IITTY-KYMIRING (Finland) 13th 2025 – During the MXGP of Finland, the ound 10 of EMX250 and round 11 of EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Championships brought the series to the challenging sand of Finland’s KymiRing track, a rutted and demanding track that tested every rider’s skill, endurance and resilience.
With just three rounds remaining in EMX250, title leader Team VHR VRT Yamaha Official’s Janis Reisulis faced mounting pressure from Noel Zanocz from JM Honda Racing and Spain’s Venum BUD Racing Kawasaki’s Francisco Garcia. All three came into the weekend with something to prove and left with the championship battle tighter than ever.
In EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing, the showdown between Racestore KTM Factory Rookies Team Nicolò Alvisi and Yamaha Europe EMX125 MJC’s Mano Faure continued to heat up. The Italian and French rivals were equalled on points, with the advantage for Faure with the Red Plate heading into the weekend, and both riders delivered standout performances that kept fans on edge from start to finish.
The first EMX250 race of the weekend at the KymiRing in Finland offered up a mix of chaos, comebacks and championship tension. The fast and rough sand circuit absorbed the overnight storms well and provided the perfect stage for an intense battle among the series’ top contenders.
Home hero Sampo Rainio thrilled the local fans with a textbook holeshot aboard his two-stroke Beta. He was closely followed by Janis Reisulis.
Fantic Factory Racing EMX’s Simone Mancini, but the Italian’s day came to a premature end due to a technical problem just a few corners in.
Reisulis briefly took over the lead with a brave outside pass on Rainio, but his time at the front was short-lived as he crashed while leading. That set off a chain reaction as a couple of corners later, his main championship rival Zanocz forced him off track in a hard inside move to go 4th. The Spaniard dropped from fifth to nineteenth but launched a ferocious recovery ride through the pack.
Capitalising on the mayhem, Noel Zanocz powered into podium contention. The Hungarian looked set for second until Nicolai Skovbjerg made a decisive pass on lap nine to take the runner-up spot, his best career finish to date.
Further back, Jake Cannon from Venum BUD Racing Kawasaki climbed into the top five with a strong mid-race push, eventually finishing fourth after outduelling teammate Cat Moto Bauerschmidt Husqvarna‘s Liam Owens. Team VHR VRT Yamaha Official’s Ivano Van Erp put in a calm and composed ride to round out the top five.
But all eyes were on Francisco Garcia. Refusing to be denied, the Spaniard laid down the fastest laps of the race and blitzed past the leaders in the final laps to secure his third straight race victory, completing one of the most impressive comeback rides of the season.
Cat Moto Bauerschmidt Husqvarna‘s Nico Greutmann finished a solid seventh, just ahead of red plate holder Reisulis, who endured a difficult race after mid-pack battles and a late drop to eighth. Rainio eventually crossed the line in ninth after his early lead, with KTM Kosak Team’s Bradley Mesters completing the top ten.
In race 2, a chaotic opening lap saw Sandro Sols lead the pack out of turn one, followed closely by KTM Kosak Team’s Valentin Kees, Reisulis, and Zanocz, the two championship leaders already bar-to-bar in the top four. Kees briefly took control, but the lead shuffled rapidly through the early sectors. By the end of the first lap, it was Reisulis at the front, but the momentum belonged to Zanocz.
By lap two, the Hungarian rider made his move, executing a clean pass just after the pit lane to take the lead. From there, he never looked back. With smooth lines and relentless pace, Zanocz opened up a commanding gap over his Latvian rival, extending it to over 8.6 seconds by the finish line and setting the fastest lap of the race along the way.
Behind the lead duo, Skovbjerg put in a phenomenal ride through the pack. Starting outside the top five, the Danish rider surged forward, passing both Owens and Kees to claim third, securing his second overall podium of the season.
Garcia, winner of Race 1, had a nightmare start and found himself buried in 21st early on. Undeterred, the Spaniard mounted a furious comeback, carving through the field to finish ninth, enough to rescue third overall on the weekend.
Elsewhere, Van Erp finished a strong sixth, and Greutmann completed the top five after consistent riding throughout the race. Cannon, meanwhile, suffered an early crash near pit lane and could only recover to 20th, ending his podium hopes. On his side, Mancini had a nightmare of a weekend as he had to retire from the second race as well marking 0 point over the weekend.
With three rounds to go, the EMX250 title race is heating up. Reisulis now holds a 28-point lead over Zanocz in the championship, down from 38 at the start of the weekend. Garcia sits third overall and remains within striking distance.
The next stop is Sweden, where the battle for the EMX250 crown continues.
Noel Zanocz: “The second race started a bit better than the first, I was around third or fourth, then made it to second by the end of lap two. I tried to follow Janis [Reisulis], then he made a few mistakes and I found my way through. I’m really happy with the race win and the overall. It means a lot and I’m really happy about it.”.
