News Turkey MXGP: Jeffrey Herlings Wins His 6th World Championship Title; Guillem Farres Takes the MX2 Win!

The West Asian sun baked the track at the Afyon Motor Sport Center to a scorching heat this Sunday during the Turkish Grand Prix, the 17th round of the 2026 FIM Motocross World Championship. On hard, drying dirt, baked by the heat, the riders had to contend with an extremely fast but treacherous track. It was a day packed with excitement, marked by Jeffrey Herlings’ early title clinch in the premier class and a major shake-up in the MX2 title race.

MXGP: Jeffrey Herlings’ 6th Title Makes History

Jeffrey Herlings needed just a few more points to clinch the championship, and the Dutchman left no room for doubt. With a perfect weekend featuring a one-two finish (1-1), “The Bullet” clinched his sixth Motocross World Championship title—his third in the premier MXGP class, and, most notably, his very first while racing for the Honda HRC Petronas team. He thus joins the very exclusive club of riders who have won at least six titles in the sport’s history, alongside Stefan Everts, Joel Robert, and Antonio Cairoli.

With this performance, Herlings notched his fifth consecutive Grand Prix victory and extended his unbeaten streak to 17 consecutive race wins.

First Race: Victory Secured at the First Checkered Flag

In the first race, Herlings quickly overcame his long-standing weakness: the start. Although he found himself neck-and-neck with his teammate Tom Vialle going into the first turn, the Dutchman unleashed the power of his Honda to claim the Fox Holeshot. Behind him, Tim Gajser (Yamaha) took second place as early as the second turn by taking the outside line on Vialle, while Andrea Adamo (KTM) made a small mistake coming out of the turn, nearly taking several riders down with him.

At the front, Herlings set a blistering pace and posted the fastest lap of the day on the ninth lap (34:27.218). Behind him, Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) closed the gap on Tom Vialle and took advantage of a mistake by the Frenchman in a left-hand turn to seize third place. Herlings crossed the finish line more than three seconds ahead of Gajser and 18 seconds ahead of Febvre, immediately clinching the world championship even before the day’s final race.

Second Race: Golden Helmet and Duel with Tom Vialle

Freed from the pressure of the title, Herlings lined up at the start of the second race sporting a No. 1 plate and a commemorative gold helmet. It was the same story at the drop of the flag: the Dutchman claimed his second consecutive holeshot (his eighth of the season). Tom Vialle, determined not to let Gajser pass him on the outside again, went all out by executing a perfect scrub on the first jump to hold onto second place.

Gajser, under pressure from the Kawasaki riders, made a mistake on the second lap, went off the track, and lost ground. Febvre took advantage of this to move up to third place. At the front of the race, Tom Vialle decided not to give his newly crowned teammate an inch and pushed Herlings to the limit. Despite a minor slip with two laps to go, Vialle closed in on “The Bullet.” Herlings, however, held on to his lead to win by less than a second over Vialle. The Honda duo finished more than 28 seconds ahead of Romain Febvre, who crossed the line in third.

In the overall GP standings, Herlings claimed the top spot on the podium with 50 points, followed by Tom Vialle (2nd, 40 pts) and Romain Febvre (3rd, 40 pts), who edged out Tim Gajser based on their better second-race finish.

What They Said After the Race (MXGP)

Jeffrey Herlings (Honda HRC Petronas), GP Winner and 2026 World Champion:

This is fantastic; I’m really thrilled. Even though I had a comfortable lead in the points, I was very stressed these past few weeks because I knew the only thing that could ruin everything was an injury, and I’ve been pretty vulnerable in the past when I’ve crashed. I didn’t sleep much last night—barely three hours. I was going over all the possible scenarios in my head […]. Out of all those scenarios, I never would have guessed that I’d get two holeshots and lead every lap. This is my sixth world title, my 123rd GP victory, and my 11th this year with Honda HRC Petronas. I hate losing […]. The season isn’t over yet, either, so I’m going to keep trying to raise the bar even higher.

Tom Vialle (Honda HRC Petronas), 2nd in the GP:

It was an excellent weekend overall. I struggled a bit in the final laps of the first race, so we made a few small adjustments to the bike for the second one [...]. I gave it my all throughout the race and wasn’t sure if I’d make it because Jeffrey was pushing so hard. With every lap, I kept telling myself, “Just one more lap.” I pushed all the way to the last lap, but he didn’t make any mistakes. This is my first year, so these races are very important for seeing what Jeffrey does on the track, and I’m trying to learn as much as possible.

Romain Febvre (Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP), 3rd in the GP:

It wasn’t a big surprise to see Jeffrey take the title, but I’m still fighting for second place in the championship, which I’m satisfied with given what I’ve been through this season. This weekend, given where I started from, I feel like I couldn’t have done better than third in each race […]. Next month is going to be tough, but I’m used to racing every weekend.

MX2: Guillem Farres Wins, a Setback for Sacha Coenen in the Title Race

The MX2 class offered a completely different scenario, with the overall standings shaken up and the battle for the world title tilting in favor of the Triumph Racing Factory Team.

