Tim Gajser Dominates in Rain-Soaked Spain as Liam Everts Shines in MX2

The Circuito Moto Ranch in Cózar, southern Spain, proved to be a challenging venue for the second round of the 2025 FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP), as unpredictable weather, including sunshine and showers, wreaked havoc on race day.

The conditions tested both riders and teams, but it was the tough, technical competitors who rose to the occasion.

Tim Gajser completed a flawless weekend with a double victory, marking his 50th career Grand Prix win. This victory sees him join the elite ranks of the sport’s all-time greats, equaling Joel Robert for fifth on the all-time GP win list. Fantic Factory Racing also celebrated a milestone, with Glenn Coldenhoff and Andrea Bonacorsi securing the team’s first-ever double podium finish, delighting the Italian brand.

Meanwhile, in MX2, Liam Everts demonstrated his mastery of the mud, clinching a dominant win in the second race. After a strong second-place finish in the opening moto, he stormed to an 81-second victory over his teammate Kay de Wolf. Everts, the reigning champion, reclaimed the red plate with a determined second overall. But the most emotional moment of the day came from Ferruccio Zanchi, who secured his first-ever career race win and podium finish.

It wasn’t a day to remember for the red plate holders, Maxime Renaux and Sacha Coenen. Both struggled through tough conditions and will be switching to regular plates for the next round. However, with the championship still in its early stages, they have time to regroup and recover.

MXGP: Gajser Dominates in Wet Conditions

Honda HRC teammates Tim Gajser and home hero Ruben Fernandez set the fastest times in a soaking wet morning warm-up session. However, it was Kevin Horgmo who grabbed the Holeshot Award in the opening race, marking his first-ever in the MXGP class. Horgmo narrowly avoided a first-corner pile-up, with Lucas Coenen slipping to the ground and Maxime Renaux getting tangled in the mess.

By the second corner, Fernandez had moved into the lead, with Glenn Coldenhoff close behind. But it was Gajser who was lurking in the background, charging through the ruts to take the lead before the end of the first lap, setting the Fastest Lap of the day on lap two. From there, the Slovenian simply pulled away, securing a dominant win.

Calvin Vlaanderen was riding strong, moving into third halfway through the race. Behind him, Horgmo, Isak Gifting, and Romain Febvre had a thrilling battle, with Gifting eventually finishing sixth and Febvre seventh. Coenen and Renaux fought back to finish ninth and tenth, but both were lapped by Gajser, who led the Honda HRC 1-2 finish.

Race two saw more rain, but the riders made it through the first corner largely unscathed. Pauls Jonass took the Holeshot Award, but Coenen quickly passed him and took the lead. Gajser, however, was in a determined mood. From a tenth-place start, he made an incredible charge, moving through the field with precision and aggression to catch Coenen, who had slipped in a rut. By the end of the first lap, Gajser had secured the lead, with Coldenhoff and Andrea Bonacorsi in pursuit.

Vlaanderen’s tough luck continued, and Fernandez could only recover to twelfth after a second-corner crash. In contrast, Gajser kept his cool, extending his lead while Coldenhoff and Bonacorsi battled for second. Bonacorsi ultimately grabbed a career-best second place, while Coldenhoff held onto third.

In the overall standings, Gajser’s dominant double win sees him now 20 points clear of second-placed Febvre.

Reflecting on his performance, Gajser commented, “It was a great weekend—three out of three wins and two strong motos in really tough conditions. Yesterday’s qualifying race win was important for securing a good gate pick today. In the first race, I got a solid start, while in the second, I had to fight through the pack, but I was able to control the pace and get the job done. I’m really happy with how everything went. A huge thank you to my team and everyone around me; I know how hard they are working. This is just the beginning, and I can’t wait to go again in two weeks!”

Glenn Coldenhoff was equally pleased with his podium finish, saying, “It’s been a while since my last podium, so this feels really good. My starts were on point this weekend, which made everything much easier. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake in the second moto, bent my shift lever, and ended up in neutral, which is so easy to do in these tough conditions. But I have to thank the whole team and all the mechanics—they have such a tough job in conditions like these. Fantic did an amazing job with the bike, and having two Fantic riders on the podium is incredible. We’re building momentum, and I’m excited for what’s ahead!”

