was really hot out there, and it was the first time of the year in these conditions, but we made it happen. I’m so happy to do it here in France.”

Photo of Guillem Farres at round six of the 2026 Motocross World Championships, the MXGP of France at Lacapelle-Marival, France
Guillem Farres dominated the MX2 class with a perfect 1-1 score to secure his first Grand Prix victory and surge further into the championship fight.

MX2

Race one of MX2 initially belonged to Sacha Coenen, who grabbed yet another Holeshot and attempted to control the field early. Valin briefly held second before Farres moved through, while Janis Reisulis impressed early by running inside the top five.

Coenen’s race quickly unravelled after he spun at the end of the pit lane, dropping him down the order and forcing a recovery charge. Farres inherited the lead and immediately controlled the pace, while McLellan worked forward steadily from seventh.

Behind them, Simon Längenfelder and Liam Everts settled into the podium fight, while Coenen’s recovery brought him back into contention before another crash further compromised his race.

McLellan’s charge was one of the highlights of the opening moto, eventually passing Everts and Längenfelder to move into podium position, later reflecting, “A lot better after the break… I feel good again. I think I was the fastest rider on the track. It was really good for confidence.”

Photo of Camden Mc at round six of the 2026 Motocross World Championships, the MXGP of France at Lacapelle-Marival, France
Camden McLellan impressed with strong pace and late-race pressure on his teammate, finishing second overall with 3-2 results in a Triumph 1–2.

Farres remained composed at the front to take his third race win of the season, while Valin held on for a strong second as he continued his home GP momentum.

Race two began with Janis Reisulis grabbing the holeshot ahead of Valin and Everts, but McLellan produced a standout opening lap to surge into second before quickly pressuring the leaders.

Farres wasted little time in asserting himself, moving into contention and eventually taking control as the race developed into a tactical, hardpack battle where passing became increasingly difficult.

Coenen and Längenfelder both struggled for early track position, with Coenen eventually recovering to sixth after a late crash for his teammate, while Längenfelder settled for seventh.

Photo of Mathis Valin at round six of the 2026 Motocross World Championships, the MXGP of France at Lacapelle-Marival, France
Mathis Valin thrilled the home crowd with consistent 2-3 finishes, earning his second straight MX2 podium at his home Grand Prix. Photo: Pascal Haudiquert

At the front, McLellan closed right onto Farres in the closing stages, launching an ambitious final-corner attempt for victory, but Farres held firm to secure both the race win and overall Grand Prix victory.

Reflecting on the break and his return to form after a difficult mid-season stretch, McLellan said the timing of the pause was crucial to resetting mentally and physically, explaining: “A lot better after the break. It came at the right time and the right duration, four weeks was needed. I feel good again. This weekend was good for my confidence. In Riola and Trentino I took a big hit, not just in points but also started to question myself, whether I still had it or not. I answered that for myself this weekend. I think I was the fastest rider on the track. Race 2 was a little frustrating but both races were good, my starts were decent, which is unusual for me. I still have a big mountain to climb to get back into the championship fight, but that’s the plan. You’re only as good as your last race, and this weekend was really good. On hard pack as well, I think that answers a lot of questions for me. Looking forward to Germany.”

Reflecting on his breakthrough weekend, Farres said, “We showed we had the speed this weekend… I just wanted to come back and do my thing and show what I’m capable of. I’ve cut a lot of points in the last two rounds… I’m going to fight for this championship until the last race, every single lap.”

Valin’s third overall was another strong home performance, with the Frenchman pleased to back up his Saturday form, saying, “It feels good to be back on the box… back-to-back podiums is really good for rhythm and momentum.”

The championship now heads to Germany next weekend for round seven, with both title fights tightening after a brutal day in the French heat.