First Heat: Längenfelder Back on Top, Coenen Crashes

At the start of the first race, Simon Längenfelder (Red Bull KTM) claimed the Fox Holeshot ahead of Liam Everts and Guillem Farres. Farres (Triumph) was immediately very aggressive: he slipped between Everts and Janis Reisulis, then passed Längenfelder as early as the third turn to take the lead.

Meanwhile, the race took a turn for the worse for title contender Sacha Coenen. After a mediocre start, the young Belgian began an aggressive charge but suffered a very hard crash early in the second lap on one of the track’s fastest jumps. Injured in his right collarbone (which had already been weakened), Coenen was forced to retire.

At the front, Längenfelder stepped up the pace, closed in on Farres, and managed to pass him on the 7th lap. The German rider cruised to victory—his first in a Sunday race since the fourth round in Sardinia back in April. Farres finished second ahead of his teammate Camden McLellan, who snatched third place from Liam Everts in the final meters.

Second Race: Farres’ Solo Run, Coenen’s Withdrawal

In a heroic display, Sacha Coenen took his place on the grid for the second race despite the pain and claimed the Fox Holeshot. But right from the first few turns, Guillem Farres stormed into the lead. Unable to keep up due to his injury, Coenen had no choice but to head back to the pits and withdraw from the race.

Up front, Farres rode a flawless race and crossed the finish line more than six seconds ahead of Liam Everts and Simon Längenfelder.

With this 2-1 result, Guillem Farres won the Turkish Grand Prix (47 pts) ahead of Simon Längenfelder (45 pts) and Liam Everts (40 pts). This victory allows Farres to solidify his lead in the world championship, sitting 50 points ahead of his teammate Camden McLellan. Triumph also secures an unprecedented 1-2 finish in the provisional championship standings.

Post-Race Quotes (MX2)

Guillem Farres (Triumph Racing Factory), GP Winner:

It feels really good. It was great to have a rest weekend after Arnhem; my body really needed it after my crash in Uddevalla […]. In the second race, I got into a good position right from the start; I was able to set my own pace and ride comfortably without making any mistakes. I’m glad I didn’t make any major mistakes all weekend.

Simon Längenfelder (Red Bull KTM), 2nd in the GP:

The last few GPs have been pretty tough for me, so getting back on the podium—and especially winning that first race—feels really good. I’ve been lacking intensity and speed lately [...]. I’m out of the title race, that’s for sure, but I’m still trying to give it my all. You never know what might happen.

Liam Everts (Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing), 3rd in the GP:

In the first race, I wasn’t where I wanted to be—I was lacking that intensity. Camden [McLellan] really gave it his all, and I didn’t get a moment’s respite [...]. For the second race, we made some minor adjustments, and it went much better. I’m obviously very happy to be back on the podium. I’d like to win, but I still have two more chances.

Turkey Grand Prix (Afyonkarahisar) Results

MXGP Overall Standings

MX2 Overall Standings

Provisional World Championship Standings (17/19)

MXGP World Championship

Position	No.	Rider	Team	Brand	Points	Wins	Podium finishes
1	84	Jeffrey Herlings	KNMV	Honda	855	26	41
2	1	Romain Febvre	FFM	Kawasaki	699	1	23
3	243	Tim Gajser	AMZS	Yamaha	659	3	20
4	5	Lucas Coenen	FMB	KTM	566	18	27
5	80	Andrea Adamo	FMI	KTM	559	0	6
6	16	Tom Vialle	FFM	Honda	545	2	15
7	70	Ruben Fernández	RFME	Honda	523	1	4
8	959	Maxime Renaux	FFM	Yamaha	449	0	3
9	74	Kay De Wolf	KNMV	Husqvarna	428	0	11
10	41	Pauls Jonass	LAMSF	Kawasaki	366	0	2

MX2 World Championship

Position	No.	Rider	Team	Make	Points	Wins	Pole Positions	Podiums
1	99	Guillem Farres	RFME	Triumph	811	15	0	33
2	8	Camden Mc Lellan	KNMV	Triumph	756	7	0	28
3	19	Sacha Coenen	FMB	KTM	746	14	0	26
4	1	Simon Langenfelder	DMSB	KTM	726	9	0	29
5	26	Liam Everts	FMB	Husqvarna	696	3	0	18
6	772	Janis Martin Reisulis	LAMSF	Yamaha	607	0	0	6
7	47	Karlis Alberts Reisulis	LAMSF	Yamaha	502	0	0	2
8	18	Valerio Lata	IMF	Honda	414	0	0	2
9	20	Julius Mikula	ACCR	KTM	383	0	0	0
10	317	Mathis Valin	FFM	Kawasaki	352	3	0	9

The teams and riders are now heading to Shanghai for the MXGP of China, the penultimate round of the season. The key question will be whether Herlings will continue his unbeaten streak and whether Farres will be able to clinch the MX2 championship as early as the next round.