Andrea Bonacorsi, thrilled with his second-place finish in race two, shared, “It’s amazing to be on the podium. I felt super well in the team from the first moment, so we said that it was going to be good this year and that we will be on the podium. We made it now in the second race, so we have to be proud of what we are making, and a big thanks to everybody today because it was really survival mode for everybody—riders and mechanics—but we made it 2-3. Also, congrats to Glenn (Coldenhoff) because we did a really amazing job. But thanks to everybody at home, and see you soon.”

MX2

There were no surprises when the wet morning warm-up session was topped by Liam Everts, who set the fastest time, a second and a half ahead of Andrea Adamo, while Cas Valk again showed his speed in the mud with third.

Sacha Coenen, wearing the red plate, stood on equal points with De Wolf. However, a tangle with Adamo on the start straight left the 2023 Champion on the floor, with Coenen himself well down the order, and things didn’t improve throughout the day for the 18-year-old!

Ferruccio Zanchi, another 18-year-old, was starting the day of his life as he burst into the lead, just ahead of Thibault Benistant, the winner of Saturday’s Qualifying Race! Everts gave chase, with his teammate De Wolf quickly joining him, although not before he thrillingly swapped places with Benistant for most of the first full lap.

Mathis Valin, fastest in Saturday’s Time Practice session, got past his fellow Frenchman on the second lap and was looking good in fourth until a crash on lap eight forced him to pull out with a painful wrist. Sadly, he was unable to line up for race two. This promoted a hard-charging Simon Laengenfelder to fifth place, while his teammates could only recover to ninth (Adamo) and eleventh (Coenen), with Camden McLellan the last rider not to be lapped in tenth.

There was a heroic performance from Julius Mikula, who moved up two places to eighth on the final lap! Quentin Prugnieres was impressive with seventh, although Valk managed to recover from a start outside of the top ten to pass Quentin with four laps to go.

Many thought that Everts would close in on the young Italian out front, but Zanchi was up to the challenge and took his first career GP race win, the first for Honda in MX2 since Calvin Vlaanderen in 2019! Everts, De Wolf, Benistant, and Laengenfelder rounded out the top five.

After a dry spell before MX2 Race Two, the heavens cruelly opened on the circuit, breaking the hearts of the hard-working track crew, with lap times in the second outing being on average ten seconds higher than in race one!

This time, it was Everts who blasted to the Fox Holeshot Award line with the lead over De Wolf, while Benistant and McLellan battled for third for most of the first lap! However, Benistant dropped back to sixth, as McLellan’s teammate Guillem Farres, only 16th in race one, held fourth from Adamo by the end of the first full lap. Benistant also lost a battle to Laengenfelder before losing control on a rough downhill, dropping to an eventual twelfth-place finish.

McLellan got stuck in trackside mud on the same lap and was unable to restart, walking back to the paddock in bitter disappointment. Adamo and Valk were moving impressively forward, helped by mistakes from Farres, who slipped to an eventual sixth, just ahead of Prugnieres and Mikula, who finished seventh and eighth again. Home rider Oriol Oliver took ninth, just ahead of Zanchi, who had to recover from a first-lap mistake to take tenth place, which was just enough to secure his spot on the overall podium!

Laengenfelder was able to get back ahead of Valk after the tall Dutchman had taken advantage of a mistake by the German, who charged up to the rear wheel of Adamo. So much so that the Italian pushed hard enough to catch De Wolf as they started the final lap! While Everts serenely floated to the race win, at times around ten seconds faster than everyone else, his teammate had to pick up his pace to keep the two KTM men behind him! De Wolf managed to keep enough of a gap, securing second overall and a return to the top of the points table. Adamo held a defensive line into the last corner as Laengenfelder went for a blast around the outside, knowing that the pass would mean a podium finish! However, the Italian hit a bump and briefly stopped, and the German could not avoid him, hitting the ground himself. Laengenfelder quickly got back up to claim fourth overall, ahead of Adamo.

