When you name the greatest three riders from the last 15 years, there stand three multi-time world champions, who head into 2026 as something of the veterans of the class. Jeffrey Herlings and Tim Gajser with five World Motocross Championships each are without question the big two when it comes to career success, but the third man in this group, Romain Febvre, with his two MXGP Championships is the defending champion and maybe the early favourite for this season.
Herlings, who has spent as much time on the sidelines with injuries as he has holding trophies will line up in 2026 on a red bike, rather than an orange one and it seems this change has given the Dutchman a little more motivation to grab a sixth world title.
“I am definitely looking forward to it,” Herlings said. “I feel like I can still do it if not I wouldn’t have even started you know. Like if I look at the last few races last year when I was healthy you know I won most of them and got like five podiums straight and won three out of last five races I think, so definitely super excited and this is a complete new adventure, a big new motivation, you know after 17 years working with one with one team then going into a new team for your last potential last two or three years of your career makes things quite exciting and just brings a hell a lot of new motivation so yeah definitely be nice to race with the rookies but end of the day this championship is so long with 60 motos so it’s just about consistency. You saw in the past, you saw last year with Febvre just being there every single weekend being consistent I think that’s the thing what will bring you a championship.”
As for Gajser, who like Herlings changed teams in the off-season and will race the Monster Energy Yamaha in 2026 knows that this season will be as spectacular as it is exciting. With his five-world title, and four of those in the MXGP class, Gajser is without question the most successful of the three when it comes to major championships. He knows staying fit is the number one goal in 2026.
“I mean,” Gajser said. “The most important thing… there are several excellent riders in MXGP, especially this year. Some young riders will be coming up from MX2 who are hungry, fit, and fast. So, what matters is believing in yourself, working hard every day, being consistent in races, and also staying healthy. I think that’s fundamental. Because if you’re not healthy, if you get injured, even if it’s just minor aches and pains that prevent you from training at 100%, it can cost you dearly. So, in the end, if you put all these pieces together and the puzzle is complete, you can win the title. I think it’s all of these things together.”
As for Febvre, a third motocross world championship would make him the most successful French rider in the history of the sport, and despite him also being the oldest man in the MXGP class, he feels his speed from 2025, and his consistent performances make winning a third title very possible.
“Yeah,” Febvre said. “It is possible, for sure, I am going for it. We will see. It will be a different year, and some riders are changing teams and brands. Maybe for Jeffrey Herlings and Tim Gajser, it will take a little bit of time to get used to their surroundings. At the same time, yeah, maybe at the beginning of the season I can be better than them and try to fight for GP wins and the championship. Yeah, for sure, if I have a good winter and I am in a good spot, then why not go for three titles?”
So, while names like Lucas Coenen, Kay de Wolf, Tom Vialle and many more will be hunting the veterans down, it is the three multi-time champions that will be a little calmer and cooler under pressure, as they know what it takes to win championships in bunches. Bring on Argentina, it is going to be fantastic.
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