Main Photo: Noel Zanocz
Top Photo: EMX250 Start
Bottom Photos: 1. Nicolai Skovbjerg; 2. Francisco Garcia
EMX250 - Race 1 - Top 10 Classification 1. Francisco Garcia (ESP, Kawasaki), 30:16.919; 2. Nicolai Skovbjerg (DEN, Yamaha), +0:16.819; 3. Noel Zanocz (HUN, Honda), +0:18.638; 4. Jake Cannon (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:22.139; 5. Ivano Van Erp (NED, Yamaha), +0:24.043; 6. Bradley Mesters (NED, KTM), +0:27.538; 7. Nico Greutmann (SUI, Husqvarna), +0:39.226; 8. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:40.107; 9. Sampo Rainio (FIN, Beta), +0:42.777; 10. Linus Persson (SWE, KTM), +1:10.383
EMX250 – Race 2 - Top 10 Classification: 1. Noel Zanocz (HUN, Honda), 29:59.292; 2. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:08.636; 3. Nicolai Skovbjerg (DEN, Yamaha), +0:11.908; 4. Nico Greutmann (SUI, Husqvarna), +0:17.063; 5. Liam Owens (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:18.906; 6. Ivano Van Erp (NED, Yamaha), +0:31.150; 7. Mads Fredsoe (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:44.277; 8. Gyan Doensen (NED, KTM), +0:46.903; 9. Francisco Garcia (ESP, Kawasaki), +0:52.127; 10. Hakon Osterhagen (NOR, Fantic), +0:57.894
EMX250 Overall - Top 10: 1. Noel Zanocz (HUN, HON), 45 points; 2. Nicolai Skovbjerg (DEN, YAM), 42 p.; 3. Francisco Garcia (ESP, KAW), 37 p.; 4. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 35 p.; 5. Nico Greutmann (SUI, HUS), 32 p.; 6. Ivano Van Erp (NED, YAM), 31 p.; 7. Liam Owens (AUS, HUS), 25 p.; 8. Bradley Mesters (NED, KTM), 24 p.; 9. Valentin Kees (GER, KTM), 20 p.; 10. Mads Fredsoe (DEN, HUS), 19 p.
EMX250 Championship - Top 10 Classification: 1. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 387 points; 2. Noel Zanocz (HUN, HON), 359 p.; 3. Francisco Garcia (ESP, KAW), 319 p.; 4. Gyan Doensen (NED, KTM), 251 p.; 5. Nico Greutmann (SUI, HUS), 231 p.; 6. Nicolai Skovbjerg (DEN, YAM), 201 p.; 7. Simone Mancini (ITA, FAN), 182 p.; 8. Liam Owens (AUS, HUS), 181 p.; 9. Bradley Mesters (NED, KTM), 173 p.; 10. Ivano Van Erp (NED, YAM), 160 p.
EMX250 Manufacturers - Top 10 Classification: 1. Yamaha, 437 points; 2. Honda, 370 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 361 p.; 4. KTM, 350 p.; 5. Husqvarna, 332 p.; 6. Fantic, 212 p.; 7. GASGAS, 195 p.; 8. Triumph, 118 p.; 9. Beta, 23 p.
Photo: EMX250 Podium
Race 1 of the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing got underway in Iitti’s KymiRing with an eventful start on the fast and technical Finnish sand. KTM Sarholz Racing Team’s Moritz Ernecker powered through to grab the holeshot, edging out Swedish duo Alve Callemo and Power by jjracingteam’s Dante Lantz and Jarne Bervoets in the opening turns. Meanwhile, championship leader Yamaha Europe EMX125 MJC’s Mano Faure was buried further down the order after an average start while his main rival Nicolò Alvisi was quickly carved his way through the field, moving into second by passing Callemo with a sharp move up the inside. Not long after, he overhauled Ernecker to take control of the race before the end of the first lap.
Alvisi From there, the Italian never looked back, pulling clear to build a commanding lead and eventually clinch the race win.
Behind him, the battle for podium positions raged. Faure worked his way up the leaderboard, overtaking his teammate Bervoets and later engaging in a three-way scrap that included Fantic Factory Racing EMX’s duo Francesco Bellei and Douwe van Mechelen. Faure’s relentless pace earned him second place, while van Mechelen showed strong form to claim third after holding off a late charge from Bellei, who finished fourth. Dani Heitink completed the top five.
Further back, Ernecker faded to 18th after an early high, and Callemo eventually came home in 11th. The biggest points swing of the day came at the front, where Alvisi’s win and Faure’s second-place finish handed the Italian back the red plate, leading the championship by three points before race 2.
Race 2 of the saw a proper showdown on a wet and sandy KymiRing track following overnight storms. Despite the tricky conditions, Alvisi delivered a flawless performance, grabbing the holeshot and going wire-to-wire for a second consecutive race win to reclaim the red plate.
Alvisi took the early lead, but Bervoets wasn’t going to let him escape easily. The Belgian rider closed in during the early laps and briefly took over on lap 6, showing impressive pace. However, Alvisi struck back on lap 8, retaking the top spot and holding firm to the finish.
