Honda HRC’s Ruben Fernandez put himself on the podium for the first time in 2025, after a pair of third place finishes gave him third overall at the MXGP of Portugal, in what was a wet and muddy event at the Agueda circuit.
Words | Press release
Riding as the sole representative of the team, Fernandez showed really grit, determination and speed to negotiate the treacherous conditions and kept his Honda CRF450R under control at all times in the mud and ruts that developed after heavy rain hit the track all weekend. Knowing that starts were crucial, he powered out of the gate and was able to round the first bend in the top five in both motos.
From there, he just put in consistent laptimes, keeping the pace of the leaders and resisting the pressure from behind to score his first podium this year and move himself up into fifth place in the MXGP World Championship. It was a great performance and sets himself up nicely for his home GP in Lugo next weekend at a track he really likes.
«I really like Agueda, but when the weather is like this, I wasn’t sure how it was going to go, but thankfully it went really well. I certainly didn’t expect my first podium to come in these conditions, however I know I’ve been riding well and I just needed to stay consistent across both motos and I’d make it happen. My starts were excellent, which was crucial, and I kept any mistakes to a minimum. A big thank you to the team and my friends, family and fans for all their support and I can’t wait to try to do even better in Lugo next weekend.«
