Britain’s Billy Askew enjoyed the best weekend of his EMX250 career at the 2026 MXGP of Flanders, taking a sensational maiden race victory and securing his first overall podium with second at the iconic Lommel sand circuit.
Images courtesy of Infront Moto Racing
The Dirt Store Triumph Racing rider bounced back from sixth in the opening race to master the demanding Belgian sand in Race 2, taking the lead just past the halfway point before controlling the closing stages to claim a memorable first EMX250 win. While Denmark’s Nicolai Skovbjerg secured the overall victory with 1-2 finishes, Askew’s breakthrough weekend firmly established the young Brit as one of the championship’s rising stars.
Fellow Brit Joe Brookes also impressed in the deep sand, running inside the top three during the early stages of Race 2 before eventually slipping back as the race developed. Brookes would finish 13th in both motos for 13th overall.
Skovbjerg Charges Through in Race One
Race one belonged to Skovbjerg, but not without a fight.
Italian Francesco Bellei grabbed the holeshot and immediately pulled clear, while Dean Gregoire briefly ran second before crashing out on the opening lap. That promoted Mads Fredsoe into second, with Bellei continuing to lead as Askew settled into fourth behind Saku Mansikkamäki.
Askew quickly found his rhythm and moved into third, but all eyes were on Skovbjerg. After a poor start left him 11th on the opening lap, the Dane carved his way through the field, passing Mansikkamäki before hunting down Fredsoe and eventually taking the lead on lap nine.
Behind him, Gyan Doensen looked set for second after an impressive charge through the pack, only to crash within sight of the finish, allowing Fredsoe and Bellei to complete the podium.
Askew held on for sixth after a solid ride in one of the toughest races of the season, while title contender Jake Cannon endured a nightmare afternoon, crashing twice before retiring.
Askew Delivers Breakthrough Victory
Race two saw another dramatic contest, with Jarne Bervoets leading the opening laps after taking the holeshot ahead of Bellei and Britain’s Joe Brookes, who made a superb start to run inside the top three.
As the race settled, Fredsoe forced his way into the lead before Askew latched onto the KTM rider’s rear wheel. On lap seven the Triumph rider struck, taking over at the front before immediately pulling clear.
Fredsoe’s challenge then came to an abrupt end when a suspected rear wheel problem dropped him out of contention, leaving Askew free to manage the race from the front.
Meanwhile, Skovbjerg was producing another remarkable recovery. Starting outside the top ten once again, the Dane climbed relentlessly through the field to second by lap 11, reducing Askew’s advantage but never getting close enough to challenge for victory.
Askew kept his composure to the chequered flag, taking a landmark first EMX250 race win by just over four seconds from Skovbjerg, with Tom Brunet completing the podium.
Behind the leading trio, Bervoets finished fourth ahead of Dani Heitink, while Bellei’s sixth-place finish proved enough to secure his own maiden overall podium. Doensen recovered to seventh after another eventful race.
First Podium for Askew
Askew’s 6-1 scores earned him second overall, his first EMX250 podium and another milestone for both the young Brit and Dirt Store Triumph Racing.
Skovbjerg’s consistency secured the overall victory, while Bellei rounded out the podium after one of the strongest weekends of his season.
The Danish rider also made significant inroads in the championship after leader Francisco Garcia missed the weekend through injury and Jake Cannon endured a difficult GP. Garcia’s advantage has now been reduced from 104 points to 74 with three rounds remaining.
Nicolai Skovbjerg:
“We never know how long Garcia is out, and of course it’s sad for him not to be here, but I need to take advantage of it. Seventy-four points is still a lot, but everything can happen as you see, he’s injured now, so we never know for how long.”
Billy Askew:
“It’s cool to do it here because this was my first time ever riding this track, so to have the pace and the feel around it was really good. The bike felt mega all weekend, thank you to my team.
“In Race 1 I just lost a bit of flow because the track is brutal. I felt awesome for the first 15 minutes and then got a bit too back on the brakes and started making mistakes, so I lost a few positions.”
Francesco Bellei:
“It feels strange almost, to get my first podium here on sand. I had a really nice start in Race 1, I was leading, then I lost a bit of flow and was really tired, but I managed to finish P3, which was also my best result of the year.
“In Race 2 I struggled a bit more. I’m really happy, first podium here, I don’t really have words.”
Results
EMX250 – Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Nicolai Skovbjerg (DEN, Husqvarna), 30:32.039; 2. Mads Fredsoe (DEN, KTM), +0:13.596; 3. Francesco Bellei (ITA, KTM), +0:14.826; 4. Dani Heitink (NED, Husqvarna), +0:17.793; 5. Gyan Doensen (NED, KTM), +0:25.369; 6. William Askew (GBR, Triumph), +0:26.950; 7. Saku Mansikkamäki (FIN, KTM), +0:27.914; 8. Jarne Bervoets (BEL, Yamaha), +0:29.565; 9. Jekabs Kubulins (LAT, Yamaha), +0:32.810; 10. Tom Brunet (FRA, Yamaha), +0:42.017
EMX250 – Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. William Askew (GBR, Triumph), 31:16.134; 2. Nicolai Skovbjerg (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:04.329; 3. Tom Brunet (FRA, Yamaha), +0:09.477; 4. Jarne Bervoets (BEL, Yamaha), +0:11.354; 5. Dani Heitink (NED, Husqvarna), +0:25.994; 6. Francesco Bellei (ITA, KTM), +0:32.170; 7. Gyan Doensen (NED, KTM), +0:44.028; 8. Douwe Van Mechgelen (BEL, KTM), +0:48.592; 9. Nicolò Alvisi (ITA, Honda), +0:52.864; 10. Jekabs Kubulins (LAT, Yamaha), +0:59.092
EMX250 Overall
EMX250 Championship – Top 10 Classification: 1. Francisco Garcia (ESP, KAW), 352 points; 2. Nicolai Skovbjerg (DEN, HUS), 278 p.; 3. Jake Cannon (AUS, KAW), 258 p.; 4. Gyan Doensen (NED, KTM), 233 p.; 5. Mads Fredsoe (DEN, KTM), 205 p.; 6. Nicolò Alvisi (ITA, HON), 179 p.; 7. Liam Owens (AUS, KTM), 152 p.; 8. Tom Brunet (FRA, YAM), 151 p.; 9. Bernardo Tiburcio (BRA, YAM), 142 p.; 10. Jekabs Kubulins (LAT, YAM), 140 p.
For the Full Official Results from all MXGP rounds head >>HERE<<
