Well… the first of 19 Grands Prix is in the books for the 2026 FIM Motocross World Championship. The series kicked off at a brand-new circuit in Bariloche, a sandy and technical layout that quickly proved demanding for the riders.
Images: JP Acevedo
There were plenty of storylines heading into the weekend, but even more unfolded on track — and afterwards. So, where do we start?
Herlings first win with Honda
Jeffrey Herlings’ victory feels like the right place to begin.
As most of you know, the five-time world champion is entering a completely new chapter in his career after signing with Honda HRC Petronas, ending a 17-year relationship with KTM. Naturally, there were question marks: could he adapt quickly to a new bike while the competition level continues to rise with the new generation of MX2 talent moving up?
Even Infront has been promoting this season with the slogan “Battle of the Ages.”
Well, the answer came quickly — very quickly.
The Dutchman topped every session on Saturday, although a small mistake on the opening lap of the Qualifying Race dropped him to the back of the field and out of the points. On Sunday, however, he struck back in classic Herlings fashion, going 1-1. He managed the rhythm in both motos and unleashed “beast mode” in the closing stages.
“Going one-one in my first outing for Honda HRC PETRONAS is great and a big thank you to everyone in the team who has worked so hard in these couple of months to help make this happen.
It wasn’t easy, because in race one I got a bit of arm-pump after grabbing the holeshot but I studied Tom’s lines and then made the pass near the end of the race.
Race two was a bit chaotic with the restart but I felt I judged my energy levels well and was able to close the gap and make the pass again near the end.»
Vialle arrives in MXGP
If this season truly is about the clash of generations, the first challenge to Herlings came from just a few meters away in the Honda HRC Petronas tent — from Tom Vialle.
Making his MXGP debut after two MX2 world titles (2020 and 2022) and a successful stint in the United States that produced two 250SX East titles, the Frenchman wasted no time making his presence felt.
Like Herlings, Vialle also made the switch from KTM to Honda this winter.
He won the Qualifying Race on Saturday, becoming the first rider to win an MXGP Qualy on debut since fellow Frenchman Maxime Renaux at Matterley Basin in 2022. He then backed it up with a solid 2-4 scorecard on Sunday to secure third overall.
“It feels really nice to be here, up on the podium. I didn’t really know what to expect coming in, because there are a lot of good riders in the GPs.”
Tim Gajser´s Yamaha debut
Another major pre-season storyline was Tim Gajser’s move to Monster Energy Yamaha after more than a decade and five world titles with Honda.
The Slovenian finished fourth overall with a 6-3 score across the motos.
“We came here to learn, and while it probably wasn’t the smoothest weekend, we made the most of the circumstances. There are definitely positives to take, especially from the second moto, and I felt like we improved in every session, which is encouraging.
Of course, the goal is to be fighting at the front, but I feel like that will come with time. The track was quite tricky with not a lot of grip, so that made things a bit challenging, but overall we learned a lot. Now we have two weeks before Spain, so we’ll keep working hard and come back even better prepared.”
Mission: Defend the #1
For the first time in Motocross World Championship history, two riders are racing with the number one plate in the same season — three if you include reigning WMX champion Lotte Van Drunen, who will also run the #1 on her Yamaha.
Last year’s champions Romain Febvre and Simon Langenfelder made the unusual decision to swap numbers.
Both riders lost the red plate on Saturday. Febvre finished third in the Qualifying Race — not a bad start — and then went 3-2 in the motos to secure second overall. Thanks to his Saturday points, the Frenchman sits third in the championship standings, just two points behind Herlings and Vialle.
Langenfelder, meanwhile, endured a chaotic Qualifying Race that ended with a crash in the first turn and a distant 22nd place.
But the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider bounced back in style. Sweeping both motos, he celebrated his 100th Grand Prix with the tenth overall win of his career.
Lucas Coenen battles with vision problems
Red Bull KTM De Carli rider Lucas Coenen finished fifth overall with 4-6 results in the motos, but the Belgian was dealing with an unexpected issue.
Coenen entered Sunday’s races with vision problems in his right eye.
“Saturday was quite OK and I was looking forward to the motos, but that evening I started to have a lot of problems with my eye and couldn’t see that well on Sunday.
We tried some treatment but it got worse while riding. It was like racing blind! I was just cruising to avoid making a mistake. We’ll get it sorted in time for Spain; otherwise everything is going in a good way.”
Historic double podium for Triumph
Triumph Factory Racing enjoyed a fantastic start to the 2026 MX2 season, placing two riders on the podium.
Guillem Farrés finished second overall, while Camden McLellan secured third. It marks the first double podium for the British manufacturer, only three seasons into its MX2 program.
Farrés now sits second in the standings, just three points behind Langenfelder, as the series heads to Spain — Farrés’ home GP — in two weeks’ time.