MX1 – Moto 1 – MXGP of France
Pos No Rider Nat Bike Gap
1st5Lucas CoenenBELKTM+0:00.000
2nd84Jeffrey HerlingsNEDHonda+0:10.070
3rd243Tim GajserSLOYamaha+0:18.365
4th74Kay de WolfNEDHusqvarna+0:30.786
5th80Andrea AdamoITAKTM+0:36.378
6th959Maxime RenauxFRAYamaha+0:39.622
7th1Romain FebvreFRAKawasaki+0:42.136
8th16Tom VialleFRAHonda+0:49.081
9th70Ruben FernandezESPHonda+0:59.935
10th132Andrea BonacorsiITADucati+1:09.019
11th10Calvin VlaanderenNEDDucati+1:15.892
12th41Pauls JonassLATKawasaki+1:18.730
13th83Oriol OliverESPKTM+1:19.706
14th32Brent Van DoninckBELFantic+1:21.346
15th303Alberto ForatoITAFantic+1:22.653
16th93Jago GeertsBELBeta+1:33.255
17th24Kevin HorgmoNORHonda+1:38.411
18th919Ben WatsonGBRTriumph+1 lap
19th253Jan PancarSLOKTM+1 lap
20th781Brian HsuGERHonda+1 lap
21st91Jeremy SeewerSUIDucati+1 lap
22nd6Benoit PaturelFRAYamaha+1 lap
23rd234Bogdan KrajewskiFRAYamaha+1 lap
24th241Maxime DespreyFRAYamaha+1 lap
25th87Kevin BrumannSUIHusqvarna+1 lap
26th64Romain PapeFRAYamaha+1 lap
27th123Federico TuaniITAHonda+2 laps
28th970Shaun VinelFRAYamaha+4 laps
29th831Brice MaylinFRAYamaha+9 laps
30th9Thibault BenistantFRAHonda+20 laps
MX1 – Moto 2 – MXGP of France
Pos No Rider Nat Bike Gap
1st84Jeffrey HerlingsNEDHonda+0:00.000
2nd5Lucas CoenenBELKTM+0:00.940
3rd1Romain FebvreFRAKawasaki+0:32.937
4th959Maxime RenauxFRAYamaha+0:33.869
5th74Kay de WolfNEDHusqvarna+0:54.784
6th70Ruben FernandezESPHonda+0:56.795
7th80Andrea AdamoITAKTM+1:12.282
8th303Alberto ForatoITAFantic+1:15.274
9th24Kevin HorgmoNORHonda+1:19.220
10th132Andrea BonacorsiITADucati+1:20.546
11th41Pauls JonassLATKawasaki+1:22.148
12th83Oriol OliverESPKTM+1:31.637
13th93Jago GeertsBELBeta+1:46.263
14th919Ben WatsonGBRTriumph+1 lap
15th10Calvin VlaanderenNEDDucati+1 lap
16th91Jeremy SeewerSUIDucati+1 lap
17th32Brent Van DoninckBELFantic+1 lap
18th6Benoit PaturelFRAYamaha+1 lap
19th781Brian HsuGERHonda+1 lap
20th234Bogdan KrajewskiFRAYamaha+1 lap
21st87Kevin BrumannSUIHusqvarna+1 lap
22nd64Romain PapeFRAYamaha+1 lap
23rd123Federico TuaniITAHonda+2 laps
24th970Shaun VinelFRAYamaha+4 laps
25th253Jan PancarSLOKTM+16 laps
26th241Maxime DespreyFRAYamaha+19 laps
MXGP – Round Overall – MXGP of France
Pos No Rider Nat Bike Race 1 Race 2 Total
1st84Jeffrey HerlingsNEDHON222547 Points
2nd5Lucas CoenenBELKTM252247 Points
3rd1Romain FebvreFRAKAW142034 Points
4th74Kay de WolfNEDHUS181634 Points
5th959Maxime RenauxFRAYAM151833 Points
6th80Andrea AdamoITAKTM161430 Points
7th70Ruben FernandezESPHON121527 Points
8th132Andrea BonacorsiITADUC111122 Points
9th243Tim GajserSLOYAM20020 Points
10th303Alberto ForatoITAFAN61319 Points
11th41Pauls JonassLATKAW91019 Points
12th83Oriol OliverESPKTM8917 Points
13th24Kevin HorgmoNORHON41216 Points
14th10Calvin VlaanderenNEDDUC10616 Points
15th93Jago GeertsBELBET5813 Points
16th16Tom VialleFRAHON13013 Points
17th32Brent Van DoninckBELFAN7411 Points
18th919Ben WatsonGBRTRI3710 Points
19th91Jeremy SeewerSUIDUC055 Points
20th6Benoit PaturelFRAYAM033 Points
21st781Brian HsuGERHON123 Points
22nd253Jan PancarSLOKTM202 Points
