MX2

ARNHEM (Netherlands) 24th August 2025 – Beautiful sunshine and blue skies made for a glorious Grand Prix day at the Motorsportpark Gelderland Midden near the city of Arnhem today, and while thousands of Dutch fans, as well as many from elsewhere, enjoyed the conditions, the heat made it even tougher for the MXGP elite as they fought it out in the sand for the last time in 2025! The 17th round of the 2025 FIM Motocross World Championships was a true test for everyone on track, but the local fans got what they came for with victory for their home heroes in both Grand Prix classes!

The MXGP class saw a double victory for Jeffrey Herlings, his 16th Grand Prix win on Dutch soil, but there were incredible charges through the pack in both races for his fellow Red Bull KTM Factory Racing star Lucas Coenen, who finished second twice, coming just a few metres short of grabbing the GP win at the end of race two!

There was also joy for Fantic Factory Racing MXGP as Glenn Coldenhoff enjoyed his first podium on home ground since 2016, with two Fox Holeshot Awards and consistent riding all tightening his grip on third in the Championship!

The hot favourite in MX2, Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s defending World Champion Kay de Wolf, duly delivered his first Grand Prix win on home territory with a clinical maximum-point performance, while Andrea Adamo took a solid second overall, ahead of his fellow Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Sacha Coenen.

The atmosphere was electric as the fans urged on their favourites in both classes, and their riders responded to get the Dutch National Anthem played at the end of both podium ceremonies, but the Championships in both classes are far from decided after tough days for both red plate holders!

Yesterday’s Qualifying Race winner Herlings continued to dominate every single session with the top time again in the morning Warm-up, 1.5 seconds faster than the next best, which was Andrea Bonacorsi on the leading Fantic Factory Racing MXGP machine, with Tim Gajser third best for Honda HRC.

Just as he did in the Qualifying Race, however, it was Glenn Coldenhoff who took the Fox Holeshot Award ahead of Herlings and Romain Febvre, although the Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP points leader had to give way to charging Honda HRC man Tim Gajser over the finish line at the start of the first full lap!  Meanwhile Lucas Coenen had dropped the bike in the first corner and was having to fight through the pack, although he was far from the only one, and he was quick to get up.  Even so, Febvre’s pit board told him to “RELAX” as they relayed his title rival’s whereabouts! 

Bonacorsi put the second Fantic into the top five, but Coldenhoff’s lead was short-lived as Herlings made a break for it after a pass along the back straight! Maxime Renaux was the leading Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP rider in sixth, ahead of the third Fantic Factory Racing MXGP machine of Brian Bogers.  Kevin Brumann started in eighth for MX-Handel Husqvarna Racing, with Jorgen-Mathias Talviku’s privateer Yamaha and the Aruba.it Ducati Factory MX Team rider Mattia Guadagnini rounding out the early top ten.

Coenen was on a majestic charge, however, into the top ten past Guadagnini by lap three, and past Bogers by lap eight, as Febvre finally got back around Gajser to take third! The tearaway teenager was into sixth by half-distance after passing Renaux, then set after Bonacorsi and Gajser.  The Italian passed the Slovenian for fourth on lap 12, just before Coenen followed suit.

Ben Watson put his MRT Racing Team Beta into the top ten with five laps to go, finishing behind Brumann in the Swiss rider’s best career GP race result of ninth! Gajser had to settle for sixth ahead of Renaux and Bogers, but Coenen finally snapped past his old EMX rival Bonacorsi with three laps to go, then completed an amazing performance by passing Coldenhoff, and sweetest of all Febvre, in the final two laps!  He even got to within 3.3 seconds of Herlings, and the old master had to acknowledge that he would need all his energy for race two!

Coldenhoff made it a clean sweep of the weekend’s starts with his seventh Fox Holeshot Award of the season, putting him equal second for the year, but Herlings got around the outside of his compatriot between the second and third corners and set about building his lead.  Febvre was fending off the other two Fantics of Bonacorsi and a fired-up Bogers, although Gajser got past them into fourth, as Coenen was again buried in the pack, fighting up to fifteenth by the end of the first full lap!

On the second lap, the tale turned again with a crash for Febvre, dropping him to tenth just a few metres ahead of Coenen!  As Gajser got up to second, the Fantic team ran third, fourth and fifth, with Jago Geerts in a good sixth for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP, and Ruben Fernandez seventh for Honda HRC.

Febvre and Coenen managed to rip past Watson, then Febvre’s Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP stablemate Pauls Jonass, before the Belgian was able to pass his French rival and immediately begin to pull away!  He was into the top five past Bogers by lap six, then Bonacorsi and Coldenhoff in successive laps to get to third by half-distance, lap ten of an eventual 19!

Jonass took tenth in the race, which would lead to ninth overall ahead of Geerts, who finished a good seventh in race two after passing Febvre on the final lap!  Eighth overall would go to Renaux with 7-11 finishes, while Bogers equalled his season’s best with seventh overall.  Sixth place went to Bonacorsi with two fifth place scores, as Febvre could only recover to eighth in race two, good enough for fifth overall, only his second result outside of the podium places this season!

Coenen’s incredible charge brought him up to Gajser, and he rocketed past the Slovenian with amazing speed through the s-bend next to the Paddock, fans getting behind him no matter what nationality they were!  This gave him a gap of around seven seconds to Herlings, and about six minutes plus two laps to work with.  With incredible pace the relentless Belgian closed the gap, but Herlings was equal to the task of holding him off despite both riders having issues with lapped riders!

With Fantic riders Coldenhoff and Bonacorsi holding fourth and fifth to the flag, they were able to keep Gajser, who finished a lonely third in race two, down in fourth place overall, and Glenn enjoyed his first podium trophy on home ground since 2016!  The veteran now holds a 94-point margin over Fernandez for third in the series.

It was Coenen who created so much excitement with his charge, and he got to within a second of Herlings with a few corners to go, but was just unable to attempt a pass! “The Bullet” claimed his 110th career Grand Prix victory with his 210th race win, and the home crowd were ecstatic with their hero’s 16th triumph on home sand!

The gap in the title chase between Febvre and Coenen is now down to 31 points, with just three rounds remaining as the series heads east!  There is still all to play for in this enthralling veteran vs teenager battle, with several other players in the mix to make this a truly unpredictable final month of the 2025 MXGP World Championship!

Jeffrey Herlings: “ I’m happy. The first race I could save some energy because I really needed it for the second one. For a few laps I had quite a nice gap and thought, okay, we’re all good. But Lucas is 18 now and full of energy and I’m on my way down, when i was young at the time, I could go 35 plus 2 without even being tired at all so I’m very pleased with the 1-1 here today, especially at home. Really looking forward to Turkiye. And credit to Lucas as well, he did an awesome race.”

