The 2026 MXGP World Championship delivered another year of high-level competition, with the premier MXGP and MX2 contenders going head-to-head for race wins and title success. In this edition of Rated, MotoOnline takes a closer look at the form of select riders from throughout the season.

Image: Supplied.

Rider: Jeffrey Herlings
Rating: A
Rundown: What a year it was for Jeffrey Herlings, and in a nutshell, it was pure domination – especially throughout the latter stages. He initially faced stiff competition from Belgian teenager Lucas Coenen, although the Red Bull KTM rider sustained a hip injury at the MXGP of Great Britain that would effectively end his season. This was all Herlings needed, as the Dutchman went on an 18-race unbeaten streak to secure his sixth world championship, two rounds early in Turkey. 2026 was vintage Herlings, achieving the feat in his first year with Honda HRC Petronas.

Rider: Romain Febvre
Rating: B+
Rundown: While second overall reads well on paper, you’d have to think the 2025 MXGP world champion was looking for more this year. The Frenchman scored a string of second-place finishes but never broke through for a victory, bested by both Coenen in the early stages of the season and Herlings later in the year. He now departs Kawasaki Racing Team after seven successful years together, joining the Red Bull Ducati Factory MXGP outfit, which experienced its fair share of struggles in 2026, underscored by Jeremy Seewer and Calvin Vlaanderen both moving on after struggling to come to grips with the Desmo450 MX. We’ll see what Febvre can bring to the table, but for 2026, it’s a B+ rating.

Rider: Tim Gajser
Rating: B
Rundown: This is another case of the result reading better on paper than in reality, because five-time world champion Gajser was also unable to capture an overall win in 2026, although he did at least claim two moto victories – both coming in Italy. His debut season with Monster Energy Yamaha likely didn’t go according to plan, especially considering Herlings’ performance at ‘Tiga’s’ former team. From the outside, it appears there is still quite a bit of work to do to develop comfort between this pairing, with third overall warranting a B rating for 2026.

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Rider: Tom Vialle
Rating: B
Rundown: New Honda HRC Petronas recruit Tom Vialle also gets a B, although his comes with a more optimistic outlook. This year marked a solid debut MXGP class season, highlighted by one overall win, eight additional podium finishes and fourth in the standings. He missed two rounds – Germany and Latvia – through injury, although that can be expected from a rookie campaign, with Vialle showing all the ingredients to add an MXGP world championship to his two MX2 titles in the future. Honda HRC Petronas won big in this year’s silly-season gamble, with Vialle delivering a strong complementary campaign alongside Herlings’ title-winning season.

Rider: Guillem Farres
Rating: A
Rundown: Much like Herlings, 2026 was an outstanding season for Guillem Farres, who had only achieved a single podium in 2025. He too faced stiff competition early from a Coenen brother – this time Sacha – however, a strong end to the championship saw him pull away from the rest of the field, needing only to overcome his teammate Camden McLellan in Australia to secure a maiden world title. That marks the conclusion of his MX2 career as he steps up to the 450 ranks with Triumph Factory Racing in 2027, having signed a three-year deal with the British marque that continues to excel in world championship competition.

Rider: Camden McLellan
Rating: A-
Rundown: South Africa’s Camden McLellan has finished the MX2 world championship in 13th, ninth, fifth, and second over the last four seasons, demonstrating a solid progression towards claiming a number one plate of his own. He effectively was Robin to Farres’ Batman in 2026, recording five overall wins, eight podiums, and second overall – the only rider with an outside chance in Darwin. With both Farres and Coenen exiting the category next year, McLellan steps up as the title favourite – and he’ll need to get it done, as he turns 23 in June next year.

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Rider: Sacha Coenen
Rating: B+
Rundown: The highly rated second of the Coenen twins – Sacha – is off to the United States in 2027 alongside brother Lucas, with neither rider leaving the MXGP World Championship with a professional title. What we know for certain by now is their outright speed, underscored by the fact that both held the red plate for multiple rounds in their respective classes this year – however, consistency remains a big question mark. Can they harness that speed and challenge for championships? Time will tell, but Sacha was genuinely in the mix for much of 2026, so a B+ rating is fitting.

Rider: Liam Everts
Rating: B
Rundown: Everts came on strong throughout the final stages of 2026, which was needed given this is largely where he is expected to be by now – in the MX2 title picture. He was never quite there in 2026, hovering around that ‘next in line’ region, and with the Belgian also set to turn 23 next year, he also has one more chance at claiming an MX2 title. He stood on the top step in both individual motos and the qualification race on multiple occasions this year and equalled a career-best P4 overall, earning a B rating in the process.