23rd234Bogdan KrajewskiFRAYAM011 Point
MXGP – Championship Standings After Round 6 – MXGP of France
Pos No Rider Nat Bike Total Gap
1st5Lucas CoenenBELKTM286 Points+0
2nd84Jeffrey HerlingsNEDHON284 Points-2
3rd1Romain FebvreFRAKAW231 Points-55
4th243Tim GajserSLOYAM223 Points-63
5th16Tom VialleFRAHON219 Points-67
6th959Maxime RenauxFRAYAM218 Points-68
7th74Kay de WolfNEDHUS187 Points-99
8th70Ruben FernandezESPHON177 Points-109
9th80Andrea AdamoITAKTM171 Points-115
10th10Calvin VlaanderenNEDDUC126 Points-160
11th41Pauls JonassLATKAW115 Points-171
12th303Alberto ForatoITAFAN114 Points-172
13th83Oriol OliverESPKTM89 Points-197
14th24Kevin HorgmoNORHON85 Points-201
15th101Mattia GuadagniniITAKTM69 Points-217
16th32Brent Van DoninckBELFAN55 Points-231
17th253Jan PancarSLOKTM49 Points-237
18th919Ben WatsonGBRTRI45 Points-241
19th93Jago GeertsBELBET41 Points-245
20th9Thibault BenistantFRAHON40 Points-246
21st39R. Van De MoosdijkNEDKTM39 Points-247
22nd91Jeremy SeewerSUIDUC34 Points-252
23rd132Andrea BonacorsiITADUC28 Points-258
24th226Tom KochGERKTM8 Points-278
25th166Enzo LopesBRAHON7 Points-279
26th811Adam SterryGBRKTM7 Points-279
27th261J. TalvikuESTYAM5 Points-281
28th173Jose ButronESPKTM5 Points-281
29th179Joaquin PoliARGKAW5 Points-281
30th300Noah LudwigGERKTM4 Points-282
MX1 – Moto 1 – MXGP of France
Pos No Rider Nat Bike Gap
1st99Guillem FarresESPTriumph+0:00.000
2nd317Mathis ValinFRAKawasaki+0:03.461
3rd8Camden Mc LellanRSATriumph+0:05.721
4th1Simon LängenfelderGERKTM+0:12.347
5th26Liam EvertsBELHusqvarna+0:18.966
6th772Janis Martins ReisulisLATYamaha+0:24.731
7th20Julius MikulaCZEKTM+0:26.920
8th19Sacha CoenenBELKTM+0:30.737
9th83Maxime GrauFRAHonda+0:36.714
10th29Francisco GarciaESPKawasaki+0:39.187
11th73Ferruccio ZanchiITADucati+0:41.055
12th18Valerio LataITAHonda+1:04.768
13th716Noel ZanoczHUNKTM+1:11.387
14th47Karlis Alberts ReisulisLATYamaha+1:15.635
15th574Gyan DoensenNEDKTM+1:25.388
16th12Pelle GundersenNORHusqvarna+1:37.775
17th30Jake CannonAUSKawasaki+1:40.190
18th365Adria MonneESPGASGAS+1:54.085
19th441William AskewGBRTriumph+1 lap
20th98Alessandro GaspariITAKTM+1 lap
21st518Douwe Van MechgelenBELTM+1 lap
22nd420Andrea RossiITAKTM+1 lap
23rd496Alve CallemoSWEHusqvarna+1 lap
24th287Maximilian ErneckerAUTKTM+1 lap
25th920Sandro SoolsSWEKTM+1 lap
26th290Joshua VoelkerGERKTM+2 laps
27th252Valentino VazquezESPGASGAS+2 laps
28th456Ollie ColmerGBRKTM+3 laps
29th370Xavier CampsESPGASGAS+3 laps
30th33Kay KarssemakersNEDKawasaki+5 laps
31st44Nike KorsbeckSWETriumph+9 laps
32nd938Rodolfo BicalhoBRAKTM+11 laps
33rd466Vaclav JanoutCZEKTM+11 laps
34th321Alessandro TraversiniITAKTM+13 laps
35th408Scott SmuldersNEDHusqvarna+19 laps
MX1 – Moto 2 – MXGP of France
Pos No Rider Nat Bike Gap
1st99Guillem FarresESPTriumph+0:00.000
2nd8Camden Mc LellanRSATriumph+0:00.856
3rd317Mathis ValinFRAKawasaki+0:06.860
4th26Liam EvertsBELHusqvarna+0:09.962
5th772Janis Martins ReisulisLATYamaha+0:13.230
6th19Sacha CoenenBELKTM+0:13.825
7th1Simon LängenfelderGERKTM+0:22.869
8th18Valerio LataITAHonda+0:28.488
9th83Maxime GrauFRAHonda+0:41.023