Lucas Coenen: “What I know is that the starts were really, really bad, they couldn’t have been worse. First race I crashed and had to come from last, second race the same. So it was really tough. I pushed from almost last in both races up to the front. First race Jeffrey had a gap, but second race I gave everything I had, and I was this close to passing him. I want to beat him in the sand, he’s the best sand rider but I’m young and I want to beat him. I just can’t afford mistakes, I need those points. We need to figure out the starts, because that’s the big problem right now. We’ve got one week off, so if we nail the starts we can ride up front and fight for wins.”

Glenn Coldenhoff: “Yeah, it was a tough weekend and the track was very demanding, but I got two holeshots today, also yesterday, so my starts were really on point and that helped me a lot in the races. Finally, a podium here after trying for two years and always just missing it with fourth overall, so I’m super happy. Big thanks to the team, to everybody who came out here, I definitely enjoyed this one.”

Main Photo: Jeffrey Herlings on the Podium

Top Photo: Jeffrey Herlings

Bottom Photos: 1. Lucas Coenen; 2  Glenn Coldenhoff

MXGP - Grand Prix Race 1 - Top 10 Classification: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 35:04.262; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:03.358; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:07.528; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:08.752; 5. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Fantic), +0:11.611; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:23.067; 7. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:40.868; 8. Brian Bogers (NED, Fantic), +0:49.069; 9. Kevin Brumann (SUI, Husqvarna), +1:11.108; 10. Ben Watson (GBR, Beta), +1:15.515

MXGP - Grand Prix Race 2 - Top 10 Classification: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:39.238; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:01.903; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:30.849; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:34.906; 5. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Fantic), +0:40.166; 6. Brian Bogers (NED, Fantic), +0:46.950; 7. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:48.537; 8. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:51.068; 9. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +1:21.610; 10. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Kawasaki), +1:22.612

MXGP Overall - Top 10 Classification: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 44 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 36 p.; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 35 p.; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 33 p.; 6. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, FAN), 32 p.; 7. Brian Bogers (NED, FAN), 28 p.; 8. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 24 p.; 9. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KAW), 21 p.; 10. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 18 p.

MXGP - World Championship - Top 10 Classification: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 835 points; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 804 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 617 p.; 4. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 523 p.; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 497 p.; 6. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 466 p.; 7. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, FAN), 461 p.; 8. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 447 p.; 9. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 368 p.; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, DUC), 346 p.;

MXGP - Manufacturers Classification: 1. KTM, 871 points; 2. Kawasaki, 841 p.; 3. Honda, 742 p.; 4. Yamaha, 693 p.; 5. Fantic, 674 p.; 6. Ducati, 431 p.; 7. Beta, 285 p.; 8. Husqvarna, 93 p.; 9. GASGAS, 7 p.; 10. Triumph, 6 p.;

Once more it was Sacha Coenen who got to the top of the timings table in morning Warm-up, although crowd favourite De Wolf was right behind him, ahead of his Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing teammate Liam Everts.

Coenen was once again a monster off the start line in taking a clear Fox Holeshot Award, his 13th of the season, with Qualifying Race winner Andrea Adamo again right there with him for a Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1-2, although this time he was unable to instantly pass the Belgian like he had done on Saturday!

Everts was able to get past Rick Elzinga, who had started in third for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2, but again the title combatants were in less than ideal spots, De Wolf back in ninth, and Simon Längenfelder just 13th for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing!  The German would take a few laps before making serious progress, but not so De Wolf, who was up to seventh at the end of the first full lap, and zapped past Monster Energy Triumph Racing star Camden McLellan and Honda HRC’s Valerio Lata through the next circulation!

McLellan’s teammate Guillem Farres also got past Lata shortly afterwards, as the KTM BTS Racing Team rider Jens Walvoort held ninth ahead of Kawasaki Racing Team MX2’s Mathis Valin.

Lap three saw De Wolf pass Elzinga through the wave section, in which he was showing phenomenal speed and style every lap! As he got past teammate Everts for third on lap five, he had six seconds to catch on Adamo, and another three and a half to Coenen out front!  Also on that lap, McLellan and Farres both passed Elzinga to run in fourth and fifth.

Meanwhile Längenfelder was working his way into the top ten, taking his time with Valin, Walvoort and Lata to reach eighth on lap nine, before putting in a great charge past Elzinga and Farres to hold sixth at half-distance.

De Wolf’s relentless pace, fuelled by the passionate fans who feel closer to the track than most other GPs, lifted him to Adamo’s back wheel, and from the finish line jump, through three corners and two long straights, the two most recent MX2 World Champions ran side-by-side as the Italian would just not roll over! 

In the end he had to, and their battle had closed them up to Coenen, who was making a few mistakes with his all-out attacking style, while De Wolf looked smooth as silk. After just three more laps, the Dutch hero, in his special PSV Eindhoven tribute kit, took advantage of a Coenen mistake to pass the Belgian and raise the crowd noise to an exultant roar!

Although Adamo closed in, Coenen was able to hold on to second place ahead of the Italian, with Everts and McLellan fourth and fifth.  A spectacular crash for Längenfelder on the very last lap, after the wave section, dropped him from sixth, and he did very well to recover to finish eighth behind Valin and Elzinga. Farres and Lata rounded out the top ten, great results for them in the sand!

De Wolf had hacked the Championship lead down to just 24 points at the end of race one, thanks in part to Längenfelder’s crash, with Adamo a further 18 behind.

The 2023 World Champ fired into the lead with the Fox Holeshot Award for race two, his sixth of the year, but he was almost instantly passed by Everts and lost ground through the first big straight after the finish lane, allowing McLellan and De Wolf to go either side of him into second and third!

Längenfelder, unbelievably, was once more caught up in a first corner crash with Lata and the Van Venrooy Racing KTM of Cas Valk, giving the German another task of climbing through the pack!

By the end of the first full lap it was McLellan who led with a swift pass on Everts, while De Wolf also passed his teammate before the South African could get comfortable in front.  Adamo and Coenen were soon past Everts as well, while the boys in green, Valin and Bike It Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kay Karssemakers, held sixth and seventh ahead of Farres, Elzinga, and the Gabriel SS24 KTM Factory Juniors star Oriol Oliver.

De Wolf was not to be denied in front of his fervent home crowd, and pulled a stunning pass on McLellan along the back straight, on the back wheel for nearly all for it as he danced for destiny!

Valin was unfortunate to suffer a big crash on lap seven, but remounted to finish 14th, enough to give him ninth overall, while fellow rookie Valk recovered to finish eleventh again, taking tenth overall in his home GP, as he did last year in a wildcard ride!

