MXGP OF TÜRKIYE OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED WITH LIVELY OPENING CEREMONY IN AFYON

Afyonkarahisar (Türkiye) 4 September 2026 – The 2026 MXGP of Türkiye was officially launched on Friday evening, as a packed Motofest Stage brought together riders, team personnel, federation leaders and national and regional dignitaries for an Opening Ceremony that carried all the energy of the racing to come for the Round 17 of the FIM Motocross World Championship.

Welcome remarks were delivered by Mr. David Luongo, President and CEO of Infront Moto Racing, Mr. Antonio Alia Portela, President of the FIM Motocross Commission; Mr. Mehmet Sadık Vefa, President of the Turkish Motorcycle Federation; Mr. Ahmet Ali Temurci, Director General for International Organizations and Foreign Relations at the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Türkiye; Hon. Av. Burcu Köksal, Mayor of Afyonkarahisar; Mr. Mehmet Taytak and Mr. Hasan Arslan, Deputies for Afyonkarahisar; and Dr. Naci Aktaş, Governor of Afyonkarahisar.

Each speaker welcomed the FIM Motocross World Championship paddock to Afyonkarahisar and underlined the pride the region takes in hosting one of the most important rounds of the 2026 season, in front of a crowd whose noise and enthusiasm set the tone for the entire weekend.

1. David Luongo; 2. Antonio Alia Portela

Before and throughout the ceremony, riders, officials and team members were invited to discover Turkish delicacies and local specialities, with food and drink served on the Motofest site in a warm and typically Turkish display of hospitality that gave the evening its unmistakably local character.

Once the ceremonial speeches concluded, the riders were invited on stage for the official family photo. Among them were Honda HRC PETRONAS trio Jeffrey Herlings, Tom Vialle and Ruben Fernandez, Triumph Racing Factory Team pair Guillem Farres and Camden Mc Lellan, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing riders Andrea Adamo, Sacha Coenen and Simon Längenfelder, Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Liam Everts, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 brothers Janis Reisulis and Karlis Reisulis, Fantic Factory Racing MXGP’s Jörgen Matthias Talviku, Team Honda Motoblouz SR Motul’s Kevin Horgmo, Venrooy KTM Racing’s Noel Zanocz and Venum BUD Racing Kawasaki’s Francisco Garcia.

With the photo taken and the stage lights still on, the MXGP of Türkiye was officially launched. Afyon now hosts what could prove to be one of the defining weekends of the 2026 season, with the MXGP World Championship title on the line for Herlings and the MX2 fight still very much alive between the leading contenders.

Racing gets underway on Saturday, with the MXGP, MX2, EMX250 and EMX125 fields all in action across the weekend.

LIVE TIMING – WEEKEND SCHEDULE

SATURDAY – September 5

Session	Local (UTC+3)	CET
Studio Show	12:00	11:00
MX2 Time Practice	13:40	12:40
MXGP Time Practice	14:15	13:15
EMX125 Race 1	15:00	14:00
EMX250 Race 1	15:45	14:45
MX2 Qualifying Race	16:35	15:35
MXGP Qualifying Race	17:25	16:25

SUNDAY – September 6

Session	Local (UTC+3)	CET
EMX125 Race 2	09:40	08:40
EMX250 Race 2	11:30	10:30
MX2 Race 1	13:15	12:15
MXGP Race 1	14:15	13:15
MX2 Race 2	16:10	15:10
MXGP Race 2	17:10	16:10

Catch all the racing LIVE on MXGP-TV!

Saturday’s Time Practice (MXGP/MX2), the Qualifying Races (MXGP/MX2), and Races from all classes will be broadcasted LIVE on MXGP’s streaming service www.MXGP-TV.com, while results throughout the weekend will be available HERE.

All the photos from the MXGP of Türkiye will be available HERE.

You can find the complete results HERE.

LINKS

Author:

Infront Moto Racing