Zanchi took his first career GP podium, and Honda’s first in MX2 since Stephen Rubini’s third overall in May 2022 at Maggiora. This result puts Zanchi up to eighth in the standings and should provide a major boost to his confidence. The second race was all about Liam Everts, however, and his dominant win by a minute and twenty seconds indicated just how much better he is at this style of racing. After doubts about whether he could ever race again due to injuries from last year, this was a brilliant sixth career victory for the determined Belgian, who now moves up to second in the points standings, just six points behind his teammate!

Reflecting on his victory, Everts said, “I’m absolutely speechless. Just six months ago, I was sitting on the couch, not knowing if I would ever race again. But I worked hard for this moment—I didn’t do it alone, and I’m grateful for the people who supported me along the way. It’s incredible to achieve this with my new team, and having our boss here to see us

The big clean-up for the teams has a time limit, as they face a 1,000 km journey north to St Jean d’Angely in France for the MXGP of Europe next weekend! Last year’s event there was affected by the weather, and this year may see something similar.

MXGP – Grand Prix Race 1 – Classification
Pos	Nr	Rider	Nat	Bike	Gap	Laps
1	243	Tim Gajser	SLO	Honda	0:00.000	12
2	70	Ruben Fernandez	ESP	Honda	0:43.251	12
3	10	Calvin Vlaanderen	NED	Yamaha	0:50.468	12
4	259	Glenn Coldenhoff	NED	Fantic	0:57.904	12
5	24	Kevin Horgmo	NOR	Honda	1:08.538	12
6	517	Isak Gifting	SWE	Yamaha	2:06.024	12
7	3	Romain Febvre	FRA	Kawasaki	2:22.196	12
8	132	Andrea Bonacorsi	ITA	Fantic	2:30.187	12
9	96	Lucas Coenen	BEL	KTM	2:44.364	12
10	959	Maxime Renaux	FRA	Yamaha	3:20.030	12
11	189	Brian Bogers	NED	Fantic	1 lap	11
12	87	Kevin Brumann	SUI	Husqvarna	1 lap	11
13	39	Roan Van De Moosdijk	NED	KTM	1 lap	11
14	91	Jeremy Seewer	SUI	Ducati	1 lap	11
15	919	Ben Watson	GBR	Beta	1 lap	11
16	41	Pauls Jonass	LAT	Kawasaki	1 lap	11
17	93	Jago Geerts	BEL	Yamaha	1 lap	11
18	253	Jan Pancar	SLO	KTM	1 lap	11
19	326	Josh Gilbert	GBR	Honda	1 lap	11
20	991	Mark Scheu	GER	Husqvarna	1 lap	11
21	101	Mattia Guadagnini	ITA	Ducati	1 lap	11
22	811	Adam Sterry	GBR	KTM	2 laps	10
23	226	Tom Koch	GER	Beta	2 laps	10
24	131	Cato Nickel	GER	Husqvarna	4 laps	8
25	211	Lucas Bodega Gomez	ESP	KTM	4 laps	8
26	505	Arvid Lüning	SWE	Husqvarna	8 laps	4
27	292	Ander Valentin	ESP	Yamaha	10 laps	2
28	17	Cornelius Toendel	NOR	Honda	12 laps	0