Thibault Benistant, in pain from a heavy crash in race one, did well to claim ninth in race two for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2, but Farres took eighth to claim that spot overall, while Elzinga took seventh again to take that position on the day.

Längenfelder fought supremely hard to recover from his earlier problems, finding a nice line in one of the twisty sections to make passes on both Karssemakers, who finished tenth in the race, and Elzinga. The trusty pass along the back straight worked for the red plate holder, on Everts this time, to get to his final position of fifth place ahead of the Belgian, although their overall positions would be the reverse of that. 

McLellan would not leave De Wolf alone for the win, however, keeping the pressure on in a bid to get onto the podium, and in the end it was less than two seconds between them!  The South African was a fine fourth overall, behind Coenen in third for his eighth podium of the year, and Adamo in second overall to keep his title hopes alive.

De Wolf’s 14th career Grand Prix win, coupled with Längenfelder’s struggles, cut the points gap from 40 to just 15 heading into the final three rounds, with Adamo 23 further back.  It still could go any one of three ways in this wild MX2 World Championship!

The series takes a weekend off before starting the three-stop journey east, to Türkiye, China, and Australia to decide the fate of the world titles in both classes.  It could all go right to the wire!

Kay de Wolf: “It definitely wasn’t easy today. The track was really rough, but I went 1-1 so I couldn’t wish for more. Yesterday was a bummer with the crash on the first lap, but in the championship we did really good and I’m really happy. Winning my first ever home GP is amazing. The crowd was unreal all weekend long, and I can’t thank my team, my family, my girlfriend, and everyone who supports me enough. We’ll keep fighting for the last three rounds now.”

Andrea Adamo: “Of course it was a super weekend, a really solid 1-3-3. I think I could have done a little bit better in both races, but I was really close to Kay (de Wolf) which is good and important. This was an important race, and now we have three rounds to go. Let’s go all in.”

Sacha Coenen: “First race was good, I had a really nice flow and finished second, so I was happy with that. In the second race I didn’t get the start at all, but I made my way back. Then with about ten minutes to go I felt the bike really dropping down, so I had some technical issues. I just tried to save it and bring it home, and managed to still be on the podium. So yeah, I’m happy, three more rounds to go, let’s have fun.”

Main Photo: Kay de Wolf

Bottom Photos: 1. Andrea Adamo; 2. Sacha Coenen

MX2 - Grand Prix Race 1 - Top 10 Classification:  1. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 35:04.095; 2. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:01.399; 3. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:03.360; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:25.129; 5. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:26.034; 6. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:45.957; 7. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:56.356; 8. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +1:00.254; 9. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +1:10.826; 10. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +1:14.997

MX2 - Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 34:54.495; 2. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:01.774; 3. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:20.445; 4. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:30.406; 5. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:45.604; 6. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +1:03.735; 7. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +1:12.801; 8. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +1:21.490; 9. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +1:22.906; 10. Kay Karssemakers (NED, Kawasaki), +1:45.360

MX2 Overall – Top 10 Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 50 points; 2. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 40 p.; 3. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 38 p.; 5. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 33 p.; 6. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 29 p.; 7. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 28 p.; 8. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 25 p.; 9. Mathis Valin (FRA, KAW), 22 p.; 10. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), 20 p

MX2 - World Championship Classification: 1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 783 points; 2. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 768 p.; 3. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 745 p.; 4. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 648 p.; 5. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 575 p.; 6. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 548 p.; 7. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 538 p.; 8. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 386 p.; 9. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 384 p.; 10. Mathis Valin (FRA, KAW), 374 p.;

MX2 - Manufacturers Classification: 1. KTM, 934 points; 2. Husqvarna, 852 p.; 3. Yamaha, 639 p.; 4. Triumph, 608 p.; 5. Honda, 484 p.; 6. Kawasaki, 383 p.; 7. TM, 208 p.; 8. GASGAS, 13 p

Photo: Kay de Wolf

All the photos from the MXGP of The Netherlands will be available HERE.

You can find the complete results HERE.

MXGP OF THE NETHERLANDS QUICK FACTS:

Circuit length: 1680m

Type of ground: Sand

Temperature: 22°

Weather conditions: Sunny

Crowd Attendance: 28,800

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

ARNHEM (The Netherlands) 23rd August 2025 – Local fans packed the compact Motorsportpark Gelderland Midden venue for today’s first day of track action at the MXGP of Netherlands, as round 17 of the 2025 FIM Motocross World Championships burst into life at Arnhem!

All-time top Dutchman Jeffrey Herlings took a fighting win for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing in the MXGP Qualifying Race, leading a 1-2 for the host nation as Glenn Coldenhoff claimed a solid second for Fantic Factory Racing MXGP, while Championship leader Romain Febvre put in another strong performance for Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP in third place!

The MX2 class saw another winner in orange as Andrea Adamo made it a double for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, with Sacha Coenen backing it up for the Austrian factory in second. A happy Liam Everts scored his best result since his Finnish back injury with third for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing, while title combatants Simon Längenfelder and Kay de Wolf both suffered first lap problems to hamper their efforts.

Today was a nice taster enjoyed by a noisy Dutch crowd, who will line the circuit with expectations of a lot of home success tomorrow!

In Free Practice it was Herlings who made an instant statement with the fastest time by over a second from Honda HRC’s Tim Gajser, with Lucas Coenen third for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. It looked like Coenen might take pole in the Time Practice session, however, until Herlings put in a mighty effort to take that first gate pick for the Qualifying Race by three tenths of a second! Coenen, frustrated at being held up by a local rider on one of his attempts, had to settle for second, with Gajser third, Febvre fourth, and Andrea Bonacorsi rounding out the top five for Fantic Factory Racing MXGP.

Despite placing outside the top ten in Time Practice, it was Glenn Coldenhoff who fired his own factory Fantic into the lead, just as he did on the way to the Qualifying Race win last year!  Gajser was in his wake and fending off the attack of Herlings, with the Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP pairing of Pauls Jonass and Febvre rounding out the top five as they started the first full lap!

Herlings charged past his fellow five-time Champ into second very early on in that lap and gave chase to his countryman, while Coenen recovered from an average start to pick his way past the green bikes, tucking past Febvre for fourth at the end of lap two.  Bonacorsi held seventh early on, ahead of the JM Racing Honda of Brent van Doninck, with the third Fantic Factory Racing MXGP rider, Brian Bogers, coming around in ninth.  A great start from MX-Handel Husqvarna Racing’s Kevin Brumann saw the Swiss rider in tenth early on, before being passed by the returning Monster Energy Yamaha MXGP star Jago Geerts.