Behind them, the race saw plenty of action. Faure, who started just behind the lead group, found his rhythm midway through the race. After a brief off-track moment, the Frenchman regrouped and began his charge.
By the final corner of the final lap, Fauure made a decisive and sumptuous pass on Bervoets to secure second place, crucially denying Alvisi a larger championship buffer and taking second overall for the weekend. He also denied a podium to his teammate Bervoets with this ultimate pass.
Meanwhile, Bellei delivered two solid fourth place finishes to earn his second podium of the season, capitalising on his consistency while others faltered. With a 6th place in race 2, van Mechgelen rounded out the overall top five, tied on points with Bervoets, 4th. Ryan Oppliger was very consistent as he stayed solid to finish 5th for a 6th overall.
Elsewhere, Ernecker once again had a great start but faded to 12th, while Dean Gregoire’s Motovation Motorsport was forced to retire early. Yamaha Europe EMX125 MJC’s Dani Heitink, who had crashed spectacularly earlier, came back in the race but was unable to recover and finished outside the points again, hurting his championship hopes.
With the final round approaching, Alvisi now leads the championship by six points over Faure, setting the stage for a nail-biting conclusion to an already spectacular EMX125 season.
Nicolò Alvisi: " Perfect weekend. In the second race I started first, then after a few laps I lost the lead, but I came back and won. I really like this track, it suited me well. I couldn’t have done more with the double race win, and now I go to Lommel with the red plate. See you there!”
Main Photo: Nicolò Alvisi
Bottom Photos: 1. Mano Faure; 2. Francesco Bellei
EMX125 - Race 1 - Top 10 Classification: 1. Nicolò Alvisi (ITA, KTM), 29:22.368; 2. Mano Faure (FRA, Yamaha), +0:09.630; 3. Douwe Van Mechgelen (BEL, Fantic), +0:23.946; 4. Francesco Bellei (ITA, Fantic), +0:25.454; 5. Dani Heitink (NED, Yamaha), +0:26.115; 6. Jarne Bervoets (BEL, Yamaha), +0:39.178; 7. Jekabs Kubulins (LAT, Yamaha), +0:47.969; 8. Dean Gregoire (NED, KTM), +0:52.170; 9. Ryan Oppliger (SUI, KTM), +0:54.086; 10. Cesar Paine Diaz (CHI, Husqvarna), +0:55.374;
EMX125 – Race 2 - Top 10 Classification 1. Nicolò Alvisi (ITA, KTM), 30:51.120; 2. Mano Faure (FRA, Yamaha), +0:08.343; 3. Jarne Bervoets (BEL, Yamaha), +0:08.692; 4. Francesco Bellei (ITA, Fantic), +0:39.798; 5. Ryan Oppliger (SUI, KTM), +0:41.476; 6. Douwe Van Mechgelen (BEL, Fantic), +0:42.993; 7. Jekabs Kubulins (LAT, Yamaha), +0:45.534; 8. Alve Callemo (SWE, Husqvarna), +0:56.624; 9. Filippo Mantovani (ITA, KTM), +0:58.019; 10. Niccolo Mannini (ITA, TM), +0:58.340;
EMX125 Overall - Top 10 Classification: 1. Nicolò Alvisi (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Mano Faure (FRA, YAM), 44 p.; 3. Francesco Bellei (ITA, FAN), 36 p.; 4. Jarne Bervoets (BEL, YAM), 35 p.; 5. Douwe Van Mechgelen (BEL, FAN), 35 p.; 6. Ryan Oppliger (SUI, KTM), 28 p.; 7. Jekabs Kubulins (LAT, YAM), 28 p.; 8. Alve Callemo (SWE, HUS), 23 p.; 9. Niccolo Mannini (ITA, TM), 20 p.; 10. Cesar Paine Diaz (CHI, HUS), 19 p.
EMX125 Championship - Top 10 Classification: 1. Nicolò Alvisi (ITA, KTM), 402 points; 2. Mano Faure (FRA, YAM), 396 p.; 3. Filippo Mantovani (ITA, KTM), 320 p.; 4. Niccolo Mannini (ITA, TM), 304 p.; 5. Francesco Bellei (ITA, FAN), 299 p.; 6. Dani Heitink (NED, YAM), 287 p.; 7. Jekabs Kubulins (LAT, YAM), 279 p.; 8. Riccardo Pini (ITA, TM), 230 p.; 9. Ryan Oppliger (SUI, KTM), 225 p.; 10. Áron Katona (HUN, KTM), 217 p.
EMX125 Manufacturers - Top 10 Classification: 1. KTM, 498 points; 2. Yamaha, 473 p.; 3. Fantic, 383 p.; 4. TM, 364 p.; 5. Husqvarna, 132 p.; 6. GASGAS, 127 p.;
Photo: EMX125 Podium
All the photos from the MXGP of Finland will be available HERE.
You can find the complete results HERE.
MXGP OF FINLAND QUICK FACTS:
Circuit length: 1620m
Type of ground: Sand
Temperature: 28°
Weather conditions: Sunny
Crowd Attendance: 15,500
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