MXGP – Grand Prix Race 2 – Classification
Pos	No	Rider	Nat	Bike	Gap	Laps
1	243	Tim Gajser	SLO	Honda	0:00.000	12
2	132	Andrea Bonacorsi	ITA	Fantic	0:38.960	12
3	259	Glenn Coldenhoff	NED	Fantic	0:52.639	12
4	189	Brian Bogers	NED	Fantic	1:21.737	12
5	3	Romain Febvre	FRA	Kawasaki	1:28.376	12
6	41	Pauls Jonass	LAT	Kawasaki	1:34.636	12
7	517	Isak Gifting	SWE	Yamaha	1:41.892	12
8	96	Lucas Coenen	BEL	KTM	1:44.327	12
9	101	Mattia Guadagnini	ITA	Ducati	1:49.660	12
10	24	Kevin Horgmo	NOR	Honda	2:00.998	12
11	959	Maxime Renaux	FRA	Yamaha	2:41.849	12
12	70	Ruben Fernandez	ESP	Honda	2:53.914	12
13	919	Ben Watson	GBR	Beta	2:59.127	12
14	91	Jeremy Seewer	SUI	Ducati	1 lap	11
15	326	Josh Gilbert	GBR	Honda	1 lap	11
16	226	Tom Koch	GER	Beta	1 lap	11
17	253	Jan Pancar	SLO	KTM	1 lap	11
18	811	Adam Sterry	GBR	KTM	1 lap	11
19	87	Kevin Brumann	SUI	Husqvarna	1 lap	11
20	17	Cornelius Toendel	NOR	Honda	2 laps	10
21	991	Mark Scheu	GER	Husqvarna	2 laps	10
22	10	Calvin Vlaanderen	NED	Yamaha	4 laps	8
23	39	Roan Van De Moosdijk	NED	KTM	5 laps	7
24	505	Arvid Lüning	SWE	Husqvarna	5 laps	7
25	211	Lucas Bodega Gomez	ESP	KTM	6 laps	6
26	292	Ander Valentin	ESP	Yamaha	10 laps	2
27	93	Jago Geerts	BEL	Yamaha	11 laps	1
28	131	Cato Nickel	GER	Husqvarna	12 laps	0

MXGP – GP Classification
Pos	No	Rider	Nat	Bike	Race 1	Race 2	Total
1	243	Tim Gajser	SLO	HON	25 Points	25 Points	50 Points
2	259	Glenn Coldenhoff	NED	FAN	18 Points	20 Points	38 Points
3	132	Andrea Bonacorsi	ITA	FAN	13 Points	22 Points	35 Points
4	70	Ruben Fernandez	ESP	HON	22 Points	9 Points	31 Points
5	3	Romain Febvre	FRA	KAW	14 Points	16 Points	30 Points
6	517	Isak Gifting	SWE	YAM	15 Points	14 Points	29 Points
7	189	Brian Bogers	NED	FAN	10 Points	18 Points	28 Points
8	24	Kevin Horgmo	NOR	HON	16 Points	11 Points	27 Points
9	96	Lucas Coenen	BEL	KTM	12 Points	13 Points	25 Points
10	959	Maxime Renaux	FRA	YAM	11 Points	10 Points	21 Points
11	41	Pauls Jonass	LAT	KAW	5 Points	15 Points	20 Points
12	10	Calvin Vlaanderen	NED	YAM	20 Points	0 Points	20 Points
13	919	Ben Watson	GBR	BET	6 Points	8 Points	14 Points
14	91	Jeremy Seewer	SUI	DUC	7 Points	7 Points	14 Points
15	101	Mattia Guadagnini	ITA	DUC	0 Points	12 Points	12 Points
16	87	Kevin Brumann	SUI	HUS	9 Points	2 Points	11 Points
17	326	Josh Gilbert	GBR	HON	2 Points	6 Points	8 Points
18	39	Roan Van De Moosdijk	NED	KTM	8 Points	0 Points	8 Points
19	253	Jan Pancar	SLO	KTM	3 Points	4 Points	7 Points
20	226	Tom Koch	GER	BET	0 Points	5 Points	5 Points
21	93	Jago Geerts	BEL	YAM	4 Points	0 Points	4 Points
22	811	Adam Sterry	GBR	KTM	0 Points	3 Points	3 Points
23	17	Cornelius Toendel	NOR	HON	0 Points	1 Points	1 Points
24	991	Mark Scheu	GER	HUS	1 Points	0 Points	1 Points
25	505	Arvid Lüning	SWE	HUS	0 Points	0 Points	0 Points