Coenen was looking menacing at the front, and shot past Gajser for third on lap four, before nearly colliding with Herlings the following lap as the Dutchman moved out to protect his position!  This prompted “The Bullet” to charge on Coldenhoff, and he leapt past the Fantic man into a corner to lead halfway around lap five! At about his time, Febvre was keeping a watching brief on his title rival, after also passing Gajser to take fourth. 

On lap eight, as he tried to pass Coldenhoff, Coenen mis-judged a jump and landed off-circuit!  Extremely fortunate to stay onboard, he dropped to fifth as a result, although he was soon back past Gajser to reclaim fourth.

Behind the leaders, the second Honda HRC teamster Ruben Fernandez put in an impressive ride in conditions he doesn’t usually favour, climbing to eighth by the flag, ahead of Jonass and Van Doninck, while Isak Gifting dropped his JK Racing Yamaha to end his race three laps early. Calvin Vlaanderen also suffered a crash, but was able to salvage 16th for Monster Energy Yamaha MXGP.

Fantic teammates Bonacorsi and Bogers moved forward to take sixth and seventh at the flag, while Gajser finished safely in fifth. 

Coldenhoff got close to Herlings in the final laps but was not able to attempt a passing manoeuvre, and Febvre made a single-point gain on Coenen as they finished third and fourth behind the two Dutchmen!

Tomorrow should see an epic contest as the MXGP warriors wrestle their 450cc beasts around one of the toughest tracks on the calendar. Who will emerge triumphant is anyone’s guess, but it’s certain to be a thrilling encounter!

Jeffrey Herlings: "Fastest in each practice today and then to win the Qualifying Race here at my home GP feels really nice. The track was quite difficult to pass on and the sun was very low, with shadows making it tricky, so I just did enough to stay in front without taking risks. To line up first tomorrow in front of the Dutch fans is amazing, and I’m looking forward to seeing even more of them here on race day."

MXGP - Qualifying Race Classification:  1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 25:13.881; 2. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:01.417; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:05.961; 4. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:09.257; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:11.812; 6. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Fantic), +0:16.387; 7. Brian Bogers (NED, Fantic), +0:33.951; 8. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:35.956; 9. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Kawasaki), +0:39.197; 10. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Honda), +0:40.452

MXGP - World Championship Classification: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 802 points; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 760 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 581 p.; 4. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 505 p.; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 480 p.; 6. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, FAN), 429 p.; 7. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 423 p.; 8. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 416 p.; 9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, DUC), 341 p.; 10. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 333 p

Main Photo: Jeffrey Herlings

Top Photo: MXGP Start Arnhem

Bottom Photo: 1. Glenn Coldenhoff; 2. Romain Febvre

The morning Free Practice session saw the trademark blistering early pace of Sacha Coenen set the top time for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, with De Wolf second ahead of fellow home rider Cas Valk on the Van Venrooy KTM Racing machine.  In Time Practice, however, it was De Wolf who set the pole position time ahead of another Dutchman, Rick Elzinga of the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 squad, with Coenen in third. Camden McLellan of the Monster Energy Triumph Racing team got fourth ahead of Coenen’s teammate and red plate holder Simon Längenfelder.

It was that man Coenen again who nailed his 17th Holeshot from all races this year, but Adamo was instantly all over the Belgian and carved across him through the second corner, looking determined to make a break over his title rivals while he could.  And as luck would have it for the Italian, both of them suffered issues on the opening lap!  De Wolf tangled with another rider in turn one, starting a chain reaction that saw Längenfelder and Gabriel SS24 KTM Factory Juniors man Oriol Oliver hit the ground together!

While Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2’s Thibault Benistant fell in a separate incident on the exit of turn one, Längenfelder had to tear into Pit Lane to change a damaged rear wheel, just re-joining the circuit before Adamo could come around to put him a lap down! 

It must have been a relief for the German to get a message that De Wolf, easily the pre-race favourite, had hit trouble again! The reigning Champ tripped over the rear wheel of Kay Karssemakers’ Bike-It Kawasaki Racing Team machine, and ended up at the bottom of a three-bike pile-up with Karlis Reisulis and Scott Smulders on top of him!

All of this left Adamo and Coenen to pull away out front, while Everts took third away from Elzinga, who briefly dropped behind Valk before re-passing his fellow Dutchman on lap two!  Valerio Lata was a good sixth for Honda HRC, ahead of McLellan, the Kawasaki Racing Team MX2 bike of Mathis Valin, Monster Energy Triumph Racing’s Guillem Farres, and KTM BTS Racing Team’s own Dutchman, Jens Walvoort.

On the arduous circuit, the top four held station, while De Wolf tore through the field, giving us a glimpse of his raw speed, lapping two seconds faster than anyone else ever did on lap two! It took him until the tenth lap to get into the top ten with a brilliant move on Walvoort, while McLellan worked past Valk in a similar fashion to take fifth from the rookie, who then immediately fell prey to Valin.

Two laps later, De Wolf used a brilliant sweeping line to take seventh from Valk, as Lata crashed out of the points! Farres and Walvoort took ninth and tenth behind Valk, but just as De Wolf was lining up a pass on Valin for sixth, he spun sideways and had to dig his front wheel out of a sand bank, halting his progress to leave him in seventh!

Valin took sixth for the third Qualifying Race in a row, with McLellan fifth, and Elzinga’s fourth improved his best Saturday result of the year by four places! Everts would have been delighted with third, while Sacha Coenen was again unable to grab that first Qualifying Race win of his season! 

Instead, Adamo took it by just 1.3 seconds, leaving him now 49 points down on Längenfelder in the series, but only 13 shy of De Wolf.  The Dutch hero chipped the German’s series lead to 36 points, and for sure he will be going all-out for maximum points tomorrow!

Do not forget to tune in for tomorrow’s Grand Prix races as they could throw up all sorts of surprises in the sand, with a packed house throwing up what’s sure to be another amazing atmosphere!

Andrea Adamo: "Unbelievable, I mean, it’s only a Qualifying Race, but i had tough gate pick but then I took the holeshot. From there I just put my rhythm, nothing crazy, I wasn’t super fast but I felt good out there. I’m really happy to take my fourth Quali Race win and to start on pole position for tomorrow. Let’s go, I love the races!"

MX2 - Qualifying Race Classification: 1. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 25:20.247; 2. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:01.304; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:03.882; 4. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:24.429; 5. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:25.350; 6. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:26.605; 7. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:36.201; 8. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), +0:38.106; 9. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +0:39.647; 10. Jens Walvoort (NED, KTM), +0:45.597;

MX2 - World Championship Classification: 1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 754 points; 2. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 718 p.; 3. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 705 p.; 4. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 608 p.; 5. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 558 p.; 6. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 510 p.; 7. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 505 p.; 8. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 366 p.; 9. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 359 p.; 10. Mathis Valin (FRA, KAW), 352 p.

