Jeffrey Herlings seized control of the 2026 FIM Motocross World Championship with a dominant performance at the MXGP of Czech Republic, completing a perfect weekend at Loket to move 49 points clear at the top of the standings with six rounds remaining.
Images courtesy of Infront Moto Racing
After claiming victory in Saturday’s Qualifying Race, the Honda HRC PETRONAS rider carried his momentum into Sunday, producing two commanding race wins to secure the maximum 60 points. Strong starts in both motos allowed Herlings to quickly move into the lead before controlling proceedings around the demanding hard-pack Loket circuit, wrapping up his first perfect 1-1-1 weekend of the season and the 119th Grand Prix victory of his illustrious career.
The Dutchman was also handed a significant boost in the title race before the gates even dropped, as Lucas Coenen was forced to sit out Sunday’s action. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider, who arrived in Czech Republic with the championship lead, elected to rest following crashes at Foxhill last weekend and in Saturday’s Qualifying Race. His absence allowed Herlings to take over the red plate and open a healthy advantage heading into next weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix at Lommel.
While Herlings dominated at the front, Honda HRC PETRONAS teammate Tom Vialle enjoyed one of his strongest weekends since returning to Grand Prix racing. The Frenchman used his excellent starts to finish third in race one before taking second in race two, earning second overall for his first podium since Trentino and his maiden podium finish at the iconic Loket circuit.
READ MORE: MXGP NEWS
Reigning World Champion Romain Febvre completed the overall podium after another gritty display for Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP. The Frenchman chased Herlings home in second during the opening moto before overcoming a first-turn crash in race two to recover to fifth, salvaging enough points to secure third overall and remain third in the championship standings.
Honda came within touching distance of locking out the overall podium as Ruben Fernandez continued his recent consistency. Fifth in race one and fourth in race two earned the Spaniard fourth overall for the second consecutive Grand Prix, moving him up to fifth in the championship as he edges ever closer to a podium finish.
Tim Gajser endured a frustrating afternoon after crashes in both races disrupted his challenge, although the Slovenian still recovered to finish fifth overall ahead of Andrea Adamo, while Jago Geerts celebrated his best Grand Prix result of the campaign in seventh overall.
On the Brit front Dirt Store Triumphs Ben Watson was hampered by his starts but showed good speed to come back to 13th in Moto 1 and 11th in Moto 2 for 12th overall. Chambers Racing’s Adam Sterry finished 16th in Moto 1 and suffered a DNF in the second race for 22nd overall.
Herlings admitted the perfect weekend was exactly what he needed, but insisted the championship is far from over despite his commanding lead.
“One-one-one is exactly what I needed to do and I just felt really good all weekend,” said Jeffrey Herlings. “The Honda is so good on this hard-pack terrain, it just sticks to the ground and when I get three starts like I did, it really makes life a lot easier.
“I know I have the red plate right now, but I also know that it doesn’t really mean anything and that I have to keep performing like this for the last six rounds. We’ve seen what has happened already this year, and I’ve lost big leads before myself, so I’m not going to stop working until we have the gold plate.
“A big thanks to the whole of Honda HRC PETRONAS for all their hard work this year, because I think you can see that it is really paying off.”
Vialle was delighted to return to the podium after a difficult spell that included injury and time away from competition.
“It was great to get back on the podium after a tough stretch of races, including missing a few rounds with injury,” said Tom Vialle. “It was hard after that because the guys are running so fast, and it is still my first season back in the GPs and on a 450, so I’ve been working extremely hard and now the work has paid off.
“There is definitely more to come though and I’ll keep working and with these starts I’ve been getting, I know I am capable of even more in these remaining six rounds.”
Febvre was left wondering what might have been after recovering from his race-two crash to rescue a podium finish.
“I’m happy and disappointed at the same time,” said Romain Febvre. “I crashed on the first turn, got stuck under another bike, and thought the podium was gone. Somehow I came back to finish fifth, I still can’t believe it. My starts were not great all weekend, so with a better start I think I could have fought for the win.”
With Herlings carrying the red plate into the deep sand of Lommel and Coenen’s fitness still uncertain, the momentum in the championship has shifted decisively in favour of the Dutchman. However, with six rounds still to run and some of the toughest circuits of the season still ahead, the battle for the 2026 MXGP World Championship is far from settled.
MXGP of Czech Republic Results
MXGP World Championship Standings
1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, Honda), 615 points; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 566; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), 541; 4. Tim Gajser (SLO, Yamaha), 489; 5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), 414; 6. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 411; 7. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), 408; 8. Tom Vialle (FRA, Honda), 367; 9. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 292; 10. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Kawasaki), 273