MXGP – World Championship Classification – After Round 2
Pos	No	Rider	Nat	Bike	Total Points
1	243	Tim Gajser	SLO	HON	108 Points
2	3	Romain Febvre	FRA	KAW	88 Points
3	959	Maxime Renaux	FRA	YAM	87 Points
4	259	Glenn Coldenhoff	NED	FAN	79 Points
5	96	Lucas Coenen	BEL	KTM	57 Points
6	132	Andrea Bonacorsi	ITA	FAN	56 Points
7	24	Kevin Horgmo	NOR	HON	55 Points
8	70	Ruben Fernandez	ESP	HON	53 Points
9	41	Pauls Jonass	LAT	KAW	53 Points
10	101	Mattia Guadagnini	ITA	DUC	52 Points
11	189	Brian Bogers	NED	FAN	46 Points
12	10	Calvin Vlaanderen	NED	YAM	39 Points
13	91	Jeremy Seewer	SUI	DUC	39 Points
14	517	Isak Gifting	SWE	YAM	38 Points
15	93	Jago Geerts	BEL	YAM	26 Points
16	919	Ben Watson	GBR	BET	25 Points
17	253	Jan Pancar	SLO	KTM	22 Points
18	92	Valentin Guillod	SUI	YAM	16 Points
19	87	Kevin Brumann	SUI	HUS	12 Points
20	226	Tom Koch	GER	BET	10 Points
21	39	Roan Van De Moosdijk	NED	KTM	8 Points
22	326	Josh Gilbert	GBR	HON	8 Points
23	17	Cornelius Toendel	NOR	HON	7 Points
24	238	Felipe Aparecido dos Santos	BRA	YAM	5 Points
25	811	Adam Sterry	GBR	KTM	3 Points
26	303	Alberto Forato	ITA	HON	1 Point
27	991	Mark Scheu	GER	HUS	1 Point

MX2 – Grand Prix Race 1 – Classification
Pos	Nr	Rider	Nat	Bike	Gap	Laps
1	73	Ferruccio Zanchi	ITA	Honda	0:00.000	13
2	26	Liam Everts	BEL	Husqvarna	0:11.221	13
3	1	Kay de Wolf	NED	Husqvarna	1:15.427	13
4	9	Thibault Benistant	FRA	Yamaha	1:23.894	13
5	27	Simon Längenfelder	GER	KTM	1:43.025	13
6	172	Cas Valk	NED	KTM	2:01.868	13
7	319	Quentin Marc Prugnieres	FRA	KTM	2:44.091	13
8	20	Julius Mikula	CZE	TM	2:50.848	13
9	80	Andrea Adamo	ITA	KTM	3:02.405	13
10	8	Camden Mc Lellan	RSA	Triumph	3:40.014	13
11	19	Sacha Coenen	BEL	KTM	1 lap	12
12	22	David Braceras	ESP	Honda	1 lap	12
13	18	Valerio Lata	ITA	Honda	1 lap	12
14	51	Oriol Oliver	ESP	KTM	1 lap	12
15	47	Karlis Alberts Reisulis	LAT	Yamaha	2 laps	11
16	99	Guillem Farres	ESP	Triumph	2 laps	11
17	256	Magnus Smith	DEN	KTM	2 laps	11
18	114	Nicolas Vennekens	BEL	KTM	2 laps	11
19	744	Saad Soulimani	MAR	TM	2 laps	11
20	317	Mathis Valin	FRA	Kawasaki	6 laps	7
21	368	Samuel Nilsson	ESP	Triumph	7 laps	6
22	4	Rick Elzinga	NED	Yamaha	13 laps	0

MX2 – Grand Prix Race 2 – Classification
Pos	Nr	Rider	Nat	Bike	Gap	Laps
1	26	Liam Everts	BEL	Husqvarna	0:00.000	13
2	1	Kay de Wolf	NED	Husqvarna	1:21.434	13
3	80	Andrea Adamo	ITA	KTM	1:23.293	13
4	27	Simon Längenfelder	GER	KTM	1:34.976	13
5	172	Cas Valk	NED	KTM	1:49.577	13
6	99	Guillem Farres	ESP	Triumph	1:59.379	13
7	319	Quentin Marc Prugnieres	FRA	KTM	2:26.476	13
8	20	Julius Mikula	CZE	TM	2:37.483	13
9	51	Oriol Oliver	ESP	KTM	2:42.144	13
10	73	Ferruccio Zanchi	ITA	Honda	1 lap	12
11	18	Valerio Lata	ITA	Honda	1 lap	12
12	9	Thibault Benistant	FRA	Yamaha	1 lap	12
13	4	Rick Elzinga	NED	Yamaha	1 lap	12
14	47	Karlis Alberts Reisulis	LAT	Yamaha	2 laps	11
15	19	Sacha Coenen	BEL	KTM	2 laps	11
16	744	Saad Soulimani	MAR	TM	2 laps	11
17	114	Nicolas Vennekens	BEL	KTM	2 laps	11
18	256	Magnus Smith	DEN	KTM	3 laps	10
19	8	Camden Mc Lellan	RSA	Triumph	11 laps	2
20	22	David Braceras	ESP	Honda	13 laps	0