Top Photo: Andrea Adamo

Bottom Photos: 1. Sacha Coenen; 2. Liam Everts

​

All the photos from the MXGP of The Netherlands will be available HERE.

You can find the complete results HERE.

MXGP OF THE NETHERLANDS QUICK FACTS:

Circuit length: 1680m

Type of ground: Sand

Temperature: 20°

Weather conditions: Sun and Clouds

TIMETABLE

SUNDAY: 09:40 EMX250 Race 2, 10:25 MX2 Warm-up, 10:45 MXGP Warm-up, 11:30 WMX Race 2, 13:15 MX2 Race 1, 14:15 MXGP Race 1, 16:10 MX2 Race 2, 17:10 MXGP Race 2.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

FIM Europe

ARNHEM (Netherlands) 22 August 2025 – The 2025 FIM Motocross World Championships fires into deep sand for the last time this year at the MXGP of Netherlands from the Dutch heartland city of Arnhem, with the atmospheric Motorsportpark Gelderland Midden venue primed and ready for another frantic weekend of action which sees two home-grown World Champions in action for the crowd to get behind and make some noise doing so!

In the MXGP World Championship it’s French veteran Romain Febvre who holds a commanding lead over Lucas Coenen, but the pair who have won half of the GPs at this venue between them will battle hard in the sand, just like they did at Lommel, but they will have their work cut out to hold back a determined Jeffrey Herlings, who looks to be in top form again as he goes for an amazing 16^th win on home territory!

2025 Dutch Nations team riders Glenn Coldenhoff and Calvin Vlaanderen are also fired up to justify their selection by grabbing what would be a first GP victory for either of them in The Netherlands!

The MX2 class is still clearly led by German star Simon Längenfelder, but reigning Champion Kay de Wolf heads to his home Grand Prix with an amazing record of seven GP race wins out of eight in sand this year, and for sure he will get the crowd up to full voice if he can continue that sort of form! Former Champ Andrea Adamo also needs to gain points at a track where the Italian scored a podium result last year.

The second Dutch World Champion at Arnhem will be “Queen of Sand” Lotte van Drunen in the WMX Women’s Motocross World Championship, with just a six-point lead to defend over Italian legend Kiara Fontanesi! Local favourite Lynn Valk will also look to get in the mix! The EMX250 European Championship will complete a weekend full of thrills and spills in the sand!

Below you can find the full list of TV channels that will air LIVE and delayed action of the MXGP of Netherlands, as well as the 26-minute Behind The Gate magazine show featuring the best moments from the races, exclusive interviews and more.  All of this footage will be available on MXGP-TV.com and via our TV magazine partners following the Grand Prix. 

As always, MXGP fans can follow the races LIVE throughout the weekend. All you need to do is log onto www.MXGP-TV.com on Saturday and Sunday, from wherever you are in the world.  Every round this season will also feature live screening of Saturday’s Time Practice sessions, so be sure to bring your bucket and spade as the sand masters do their dance for one last time in 2025!

USA CANADA

CBS Sports Network

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 2 – 13:30 ET – Delayed

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 ET – Delayed

Sunday 24 August 2025 – WMX Race 2 – 00:30 ET - Delayed

BRAZIL

Bandsports

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 CET  – LIVE

CENTRAL AMERICA

Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama and Mexico

FOX TUBI

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 CET  – LIVE

EUROPE

Eurosport 2

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 CET – LIVE

Monday 25 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 11:30 CET  – Delayed

MAX

Andorra, Belgium, Bosnia Herzegovia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech republic, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden.

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 CET – LIVE

Monday 25 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 11:30 CET  – Delayed

BELGIUM 

PLAY SPORTS 3

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 CET  – LIVE

ESTONIA

Go3 Sport Open

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 CET  – LIVE

FINLAND

MTV MAX 

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 Finnish timing  – LIVE

FRANCE

LA CHAINE L’EQUIPE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET – LIVE Stream

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE Stream

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 CET – LIVE Stream

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 CET  – LIVE Stream

Eurosport 2

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 CET – LIVE

Monday 25 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 11:30 CET  – Delayed

AUTO MOTO TV

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 CET  – LIVE

GREAT BRITAIN

TNT Sports 5

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 1 – 12:00 GMT – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 1 – 13:00 GMT – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 2 – 15:00 GMT – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 16:00 GMT  – LIVE

ITALY

RAI PLAY

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 1 – 13:00 CET – LIVE Stream

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 16:00 CET  – LIVE Stream

RAI Sport

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 1 – 22:45 CET – Delayed

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 23:45 CET  – Delayed

SKY ITALIA

SKY Sport Arena  (channel 204)

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 CET  – LIVE

EUROPE

Eurosport 2

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 CET – LIVE

Monday 25 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 11:30 CET  – Delayed

LATVIA

Go3 Sport Open

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 CET  – LIVE

LITHUANIA

Go3 Sport Open

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 CET  – LIVE

NETHERLAND

NPO1

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 CET  – LIVE

Nos.nl

Sunday 24 August 2025 – WMX Race 2 – 11:20 CET  – LIVE Stream

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET – LIVE Stream

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE Stream

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 CET – LIVE Stream

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 CET  – LIVE Stream

SLOVENIA

Sport TV1

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 CET  – LIVE

SPAIN

TV Galicia

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 CET  – LIVE

TV 3 catalunya

Saturday 23 August 2025 – WMX Race 1 – 14:50 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – WMX Race 2 – 11:30 CET  – LIVE

ASIA

Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand
 

EUROSPORT ASIA

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 CET – LIVE

Monday 25 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 11:30 CET  – Delayed

VIACOM  - Jio Cinema

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 CET  – LIVE

INDONESIA

CHAMPIONS TV

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 CET – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 CET  – LIVE

PACIFIC / AUSTRALIA

STAN SPORTS

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 1 – 21:00 AEDT – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MXGP Race 1 – 22:00 AEDT – LIVE

Sunday 24 August 2025 – MX2 Race 2 –00:00 AEDT – LIVE

Monday 25 August 2025 – MXGP Race 2 – 01:00 AEDT  – LIVE

All races on VOD

26min Behind-the-Gate Magazine Partners:
 

AMERICA

Latin America             Direct TV                                 Thursday after each MXGP 8:30pm

Mexico                        FOX Sports                              Thursday after each MXGP 8:30pm

USA                             RACER                                     tba

Central America          FOX Tubi                                 tba

EUROPE

Albania                        GP1                                         Thursday after each event at 20:15

