The 2026 MXGP World Championship delivered another dramatic weekend at Lacapelle-Marival, where Jeffrey Herlings and Guillem Farrés emerged as the big winners in MXGP and MX2 respectively. Both riders significantly closed the gap in their championship fights, while the French Grand Prix also featured major incidents, standout performances and important shifts in the standings.
MXGP: Herlings closes to within two points
Jeffrey Herlings continued his strong return to form by securing overall victory in MXGP for Honda HRC Petronas. The Dutchman split moto wins with Lucas Coenen, but his victory in race two was enough to claim the Grand Prix overall and reduce the championship deficit to just two points behind the Red Bull KTM De Carli rider.
Lucas Coenen dominated the opening moto from start to finish after grabbing the holeshot and controlling the pace ahead of Herlings. Behind them, Tim Gajser produced one of the rides of the race by charging from tenth to third, while Kay de Wolf and Andrea Adamo completed the top five.
The second moto, however, was overshadowed by a heavy first-corner crash involving Tom Vialle and Tim Gajser, which immediately brought out the red flag. Vialle lost control after running wide and was launched over the handlebars, while Gajser collided heavily with the Frenchman’s bike. Although both riders walked away under their own power, neither was allowed to restart. The incident proved costly in the championship standings, leaving Vialle and Gajser now trailing the points leader by 63 and 67 points respectively.
Following the restart, Herlings held off relentless pressure from Coenen to take the race win and overall victory. Romain Febvre completed the podium for Kawasaki KRT after a strong rebound in race two, finishing third overall with a 7-3 scorecard.
MX2: Farrés earns maiden GP victory with perfect Sunday
Guillem Farrés enjoyed the breakthrough weekend of his MX2 career by claiming his first-ever Grand Prix victory with Triumph Factory Racing. After showing impressive speed on Saturday before a crash dropped him to fourth in the qualifying race, the Spaniard bounced back in spectacular fashion on Sunday by winning both motos.
In race one, Farrés moved from third to the lead after early passes on Mathis Valin and a small mistake from Sacha Coenen. Once in front, he controlled the race despite constant pressure from Valin’s Kawasaki.
The second moto proved even more intense. Farrés charged from sixth to second in the opening laps before finally overtaking holeshot winner Janis Reisulis on the final lap to complete the perfect 1-1 scorecard. Throughout the moto, he also had to resist heavy pressure from teammate Camden McLellan, who secured second both in the race and overall, delivering a double podium for Triumph Factory Racing.
Mathis Valin completed the overall podium after another highly competitive performance across the weekend, adding to the momentum he already showed by winning Saturday’s qualifying race.
The championship picture also tightened considerably after a difficult weekend for points leader Simon Längenfelder. The German rider could only manage fifth overall with a quiet 4-7 result, allowing Farrés to cut the gap to just 20 points heading into the next round.
