The fourth round of MXGP 2026 took place in Sardegna over the weekend, with a mixture of riders at the front of the field across both the 450 and MX2 categories in the deep, sandy conditions. Hear more from the leading riders of each division in this Reaction feature.

MXGP

Image: Supplied.

P1 | Lucas Coenen (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing):
I made a gap in the second moto, but it grabs you so quick! I went on my ear, and it took a lot of energy out of me. I said to myself, ‘I cannot lose this one.’ I’m so pumped, and we worked so good with the team. I’m really happy with the double race win.

P2 | Jeffrey Herlings (Honda HRC Petronas):
I came close in that second moto, and I felt like I had enough energy to go for another 10 minutes. I just need to improve my speed to really fight for the win. The first moto, I got a good start, in fact in both races I got good starts, so that’s a positive, but I couldn’t keep Lucas behind me. I gave it everything, and I’m happy that I was able to match his speed for a bit and really close up near the end, but winning is the goal, and I know the Honda HRC Petronas team is working really hard to make that happen, so it’s down to me to get on the top step of the podium.

P3 | Kay de Wolf (Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing):
That one means a lot. Sardegna is one of the toughest tracks we go to, and in that second moto, it was very tough at the start. I think I was almost last, but in the sand you can always find different lines, and I just kept believing I could come back. Every lap, I was passing guys and getting more into the flow. When I got into third, I just gave everything to bring it home. To take my first MXGP podium like that, in these conditions, is pretty special. I’ve always loved riding in the sand, and this feels like a big step for me in this class.

P4 | Romain Febvre (Kawasaki Racing Team):
I was quite strong in the first race, but I missed my flow on the track in the second moto. Today was not great but it was still good points for the championship. The starts were really positive all weekend, and I hope we can carry those on to all types of track – we made some changes about the front fork, and it was working really good in the deep sand. I crashed three laps from the end of the first moto – it didn’t lose me any positions but it cost me some energy which was missing in the second moto so I couldn’t find my flow. I try my best every time I race but today it was not quite enough for the podium.

P5 | Ruben Fernandez (Honda HRC Petronas):
Very happy with my riding today, and I think I showed my improvement in the deep sand, after all my work this winter. With the 14th gate-pick, I managed to get two good starts and just put myself in the right position in both races. Conditions were very tough out there, and I’m riding against a lot of sand specialists, so the goal was to ride consistently and try to avoid any big mistakes. I think I did that well, so to go five-five is a good result and gives me a lot of confidence moving forward.

P6 | Alberto Forato (Fantic Factory Racing):
It was a positive weekend, despite a hard crash in the warm-up. I was definitely feeling the aftermath, especially in my left hand, which didn’t help in the heavy conditions here in the sand of Riola. But I tried my best, I gave it everything I had, and I am very happy with sixth overall. We have taken another small step forward, and now I am looking forward to seeing you all in Arco di Trento.

P7 | Tom Vialle (Honda HRC Petronas):
A frustrating day because I felt I rode a lot better than my results show. My starts were good in both races – including a holeshot in race one – and my speed was good for the majority of both races. I moved into third midway through the second moto, and I felt good, but overall, I just made too many mistakes in this deep sand, and that really costs you a lot of energy. It’s frustrating because I definitely could have got more points, but it was still good to see that my sand riding is still amongst the best in the world.

P8 | Tim Gajser (Monster Energy Yamaha):
It was a difficult Sunday for me. In the first moto, I crashed twice and had to come back from the back of the field, so it was all about salvaging as many points as possible. In the second race, I got a better start and felt strong early on, making some good passes and moving into third, but then I had a big high-side crash in a fast section and hit the ground pretty hard. It took me a couple of laps to recover and get back into a rhythm, but I kept pushing and managed to work my way back up to eighth. It’s not where we want to be, but I gave it everything, and we’ll take the points and move forward.

MX2

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P1 | Simon Laengenfelder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing):
I must say I’m really proud of what I could do today, and the team also. We put in some serious hours to get my bike figured out for the sand, and it seemed like it worked. I’m super-happy to win back-to-back. I could ride very freely. I was able to jump the bumps, and the suspension worked really nicely. I had a lot of trust in the bike.

P2 | Sacha Coenen (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing):
The weekend started good on a challenging track, and the first moto was good also. I don’t know what happened at the start of the second it was quite a high-speed crash, so I was lucky not to hurt anything. I was pleased with how I could come back then…so, not such a bad weekend after all. I was having fun out there.

P3 | Liam Everts (Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing):
It was a really tough weekend physically, the sand here just drains you, so I’m happy to come away with another podium. The first race was good, I could ride my own pace and make the pass when it mattered. In the second one, I didn’t get the best start, so I knew it was going to be a fight, but I stayed calm and just worked my way forward. At the end, it was all about managing the pressure and bringing it home. Two podiums in a row and moving up to third in the championship is really positive, especially on a track like this.

P4 | Camden McLellan (Triumph Factory Racing):
Sunday here in Riolo Sardo is done, and overall, it was an okay day, but I made things difficult for myself. I actually had two good starts but got caught up with another rider and ended up at the back both times. In the first race, I also went down on the opening lap, so I had to fight through from last up to sixth and was close to fifth but couldn’t quite make the move. The second race was similar, as I started far back again and wasn’t really able to make the impact I wanted. There are some positives, but also clear areas to improve. Now the focus is on a good week of rest and recovery before Arco, which is a special place for me as it’s where I took my first win last year. I’m looking forward to going back there, and I’m aiming for a strong weekend.

P5 | Janis Reisulis (Monster Energy Yamaha):
Overall, it was quite a positive weekend for me. I felt really good on the bike from the start and had strong speed throughout, which showed with the pole position in time practice and a solid result in the qualifying race. Sunday was also positive. In the first moto I rode well and managed things as planned, but in the second race, I pushed a bit too hard early on, had a crash, and it was difficult to come back from that. Even so, there are a lot of positives to take away, and we know where we need to improve. I really appreciate the work from the whole team, and I’m confident we’ll keep building from here.

P6 | Julius Mikula (Osicka MX Team):
Round four in Riola was something! Moto one P5, moto two P8, [and] overall sixth. What can I say more, it was a good day.

P8 | Karlis Reisulis (Monster Energy Yamaha):
Overall, I think it was a positive weekend. The first moto wasn’t the easiest, as I was still dealing with a small injury from yesterday, but I did my best to fight through it. The second moto was much better, though. The track was really tough with a lot of ruts and braking bumps, but I managed to work my way up to sixth and then into fifth in the final laps. To finish fifth in these conditions is something to build on, so I’m happy with the progress, and I’m looking forward to the next round.