Austria                        GP1                                         Thursday after each event at 20:15

Baltics                          TV3 Sport Open                      Thursday after each MXGP

Belgium                       Play sports                              tba

Bosnia                         GP1                                         Thursday after each event at 20:15

Croatia                        GP1                                         Thursday after each event at 20:15

Finland                        MTV MAX                                Wednesday after each event 18:00                                                               Finnish timing

Hungary                      GP1                                         Thursday after each event at 20:15

Kosovo                        GP1                                        Thursday after each event at 20:15

Montenegro                GP1                                         Thursday after each event at 20:15

Northern Macedonia  GP1                                         Thursday after each event at 20:15

Portugal                      SPORT TV                                Tuesday after the event        

Romania                      Look Sport                               Wednesday after each event

Serbia                          GP1                                         Thursday after each event at 20:15

Slovenia                      Sport TV                                  Thursday after each event at 20:15  

Turkey             TRT                                          tba

INDIA and Subcontinent (Bhutan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives)
 

VIACOM 18                                                                        Wednesday after the event

INDONESIA                  Champions TV

AUSTRALIA

Australia                      Stan Sport                               Wednesday after each event

WORLDWIDE

Worldwide                  YouTube – MXGP TV               16 days after the event.

Worldwide                  Fuel TV                                   

Watch it LIVE & On-Demand only on MXGP-TV

 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.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

FIM Europe

ARNHEM (Netherlands) 21st August 2025 – The 2025 FIM Motocross World Championships holds its final event on mainland Europe this weekend for round 17, the MXGP of Netherlands, hosted for the third time by the Motorsport Park Gelderland Midden venue to the north of the city of Arnhem, in the centre of the country with the lowest altitude in Europe!  Arnhem has seen two fantastic MXGP events already and is looking forward to seeing a bumper crowd welcome the two Dutch defending World Motocross Champions to their first GP on home sand this year!

The Arnhem venue has seen overall victories for Jeffrey Herlings and Romain Febvre in MXGP, and Lucas Coenen and Liam Everts in MX2, while the record for most GP successes in the country itself is obviously held by Herlings, who has earned 15 wins in his home country, all for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, and rarely been beaten when he’s been fit enough to race!  

The battle at the top of the MXGP World Championship was blown apart by a maximum for Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP’s red plate holder Febvre in Sweden last weekend, and with his closest rival Lucas Coenen suffering his worst GP for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing since the season opener, the points gap has now opened up to 41 between the veteran and the class rookie.  However, with Coenen’s great record at Arnhem and sense of nothing to lose, the Belgian could be a fearsome opponent this weekend!

Dutch Motocross of Nations team members Glenn Coldenhoff for Fantic Factory Racing MXGP and Calvin Vlaanderen of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP currently sit in third and fifth in the standings, and are both very keen to win their first GP on home sand. However, the maestro Herlings was amazing here last year and looks close to his top form after taking second overall in Sweden.

MX2 Championship leader Simon Längenfelder regained the initiative with the GP win at Uddevalla for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, and made a small amount of ground on his closest challenger, reigning World Champion Kay de Wolf. The Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing star will wear his number one plate for the first time in front of his home fans, and with perfect GPs in the sand of both Finland and Flanders this year, it’s tough to imagine the local hero struggling this weekend!  The gap is now 40 points between him and the German red plate holder, with Andrea Adamo now 19 points further back in third for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.  Home riders Cas Valk for Van Venrooy KTM Racing, Rick Elzinga of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2, and Jens Walvoort of KTM BTS Racing Team will all be trying to improve their Championship positions in the top 20 as well!

The FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship resumes with the start of its second half of the season, and it sees a tight tussle at the top between the “Queen of Sand” Lotte van Drunen, defending World Champion for De Baets Yamaha, and veteran six-time Champ Kiara Fontanesi, who is only six points behind for her own Fonta MX Racing GASGAS squad!  Van Drunen has never been beaten in a race around Arnhem in the two GPs held here, and with Fontanesi finishing sixth in each of those rounds, then the Italian could face a tough weekend ahead! Lynn Valk will also look to enjoy her home GP for Van Venrooy KTM Racing as she looks to challenge from third in the points, just 15 behind Lotte, while Shana van der Vlist and Danee Gelissen could be in the running to make it an all-Dutch podium! Daniela Guillen and Amandine Verstappen can also not be counted out in what could be an almighty battle amongst the world’s fastest girls on wheels!

The EMX250 European Championship has its penultimate round this weekend, and the title chase is getting close between Team VHR VRT Yamaha Official rider Janis Reisulis, who is just 27 points ahead of Hungarian Noel Zanocz after the JM Racing Honda man took overall victory at Uddevalla.  Venum BUD Racing Kawasaki’s Spaniard Francisco Garcia is 40 points back from Zanocz and keen to show improvement in his sand skills after a race win in Finland. Sadly, rising Dutch star Gyan Doensen, who won in EMX125 here last year, suffered an injury in Sweden and won’t be able to defend his fourth place in the standings for Gabriel SS24 KTM Factory Juniors, so the home fans will turn their attention to the prodigious Ivano van Erp, teammate to Reisulis who has shown good form since returning from injury with a race win in France!

The MXGP of Netherlands is sure to be a tough physical challenge as sand always is, and with a passionate crowd cheering on their home heroes in close proximity, the atmosphere should be out of this world!

The MXGP of Sweden saw the first ever maximum 60-point haul across a GP weekend in Romain Febvre’s career, and it was a case of perfect timing for the Frenchman as his closest rival suffered his worst GP since the opening round.  It gives the red plate holder a 41-point margin over Lucas Coenen, as they come to a track where Febvre took the overall win just two years ago.  Romain has said in interviews that the media always talks about nine, ten years ago for him… well, sorry monsieur, we’ll say it again, that he first won a GP in The Netherlands back in 2016 at the circuit of Valkenswaard, as defending World Champion.  Last year here he was twice fifth for that position overall, but with the title on the line he will be aiming for his 16th podium of the season – not bad for the 17th round!

For his part, Coenen is in a similar position to twelve months ago, when he had a gap to chase down in the Championship that gave him nothing to lose! So far this year he has been one of the strongest riders in the sand, with victories in Finland and Belgium, and in the two MX2 GPs at Arnhem he has won the Qualifying Race and the second race on Sunday both times! Second overall in 2023 after a first lap crash in race one, and the overall GP win last year with 2-1 finishes, he must come into this GP with maximum confidence, if he is fully fit.

