Netherlands – 23 August 2026: The MXGP of the Netherlands delivered an action-packed round 16 of the 2026 FIM Motocross World Championship, with more than 30,000 fans enjoying a fast but demanding sand track at Motorsportpark Gelderland Midden.
Pics courtesy of MXGP.
Jeffrey Herlings was once again supreme in MXGP, completing a fourth consecutive perfect 1-1-1 weekend for Honda HRC Petronas. However, fellow Dutchman Kay de Wolf pushed him hard throughout both races, finishing 2-2 for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing. Tom Vialle completed the podium with 4-3 results, his third podium in the last four GPs.
In race one, Vialle grabbed the Fox Holeshot before De Wolf moved into the lead. Herlings recovered from an early mistake and spent much of the race applying pressure before finally taking control on lap 14. A rock then became lodged in his rear brake lever with four corners remaining, briefly locking the rear wheel. Herlings cleared it and held on to win by just 3.7 seconds.
Race two again saw Herlings and De Wolf battle at the front, with Herlings taking the holeshot and De Wolf moving into second. De Wolf mounted a late challenge, closing to within 1.5 seconds with three laps remaining, but a mistake in a right-hand corner sent him crashing. He remounted to finish second, while Herlings secured his 14th consecutive individual race win and 122nd career GP victory.
Glenn Coldenhoff ended his MXGP career in style, finishing fifth overall with 7-4 results. Roan van de Moosdijk recorded his best premier-class result with ninth in race two, while Jago Geerts finished inside the overall top 10.
The result leaves Herlings 143 points clear of Romain Febvre in the championship. With only 120 points remaining after Türkiye, Herlings could potentially clinch the title during the first Sunday race at Afyonkarahisar.
MX2: McLellan Dominates
In MX2, South Africa’s Camden McLellan claimed his third Grand Prix victory of the season for Triumph, moving closer to second in the championship. Liam Everts won race two and finished second overall, while championship leader Guillem Farres took third overall to put two Triumph riders on the podium.
Race 1
Coenen launched into the lead to claim his 14th Fox Holeshot Award of the season, securing the season-long holeshot title. McLellan started second ahead of Julius Mikula, Farres and Valerio Lata. McLellan and Coenen battled early, but Farres briefly passed his teammate before McLellan regained second, allowing Coenen to break away.
Mikula held fifth while Janis Reisulis, defending champion Simon Längenfelder, and Everts fought their way forward. Karlis Reisulis and Scott Smulders completed the top ten.
Lata enjoyed a strong ride, passing Mikula on lap two and holding fourth for more than half the race. Everts passed him cleanly on lap 11, with Lata finishing fifth. Janis Reisulis won a battle with Längenfelder for sixth, while Karlis was eighth and the last rider on the lead lap. Mikula finished 12th behind Ollie Colmer, who recorded his best-ever GP finish, while Smulders took ninth and Noel Zanocz tenth.
At the front, Farres remained third despite mistakes, leaving McLellan free to challenge Coenen. The Belgian then crashed in almost an exact repeat of his Qualifying Race mistake after Pit Lane, handing McLellan the win. The result earned McLellan two more points on Farres in the championship fight.
Race 2
Längenfelder took his sixth Fox Holeshot Award of the season, but Everts quickly passed him through the third corner. Farres and Coenen also moved past Längenfelder by the end of lap one, while McLellan charged from sixth behind Janis Reisulis. Lata, Karlis Reisulis, Kay Karssemakers and Colmer completed the early top ten.
Everts pulled away as McLellan and Janis passed Längenfelder, who later dropped to eighth after being passed by Karlis and Lata. Coenen eventually passed Farres, but McLellan followed through two laps later.
Karssemakers won an all-Dutch battle with Smulders for ninth, while Smulders’ tenth gave him a career-best ninth overall. Zanocz followed, Lata finished eighth in both race two and overall, and Janis Reisulis finished seventh in the race and overall.
Längenfelder recovered to sixth in both the race and overall, ahead of Janis. McLellan made a switchback pass on Coenen for second on lap 14 and chased Everts, who increased his pace to secure his second race win of the season and second overall victory in a row. Coenen then lost third to Farres, putting Farres 25 points ahead of Coenen in the championship.
McLellan took second and his third Grand Prix victory, giving Triumph its eighth win of the season. He is now just 12 points from making it a Triumph 1-2 in the championship, an impressive achievement in the manufacturer’s third year. He sits just 12 points behind Sacha Coenen. 37 points behind his Teammate Farres.
Riders’ comments
Camden McLellan: “1-1 was the goal, so it was not quite that, but it was still a successful weekend. The track was difficult to race and pass on, but enjoyable. My first start was really good; the second was not as good, but I was on the inside. I ate a lot of roost and had to dig deep to catch Liam. The bike is awesome and I feel really good and physically strong. The championship is still on the table, but it is a bit of a reach. Second place is not, so that is what I am going for.”
Liam Everts: “Camden has always been brilliant in the sand and he proved that, so I knew he would be the guy to beat. I am happy with the race win after such a long time. I missed my start in race one and had to chase to finish fourth, so overall I am really happy. Once you start feeling good and improve yourself and the bike, it slowly comes together. We have made a good step in recent weeks and I want to carry that forward.”
Guillem Farres: “I was pretty calm and just trying to follow the guys. I had good pace and am quite happy. It was a solid weekend after last week’s crash. It was a really tough week; I only cycled one day and spent the other days in therapy, so I arrived without riding and with a sore body. I am happy with three solid battles and positive changes. I approach every race the same way, race by race. I want to win every time, but I am happy with the team, and it is great to see Camden performing. If I want someone else to win, it is him.”