10th29Francisco GarciaESPKawasaki+0:45.289
11th47Karlis Alberts ReisulisLATYamaha+0:49.718
12th716Noel ZanoczHUNKTM+0:52.069
13th30Jake CannonAUSKawasaki+1:19.472
14th73Ferruccio ZanchiITADucati+1:32.149
15th574Gyan DoensenNEDKTM+1:34.640
16th441William AskewGBRTriumph+1 lap
17th365Adria MonneESPGASGAS+1 lap
18th20Julius MikulaCZEKTM+1 lap
19th420Andrea RossiITAKTM+1 lap
20th456Ollie ColmerGBRKTM+1 lap
21st518Douwe Van MechgelenBELTM+1 lap
22nd287Maximilian ErneckerAUTKTM+1 lap
23rd321Alessandro TraversiniITAKTM+1 lap
24th920Sandro SoolsSWEKTM+1 lap
25th290Joshua VoelkerGERKTM+1 lap
26th496Alve CallemoSWEHusqvarna+2 laps
27th938Rodolfo BicalhoBRAKTM+2 laps
28th370Xavier CampsESPGASGAS+2 laps
29th252Valentino VazquezESPGASGAS+3 laps
30th98Alessandro GaspariITAKTM+8 laps
31st12Pelle GundersenNORHusqvarna+9 laps
MX2 – Round Overall – MXGP of France
Pos No Rider Nat Bike Race 1 Race 2 Total
1st99Guillem FarresESPTRI252550 Points
2nd8Camden Mc LellanRSATRI202242 Points
3rd317Mathis ValinFRAKAW222042 Points
4th26Liam EvertsBELHUS161834 Points
5th1Simon LängenfelderGERKTM181432 Points
6th772Janis Martins ReisulisLATYAM151631 Points
7th19Sacha CoenenBELKTM131528 Points
8th83Maxime GrauFRAHON121224 Points
9th18Valerio LataITAHON91322 Points
10th29Francisco GarciaESPKAW111122 Points
11th47Karlis Alberts ReisulisLATYAM71017 Points
12th716Noel ZanoczHUNKTM8917 Points
13th73Ferruccio ZanchiITADUC10717 Points
14th20Julius MikulaCZEKTM14317 Points
15th30Jake CannonAUSKAW4812 Points
16th574Gyan DoensenNEDKTM6612 Points
17th441William AskewGBRTRI257 Points
18th365Adria MonneESPGAS347 Points
19th12Pelle GundersenNORHUS505 Points
20th420Andrea RossiITAKTM022 Points
21st456Ollie ColmerGBRKTM011 Point
22nd98Alessandro GaspariITAKTM101 Point
MXGP – Championship Standings After Round 6 – MXGP of France
Pos No Rider Nat Bike Total Gap
1st1Simon LängenfelderGERKTM281 Points+0
2nd19Sacha CoenenBELKTM273 Points-8
3rd99Guillem FarresESPTRI261 Points-20
4th26Liam EvertsBELHUS245 Points-36
5th8Camden Mc LellanRSATRI233 Points-48
6th317Mathis ValinFRAKAW211 Points-70
7th772Janis Martins ReisulisLATYAM209 Points-72
8th47Karlis ReisulisLATYAM167 Points-114
9th18Valerio LataITAHON156 Points-125
10th20Julius MikulaCZEKTM130 Points-151
11th33Kay KarssemakersNEDKAW114 Points-167
12th172Cas ValkNEDTM87 Points-194
13th83Maxime GrauFRAHON75 Points-206
14th716Noel ZanoczHUNKTM73 Points-208
15th48Jens WalvoortNEDKTM60 Points-221
16th408Scott SmuldersNEDHUS57 Points-224
17th73Ferruccio ZanchiITADUC35 Points-246
18th12P. GundersenNORHUS35 Points-246
19th420Andrea RossiITAKTM35 Points-246
20th29Francisco GarciaESPKAW25 Points-256
21st456Ollie ColmerGBRKTM24 Points-257
22nd398B. GaribCHIHON18 Points-263
23rd98A. GaspariITAKTM14 Points-267
24th30Jake CannonAUSKAW12 Points-269
25th170Valentin KeesGERKTM12 Points-269
26th574Gyan DoensenNEDKTM12 Points-269
27th71M. BennatiITATRI10 Points-271
28th154C. Padilla DuranBOLGAS10 Points-271
29th97S. ManciniITADUC9 Points-272
30th22D. BracerasESPTRI8 Points-273

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