Glenn Coldenhoff has a 70-point margin to defend in his quest for the bronze medal, but his focus must surely be on climbing the podium in his home country for the first time since 2016!  That was at Assen, where he took third place in both 2015 and ’16, but since then he has finished fourth overall four times on Dutch sand, including the last two years at Arnhem.  He did take last year’s Qualifying Race win, the first ever for Fantic Factory Racing MXGP, so for sure he will come in confident and hopeful, maybe even daring to dream of a first ever GP win at home, as well as the first ever for Fantic!

Ruben Fernandez was 11th overall here in 2023,  but the Honda HRC rider missed this round last year, and with an average of just 28 points in sandy GPs this season, his main focus will be on keeping Calvin Vlaanderen behind him in the fight for fourth in the series.  The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP man, who has been selected to line up alongside Coldenhoff for Team Netherlands at the Monster Energy Motocross of Nations,  is just 22 points back from the Spaniard, and with three podium results in the last four rounds, including both of the sandy ones, he will be confident of closing the gap, maybe in its entirety!

Also looking over his shoulder in the standings will be Andrea Bonacorsi for Fantic Factory Racing MXGP, who is just a point ahead of Maxime Renaux for sixth in the Championship, as the Frenchman scored third in race two in Sweden for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP. The Italian Bonacorsi excels in the sand, and won overall at Arnhem in EMX250 two years ago, while Renaux finished sixth here in 2023, and has scored a best of second in a GP in the Netherlands, at Valkenswaard in 2020, while still in MX2.

Next in the Championship is a rider who might be considered the favourite this weekend, with a record of 15 Grand Prix victories dating back to 2010 in MX2, including last year with an awesome double win on Sunday. Jeffrey Herlings took second overall in Sweden and looked close to his best, which could be ominous for the rest of his competition after his amazing charges through the pack to conquer the field in 2024!

Jeremy Seewer, never a favourite in the sand, is ninth in the series for Aruba.it Ducati Factory MX Team, and actually scored a podium here in 2023, so maybe a good result isn’t out of the question, while Tim Gajser has scored solid results of fifth and third overall at Arnhem so far.  The Honda HRC rider is in his second race back from injury, and proved with an overall win at Oss in 2021 that he is capable in the Dutch sand as he tries to climb from tenth in the Championship.

Jago Geerts will return to action for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP after his big crash at Lommel, and will be hoping to make his sand skills pay for him, as it did when he won the MX2 class at Oss in 2021.  JK Racing Yamaha’s star of the Swedish GP, Isak Gifting, will be hoping to bounce back from the disappointment of letting that second race at Uddevalla slip from his grasp, and with his best GP of the year so far coming at Lommel, there’s every chance he can do that in the sands of Arnhem.

Other major Dutch players such as Brian Bogers for Fantic Factory Racing MXGP, and Roan van de Moosdijk for KTM Kosak Team, will be hoping for great results in their natural terrain of choice, while Lars van Berkel continues his fill-in ride for JWR Honda Racing, and he knows how to go fast in the sand! 

With many wildcards filling a 40-man entry list, the MXGP of Netherlands should see a full track of the world’s best wrestling their 450cc monsters through some of the toughest terrain of the season! Don’t be missing this one!

MXGP - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 794 Points; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 753 Pts; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 572 Pts; 4. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 502 Pts; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM) 480 Pts; 6. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, FAN), 424 Pts; 7. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 423 Pts; 8. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 406 Pts; 9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, DUC), 341 Pts; 10. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 32

Main Photo: 2024 MXGP Start Arnhem 

Top Photo: Jeffrey Herlings

Bottom Photos: 1. Glenn Coldenhoff; 2. Calvin Vlaanderen

Yet again, the momentum has shifted in the MX2 Championship chase, with Simon Längenfelder taking victory in Sweden to edge his series lead up to 40 points, although Kay de Wolf took his first career podium at Uddevalla to only lose two points across the weekend.  The German took the first ever Grand Prix race win at Arnhem in 2023, although a sixth in race two put him third overall, while crashes and problems limited him to just ninth overall last year.  De Wolf didn’t race here in 2023, but won race one last year, ultimately claiming second overall with fourth in race two.  His form in soft going has been impeccable in 2025, winning all but one Sunday sand race across Sardegna, Latvia, Finland, and Flanders! He will be going all out to please his local supporters who will surely make some serious noise for him in return!

Despite winning race one in Sweden, Andrea Adamo still lost ground over the weekend, and now sits 19 behind De Wolf in his quest to reclaim the title he won in 2023. Fifth overall at Arnhem in 2023 and third last year, he will again be out to dig deep and salvage a good result on a surface he relentlessly practices on. Fellow Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Sacha Coenen took his only GP win of the season in the sand of Latvia, and after a crash-infested Lommel, he could well be a threat again if he can stay on the bike. A non-starter in 2023, seventh overall here last year is no indication of the speed that Sacha could bring to the table this weekend.

Fifth in the Championship behind Coenen, Thibault Benistant lines up for his last sand dance in the class for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2, and it will be his first GP in The Netherlands since 2021, when he was 11th overall at Oss. Camden McLellan has been something of a sand specialist this year for Monster Energy Triumph Racing, and after taking second overall at both Riola Sardo and Lommel this season, the South African must surely be hunting for both his and Triumph’s first GP win to spoil the Dutch party this weekend! He took fourth with 5-3 scores last year.

Teammate to De Wolf on the Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing squad, Liam Everts came back well from injury in Sweden, and after winning overall here in 2023, he must be thinking of a little podium action despite finishing fifth last year. Behind him, four class rookies will be jostling for position, with Honda HRC’s Valerio Lata just nine points ahead of the Monster Energy Triumph Racing star Guillem Farres, who is just another ten ahead of the Kawasaki Racing Team MX2 machine of Mathis Valin.  None of them are the most comfortable in sand, so Cas Valk, the Van Venrooy KTM Racing rookie who took tenth here as a wildcard in MX2 last year, will be hoping to catch up the 19-point gap to Valin so he can get back into the Championship top ten, even though he is easily the top non-factory rider in the class.

Regular Dutch riders Rick Elzinga, Jens Walvoort, and Kay Karssemakers for Bike-It Kawasaki Racing Team will be going all-out for good results on home sand, so look for a lot of frenetic racing in the action-packed MX2 class this weekend at Arnhem!

MX2 - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 754 Points; 2. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 714 Pts; 3. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 695 Pts; 4. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 599 Pts; 5. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 558 Pts; 6. Camden McLellan (RSA, TRI), 504 Pts; 7. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 497 Pts; 8. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 366 Pts; 9. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 357 Pts; 10. Mathis Valin (FRA, KAW), 347 Pts.

