Round nine of the MXGP World Championship in Italy brought the series into the midpoint stretch of the season, with both the MXGP and MX2 championship battles continuing to evolve. Revisit the event through our Captured feature, showcasing a collection of key moments that helped define the weekend in illustrated form.

It’s no secret that Jeffrey Herlings was left dejected after a pair of DNFs across rounds seven and eight dealt a significant blow to his championship hopes. Against that backdrop, a return to the top step of the podium in Italy provided a timely response from the Dutchman.

The Triumph Factory Racing outfit continues to deliver in the MX2 category this season. Both Guillem Farres and Camden McLellan returned to the podium in Italy, while also claiming individual moto victories. The pair now sits second and third in the MX2 standings respectively, emerging as Sacha Coenen’s closest challengers through nine rounds.

Talented Frenchman Maxime Renaux hadn’t stood on an MXGP podium since his opening-round victory in Argentina last year. More than a year later, the 26-year-old returned to the box with a third-place overall finish in Italy.

Tim Gajser is finally a winner on blue! The five-time world champion claimed victory in Saturday’s qualification race before backing that up with a moto-two win on Sunday. A collision in the opening race caused broken spokes and ultimately impacted his overall result, but the weekend still marked a significant confidence boost for Gajser aboard the Yamaha.

Following his Pro Motocross debut, Lucas Coenen returned to MXGP as he continues his charge toward a maiden world title in 2026. Mission accomplished in Montevarchi, with the 19-year-old leaving Italy with the red plate.

Triumph Factory Racing featured a unique touch this weekend, running an ‘Art of Moto’ graphics kit across its machines. The design wasn’t limited to Italy, either, extending across the brand’s wider off-road racing program, including the Pro Motocross High Point National.

Unfortunately, MXGP rookie Kay de Wolf was unable to line up for Sunday’s races after feeling the effects of a crash during timed practice. The Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing rider’s status remains unclear for Portugal, with the setback coming at a difficult time for the Dutchman.

P6 for Calvin Vlaanderen, highlighted by a P4 finish in moto one! For the Red Bull Ducati Factory MXGP Team, this result represents an important step forward after a challenging start to its maiden MXGP campaign in 2026. Vlaanderen explained the progress after the race: “We’ve been working hard the last months, and we made a nice change last week – it’s definitely making me feel more comfortable on the bike.”

Defending MX2 world champion Simon Laengenfelder finds himself on the back foot in this year’s title fight. Sitting fourth in the standings and 59 points behind the leader, the German will need a strong run across the remaining 10 rounds to close the gap.

It was good to see Tom Vialle back at the races, following two rounds on the sidelines. He finished with a 5-9 scorecard upon return for the Honda HRC Petronas team.