MX2 – GP Classification
Pos	Nr	Rider	Nat	Bike	Race 1	Race 2	Total
1	26	Liam Everts	BEL	HUS	22 Points	25 Points	47
2	1	Kay de Wolf	NED	HUS	20 Points	22 Points	42
3	73	Ferruccio Zanchi	ITA	HON	25 Points	11 Points	36
4	27	Simon Längenfelder	GER	KTM	16 Points	18 Points	34
5	80	Andrea Adamo	ITA	KTM	12 Points	20 Points	32
6	172	Cas Valk	NED	KTM	15 Points	16 Points	31
7	319	Quentin Marc Prugnieres	FRA	KTM	14 Points	14 Points	28
8	9	Thibault Benistant	FRA	YAM	18 Points	9 Points	27
9	20	Julius Mikula	CZE	TM	13 Points	13 Points	26
10	99	Guillem Farres	ESP	TRI	5 Points	15 Points	20
11	51	Oriol Oliver	ESP	KTM	7 Points	12 Points	19
12	18	Valerio Lata	ITA	HON	8 Points	10 Points	18
13	19	Sacha Coenen	BEL	KTM	10 Points	6 Points	16
14	47	Karlis Alberts Reisulis	LAT	YAM	6 Points	7 Points	13
15	8	Camden Mc Lellan	RSA	TRI	11 Points	2 Points	13
16	22	David Braceras	ESP	HON	9 Points	1 Point	10
17	4	Rick Elzinga	NED	YAM	0 Points	8 Points	8
18	744	Saad Soulimani	MAR	TM	2 Points	5 Points	7
19	114	Nicolas Vennekens	BEL	KTM	3 Points	4 Points	7
20	256	Magnus Smith	DEN	KTM	4 Points	3 Points	7
21	317	Mathis Valin	FRA	KAW	1 Point	0 Points	1
22	368	Samuel Nilsson	ESP	TRI	0 Points	0 Points	0

MX2 – World Championship Classification – After Round 2
Pos	No	Rider	Nat	Bike	Total Points
1	1	Kay de Wolf	NED	HUS	97 Points
2	26	Liam Everts	BEL	HUS	91 Points
3	27	Simon Längenfelder	GER	KTM	78 Points
4	19	Sacha Coenen	BEL	KTM	71 Points
5	80	Andrea Adamo	ITA	KTM	71 Points
6	9	Thibault Benistant	FRA	YAM	63 Points
7	172	Cas Valk	NED	KTM	61 Points
8	73	Ferruccio Zanchi	ITA	HON	53 Points
9	99	Guillem Farres	ESP	TRI	46 Points
10	319	Quentin Prugnieres	FRA	KTM	43 Points
11	8	Camden Mc Lellan	RSA	TRI	42 Points
12	18	Valerio Lata	ITA	HON	41 Points
13	47	Karlis Reisulis	LAT	YAM	40 Points
14	51	Oriol Oliver	ESP	KTM	37 Points
15	20	Julius Mikula	CZE	TM	36 Points
16	22	David Braceras	ESP	HON	31 Points
17	4	Rick Elzinga	NED	YAM	26 Points
18	317	Mathis Valin	FRA	KAW	25 Points
19	114	Nicolas Vennekens	BEL	KTM	10 Points
20	744	Saad Soulimani	MAR	TM	7 Points
21	256	Magnus Smith	DEN	KTM	7 Points
22	28	Mathis Rossi	FRA	KTM	6 Points
23	489	Jens Walvoort	NED	KTM	5 Points
24	44	M. Silva	BRA	YAM	4 Points
25	30	B. Pascual	ARG	HON	2 Points
26	166	Pietro Piroli	BRA	YAM	1 Point