Northern Ireland’s Mark McLernon and Britain’s Harry Walker ended the 2026 FIM Quadcross World Championship with strong performances at Varsseveld in the Netherlands, with both riders fighting at the sharp end throughout the final round of the season.
McLernon came into the finale already secure in second place in the World Championship behind newly crowned champion Kevin Saar and completed an excellent campaign with third overall at Varsseveld following 4-3 finishes.
Walker, meanwhile, had plenty still to race for as he battled Sylvain Petit for fourth in the final championship standings. Third in the opening race and fourth in race two gave Walker fourth overall on the day and, crucially, saw him move ahead of Petit to secure fourth in the World Championship.
At the front, Saar completed his title-winning season with the overall victory after finishing second to Mike van Grinsven in race one before hitting back to win the final race of the championship.
Race Report below by Bradley Hix – Images courtesy of FIM Quadcross
Race 1
With light rain falling, the gates dropped and Kevin Saar would storm into the race lead to claim the 100€ Quadwinkel Holeshot prize, but both Mclernon and van Grinsven were hot on his heels from the off. A rare and slight mistake from the world champion would pave the way for Mclernon to lead for only a handful of turns, before van Grinsven made his move into the lead of the race.
The track and weather conditions would play into the hands of van Grinsven, but Saar would not let him out of his sights. He’d found his way through on Mclernon, and the Dutch and Estonian duo would show supreme pace by opening their gap over the chasing group to more than ten seconds in just a couple of laps.
Whilst the leaders romped away at the front, Mclernon soon had to turn his attentions to defending third position from Walker, and Matteo Stiller, in what would be very reminiscent of the qualifying race just one day ago. The Ulsterman would prove to be a very difficult man to pass and, despite the best efforts of Walker, the defense seemed impenetrable. Stiller then decided that it was his turn to fight for third position, so he carved his way into fourth position and set about repeating his antics from qualifying, to relegate Mclernon off the final podium spot.
Similarly to Walker, Stiller tried multiple lines and options to overcome Mclernon’s defence, but it would prove to not quite be enough. Walker would regroup and be back onto the case of Mclernon and Stiller, and made a decisive move to position himself back into fourth. With track conditions starting to catch out a couple of riders, namely Gregoire Rabat and Ruben van Lith, Walker knew that he would have to make the overtake happen sooner rather than later.
Back at the front, a steady gap of a couple of seconds would slowly increase between van Grinsven and Saar, with the Dutchman riding superbly to put himself in a position where he could not be challenged for victory.
Into the final couple of laps, and Walker was there in third, putting Mclernon back into the clutches of Stiller. Unfortunately for Stiller, whilst he was almost riding pillion, he could not find the opportunity he needed to get into fourth position.
As the chequered flag waved, the crowd went wild for Mike van Grinsven who claimed his first race win of the season. Kevin Saar followed closely behind in second spot, with Harry Walker claiming third, almost one minute behind the leading duo. Mclernon was next up to take fourth position, and the final top-five position went to Mike Verboven who, after lap one, was outside of the top-ten placings. After a brilliant race, he would find his way past Stiller on the final lap.
Race 2
In a repeat performance to that of race one, Kevin Saar rocketed into the race lead to claim the Quadwinkel Holeshot Award, with Mike van Grinsven and Mark Mclernon in close attendance. Harry Walker would be squeezed at the apex of the first turn, but it would not hamper his progress as he slotted neatly into the top five position.
Whilst the start may have been similar, the opening laps were most certainly not, as Kevin Saar did exactly what he needed to do to keep race one winner, Mike van Grinsven, at bay. Mclernon soon found himself in a distant third position to both van Grinsven in second, and Harry Walker in fourth. Whilst the top three had started to see increasing gaps between themselves, the same could not be said for fourth.
Harry Walker, Tadeas Rejdik, and Mike Verboven, were locked in the heat of battle for the fourth spot and, over the following few laps as the mid-point of the race approached, Matteo Stiller would join the party.
A poor start for Sylvain Petit meant that fourth position in the overall standings was not off the cards for Walker, who did his best to keep the Czech, Dutch, and German, trio behind him. A brilliant battle ensured and, with overtaking opportunities at a premium, it would be a tall order for positions to be gained or lost. A slight mistake from Rejdik saw himself and Stiller lose vital time to Verboven and Walker in front and, using local knowledge and his speed, Verboven would pursue Walker for track position.
Into the closing stages and Petit had an issue. He was tangled with another rider, and he would drop down the results sheet to be credited with 17th position at the chequered flag. This would incentivise Walker to keep hold of fourth position and fend off any challenge posed by Verboven.
With the chequered flag flying for the final time, Kevin Saar would claim victory in race two and, combined with his result from the opening encounter, the overall victory, too. Mike van Grinsven brough it home in second position to lay claim to second place overall, and Mclernon’s 4-3 finish was enough to solidify his third position overall. Walker kept Verboven behind him to bring the Yamaha across the line in fourth, which would be enough to move ahead of Petit in the final standings.
McLernon takes World Championship silver as Walker secures fourth
It was a fitting end to an excellent World Championship campaign for McLernon and Walker, with both finishing inside the top four at Varsseveld and in the final championship standings.
McLernon ends the nine-round, 18-race season as World Championship runner-up with 346 points, completing a superb campaign behind Saar.
Walker’s final-round performance moved him onto 237 points and fourth in the World Championship, level on points with Sylvain Petit but taking fourth in the final standings.
Kevin Saar finishes the season as the 2026 FIM Quadcross World Champion with 424 points, 78 clear of McLernon, while Patrick Turrini takes the bronze medal with 272.
For McLernon and Walker, Varsseveld provided a strong conclusion to their respective World Championship campaigns, with both featuring prominently in the final races of the year and securing top-four championship finishes.
Attention now turns to the Quadcross of Nations in two weeks’ time, where McLernon will represent Ireland, before the FIM Quadcross World Championship returns in 2027.
Results
Final Championship Standings
