The 2026 MXGP World Championship touched down in China for the penultimate round of the season, with the Shanghai circuit serving up another intriguing weekend as the campaign approaches its conclusion. Hear more from the leading riders of each division in this Reaction feature.

MXGP

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P1 | Jeffrey Herlings (Honda HRC Petronas):
It’s great to keep this winning streak going, but it certainly hasn’t been easy these past few GPs. Every time someone has stepped up and made life difficult for me, but I still managed to get the job done. Obviously my starts have helped me out so a big thank you to the team for all their work with that, but yea, I’m also on a nice run winning every session as well, so I’m just hoping to keep that rolling until the end of the season.

P2 | Romain Febvre (Kawasaki Racing Team):
I always feel good when it’s really warm, though at least it’s not so hot as last year. I have always been physically fit so I don’t miss any energy and can push even when it’s hot. After the first moto I knew it would be the battle between Jeffrey and myself; I could not quite make the pass even though I tried everything but it was good to finally battle with him at the front again. With two laps to go I was there – we were close on the last lap but I cross-rutted on a jump, got sideways and I said okay.

P3 | Tom Vialle (Honda HRC Petronas):
I had a crash in warm-up today which wasn’t nice and I bit my tongue and hurt my neck and while it wasn’t big, it was just annoying to ride with. I felt my speed was good for the first half of the races but I couldn’t keep it going until the end so that was a little frustrating, but overall, I am happy to be on the podium. Of course I want to try and win in Australia, I didn’t race there last year, but it is the final round of the season and I will give it everything I have

P4 | Calvin Vlaanderen (Red Bull Ducati Factory MXGP Team):
It was a good weekend overall, I’m happy with my riding and my speed already from the first practice on Saturday. I had a good feeling with the track and the bike and I felt like I was fourth best all weekend long, so it was nice to get a good start on that second race and to finish in fourth overall. Let’s carry this momentum into Australia for the final round; thanks to all the team and the crew for the hard work and let’s try and finish off with the good result.

P5 | Pauls Jonass (Kawasaki Racing Team):
No mistakes today but I just couldn’t find my flow in the first moto. I had a good jump in the second moto but I was just a bit too far outside going into the first turn, then I made some good moves through the first lap. It was hot and humid again but at least it wasn’t crazy like last year. Fifth doesn’t look bad on paper but it would be nice to end the season next week with a podium in Australia.

P7 | Andrea Adamo (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing):
A tough weekend. I never felt comfortable on the track. We didn’t get the best results but I was more worried about the feeling and the speed. It made things more difficult. We have another chance next weekend in Australia and we’ll try to get back stronger and fix a few things on the bike for me.

P8 | Jeremy Seewer (Van Venrooy KTM Racing):
Finally felt like myself again in moto one, unfortunately a small tip over while running P4. P8 overall and a couple things we could improve since the last GP.

MX2

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P1 | Camden McLellan (Triumph Factory Racing):
Yeah, that was a tough one. It was a really fun Grand Prix and I really enjoyed it, although I’m definitely looking forward to getting some sleep tonight. Hopefully I can recover and feel better before Australia. All in all, it was a really good weekend and I’m really happy. I can’t thank the whole Triumph Factory Racing team enough, and I’m excited for the final round in Australia.

P2 | Guillem Farres (Triumph Factory Racing):
It’s been a good weekend for the championship, but it was a shame I crashed in the first moto. In the second race, I was just managing the race after moving into the lead. I was feeling good, so I kept pushing, but the guys behind were coming on strong towards the end. I just tried to stay focused, make no mistakes, and manage the lead to the finish. I’m really happy with the win, and a big thanks to the team as always.

P3 | Liam Everts (Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing):
It was a good weekend overall. I felt strong on Sunday and the pace was definitely there in both motos. Race one was really close at the front, and in the second moto I managed to move into second and felt like I was riding well. I made a small mistake towards the end which cost me the position, but 3-3 for third overall and a fourth podium in a row is still really positive. I’m happy with the consistency we’re showing at the moment and with the way I’m riding. Now we have one more round in Australia, so I want to carry this momentum into the final weekend.

P4 | Simon Langenfelder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing):
It was a difficult one. A difficult second moto; the rest was quite OK and the starts were always on-point this weekend. I almost led the whole first race but Cam was pushing. I was quite happy with P2 because I could change my lines and I had a good feeling on the track and on the bike. The second race I had some stomach problems and a lot of pain. Unfortunately that was from lap one onwards. Quite sad. It could have been a nice podium. The last round of the year now – it’s been flying by – and to Australia where I have some good memories. We’ll get this stomach problem sorted and go again.

P5 | Janis Reisulis (Monster Energy Yamaha):
Top five overall in the end, so I’m happy with that. My riding was strong here and I managed everything quite well. A top-five result is what I’m normally aiming for, so it’s good to achieve that. In the second moto, I was fighting with the top guys for around 20 minutes, but towards the end it became really difficult for me to maintain the pace. Overall, though, it was a good day and I learned a lot, which is the most important thing. In Race One, I crashed on the first lap, so I had to come through from the back. I tried to make passes quite aggressively, but I was also struggling with some arm pump. A big thanks to the whole team for their hard work and for giving me a great bike. Now we’ll look ahead to the final round.

P6 | Kay Karssemakers (DRT Kawasaki):
I was really happy with my riding and I was consistent all weekend, going 7-6-5, just one point shy of fifth overall for the second GP in a row. I was particularly pleased with my second moto, I was really close to the first places for most of the race. My thanks to Steve and Willem – we are improving every week and I will keep working on it all winter to be ready for next year.

P7 | Byron Dennis (KTM Racing Team):
Good to be back with the crew in China! Stepping back up into MX2 and getting to play with the big dawgs was good fun. Safe to say, P7 overall was a massive improvement from 12 months ago. Being in the fight and battling for strong results made all the hard work from myself and the team throughout this season feel very rewarding. Big thanks to everyone behind me making it happen. Bring on Darwin

P8 | Karlis Reisulis (Monster Energy Yamaha):
Yeah, not the best day. I really struggled in the first moto, but the second moto was much better. I got a really good start and then pretty much held the same position for the whole race. I was trying to find a little more pace and stay with the group ahead, but I just couldn’t quite make it happen. It wasn’t really anything to do with the track, it was more about myself and how I was feeling. Anyway, we’ll keep moving forward and look ahead to the final round of the year.