Top Photo: 2024 MX2 Start Arnhem 

Bottom Photos: 1. Kay de Wolf; 2. Kay Karssemakkers

All the photos from the MXGP of The Netherlands will be available HERE

You can find the complete results HERE.

TIMETABLE

SATURDAY: 08:20 WMX Free practice, 08:50 EMX250 Group 1 Free practice, 09:20 EMX250 Group 2 Free practice, 09:50 WMX Qualifying practice, 10:30 MX2 Free Practice, 11:00 MXGP Free Practice, 12:20 EMX250 Group 1 Qualifying practice, 13:00 EMX250 Group 2 Qualifying practice, 13:40 MX2 Time Practice, 14:15 MXGP Time Practice, 15:00 WMX Race 1, 15:45 EMX250 Race 1, 16:35 MX2 RAM Qualifying Race, 17:25 MXGP RAM Qualifying Race.

SUNDAY: 09:40 EMX250 Race 2, 10:25 MX2 Warm-up, 10:45 MXGP Warm-up, 11:30 WMX Race 2, 13:15 MX2 Race 1, 14:15 MXGP Race 1, 16:10 MX2 Race 2, 17:10 MXGP Race 2.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

FIM Europe

I have said it in the past, but for me, this weekends MXGP of The Netherlands might turn out to be the best Grand Prix of the season, with so many interesting aspects. Of course, the battle for both the MXGP and MX2 championships are exciting enough, but there is so much more to this weekend, than just the championships.

Defending MX2 champion, Kay de Wolf of the Nestaan Husqvarna factory team was making good ground on series leader, Simon Langenfelder of the Red Bull KTM factory team in the championship points, until Langenfelder won in Sweden last weekend and the points lead by the German is now 40 points, with four rounds remaining in Holland, Turkey, China and Australia.

It should be pointed out, that in sand races so far this year, de Wolf has outscored Langenfelder on nearly every occasion and won seven of the eight Sunday motos in the sand, so the Husky rider enters this weekend with a lot of confidence and will hope to get closer to Langenfelder in the championship points.

While the large Dutch crowd will be looking to celebrate a Dutch victory in MX2, it is of course, the MXGP class where many will be watching. The rider many say is the greatest sand rider of all time, Jeffrey Herlings will be trying to defend his MXGP victory at Arnhem in 2024 and also (if rumours are correct), heading to his home Grand Prix for a final time on the KTM machine.

With his current KTM contacts ending this year, all the rumours have Herlings changing brands for 2026 and a final GP at home, on the orange machine will be a huge affair. We all remember Herlings winning the Valkenswaard Grand Prix on eight occasions on his trusty KTM and if this is his final season with the Austrian brand, then what a way to end it at home, with a Grand Prix victory.

It isn’t just the Herlings/KTM situation that brings some emotion in Arnhem, as Glenn Coldenhoff, has also mentioned this might be his final home Grand Prix, as he considers retirement. The always friendly and likeable Dutchman, at 34 years of age is looking at possibly ending his career at the end of 2025, and a final goodbye in Arnhem would be something very special.

“They (Fantic) want me to stay,” Coldenhoff told NOS media in The Netherlands. “There needs to be a good structure in place and spots with good teams are running out, and then quitting becomes a reality. Look, I can always find somewhere to ride, that's not the issue, but I'm not going to just muddle along. I'm either going for it, or I'm stopping. Maybe I'll ride my last Grand Prix in the Netherlands on Sunday. If that's the case, then so be it.”

Always popular at his home Grand Prix, we might even see Coldenhoff getting more support than de Wolf and Herlings, but whatever happens, you just know the always supportive Dutch fans will be celebrating something come Sunday night.

Add the names of Calvin Vlaanderen, Rick Elzinga, Brian Bogers and of course a long list of Dutch women, the Dutch flags, horns and support make this GP a very exciting one and one that hopefully, can be celebrated with victories.

Photo credit: KTM

The Finocchiaro CLP Government is delivering world-class infrastructure, major events and economic certainty for Territorians, with just one month to go until the FIM Motocross Grand Prix (MXGP) roars into Darwin for the first time.

The track headworks are now complete, with a fully integrated pitlane, accessible spectator areas, and essential services installed, ready for the final shaping of the track.

From 19-21 September, Hidden Valley will host three days of elite racing action, marking the first time in 24 years the MXGP has been held in Australia, and serving as the grand finale of the 2025 season.

For fans, the first-ever MXGP Rider Signing Session will take place at the Darwin Waterfront, featuring autograph opportunities from MXGP and WMX stars including Maxime Renaux, Jago Geerts and Calvin Vlaanderen of Yamaha, Camden McLellan and Guillem Farres of Triumph, Larissa Papenmeier and Kevin Brumann, along with live music, stunt shows, and more.

Minister for Major Events and Tourism and Hospitality Marie-Clare Boothby said the action-packed weekend would put the Northern Territory on the global stage, with fans coming from every state and territory in Australia and internationally from the USA, UK, and NZ.

“With ticket holders travelling from interstate and overseas and a broadcast audience of 700 million across 100 countries, this is a massive opportunity to showcase our unique Territory lifestyle and cement our reputation as a world-class host of major events,” Ms Boothby said.

“We’re expecting around 32,000 spectators across the three days, and the economic impact will be just as impressive injecting $20.9 million into our economy each year until 2029.”

"This is shaping up to be the same kind of buzz as the international cricket matches held in Darwin last week, and we encourage all our locals to jump online and grab their tickets, as tickets are selling fast."

Treasurer and Minister for Logistics and Infrastructure Bill Yan said the completion of the headworks marked a major milestone.

“Once complete, this will be one of the most exhilarating and technically challenging motocross tracks ever built in Australia,” said Mr Yan.

“This reflects our government’s commitment to building infrastructure that supports major events and delivers real economic outcomes during our year of action, certainty and security.”

The 1.6km circuit includes 22 corners, 21 jumps, and a 90m starting straight, built using specialised local soil supplied by A1 Plant & Civil.

An Infront Moto Racing representative said the Darwin event will be historic.

“Fans will witness the crowning of the MXGP, MX2 and WMX World Champions in what promises to be a truly historic weekend for the sport.”

“There is no better stage to close an unforgettable season than here in Australia with its passionate fans and spectacular setting.”

Motorcycling Australia CEO Peter Doyle said the countdown is on.

 “It’s been a whirlwind 15 months since the MXGP of Australia was first announced, with an enormous amount of time and energy gone into bringing the Darwin spectacular to life.”

“And now, a month out, we’re on the final part of the runway before we get to admire the extraordinary skills of the MXGP elite as well over 100 Aussies competing in Darwin as wildcards or in the MA Motocross State Challenge.”

Visit the MXGP of Australia website to purchase tickets and for more information.