After the session, Jorge Martin was passed fit to race, while Raul Fernandez was not fit after completing just 5 laps and withdrew from the rest of the weekend.
Results:
David Emmett Fri, 30/Oct/2026 - 06:45Results:
David Emmett Fri, 30/Oct/2026 - 06:43Results:
David Emmett Fri, 30/Oct/2026 - 06:42
The #25 won't be taking part in the rest of the Malaysian GP as he continues to suffer with his fingers, broken in Lombok.
Raul Fernandez (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP team) put in a superhuman ride at the Indonesian GP to take a podium despite having fractured fingers, but the #25 was then forced to withdraw from the Australian GP as his recovery continues.
Arriving in Sepang for the Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia, Fernandez got the ok to take part in FP1 and headed out in the session. However, in a review thereafter he was declared officially unfit and is now sidelined from the event, instead focusing on making a full recovery.
Get well soon, Raul!
The post MotoGP: Raul Fernandez Sidelined From Sepang appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.
Marc Marquez topped MotoGP World Championship Free Practice One (FP1) Friday morning at Petronas Sepang International Circuit, in Malaysia. Riding his Michelin-shod Lenovo Team Ducati Desmosedici GP26, the Spaniard turned a lap of 1:58.912 around the 3.44-mile (5.54 km) track and led the 22-rider field.
Marco Bezzecchi was second-best with a 1:59.386 on his Aprilia Racing RS-GP26.
Pedro Acosta was third with a lap of 1:59.386 on his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing RC16.
Enea Bastianini finished the first session fourth on his Red Bull KTM Tech3 RC16 with a time of 1:59.688.
Acosta's teammate, Brad Binder got fifth with a time of 1:59.737.
MOTOGP FP1
More, from a press release issued by MotoGP:
Marc Marquez leads Bezzecchi and Acosta in FP1, injured Martin completes 12 laps. The championship leader heads into Practice 0.4s clear of the Aprilia and KTM stars, while the #89 finishes 1.8s off the pace in a promising start to the Malaysian GP.
Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) enjoyed a perfect start to his PETRONAS Grand Prix of Malaysia after the World Championship leader set the only 1:58 lap of the session to lead Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) by 0.474s. The duo set the exact same time to finish FP1 just under half a second away from the #93's 1:58.912, but that wasn't the biggest story of the opening session in Sepang.
The main focus? Jorge Martin's (Aprilia Racing) progress. Team Manager Paolo Bonora explained the 2024 World Champion, "expected to feel worse", with the plan being not to push too much and save energy for Practice later this afternoon. It's early doors, of course, but that's great news going into this afternoon for the rider just 10 points off Marc Marquez in the title chase. At the end of play in FP1, Martin completed 12 laps and sits 1.8s off the summit heading into this afternoon's one-hour Practice stint, six days after suffering a non-displaced fracture of the distal radius. Incredible.
Izan Guevara was quickest during Moto2 World Championship Free Practice One (FP1) Friday morning at Petronas Sepang International Circuit, in Malaysia. Riding his Pirelli-shod BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha boscoscuro on the 3.44-mile (5.54 km) track, the Spaniard recorded a 2:04.005 to lead the field of 28 riders.
David Alonso was the best of the rest with a 2:04.568 on his CFMOTO RCB Aspar Team Kalex and his teammate Daniel Holgado got third with exactly the same lap time of 2:04.568.
American Joe Roberts finished the opening session in fourth with a 2:04.758 on his OnlyFans American Racing Team Kalex.
Red Bull KTM Ajo's Collin Veijer got fifth with a time of 2:04.800.
MOTO2 FP1
The post Moto2: Guevara Tops Opening Practice At Sepang appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.
Alvaro Carpe was quickest during Moto3 World Championship Free Practice One (FP1) Friday morning at Petronas Sepang International Circuit, in Malaysia. Riding his Red Bull KTM Ajo machine on Pirelli control tires, the Spaniard covered the 3.44-mile (5.54 km) road course in 2:11.585, topping the field of 25 riders.
Maximo Quiles was the best of the rest with a 2:11.714 on his CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team KTM and his teammate Marco Morelli was third with a lap time of 2:11.720.
Veda Pratama got fourth with a lap time of 2:11.819 on his Honda Team Asia machine and home hero Hakim Danish was fifth with a time of 2:11.834 on his AEON Credit - MT Helmets - MSI KTM.
MOTO3 FP1
The post Moto3: Carpe Quickest In Opening Practice In Malaysia appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.
The prospect of a MotoGP round at Qatar next weekend has done what years of talking failed to do: it has laid the basis for a rider union to actually happen. Are the riders united, Enea Bastianini was asked. "Yes. This time yes," he replied.
It is very different to the last time there was talk of rider union back in 2023, after the introduction of sprint races. Then, the grid could not form enough of a consensus. Qatar has hardened opinion, brought the riders together. "Much more. Much more," Alex Márquez said.
"I think that the future is to create a riders association. We tried 3 years ago when we were in India, we tried it a few months after, but everything was like, a strange feeling between riders. But I think this time with this that is happening, I think everybody realizes that we need that and we'll see how the future is," Márquez said.
David Emmett Thu, 29/Oct/2026 - 21:34
By Adam Wheeler. Photos by Ray Archer (podium shot by SuperMotocross) Thanks to Lewis Phillips and his bashful stats.
I woke up Sunday morning in Austin, race day for the USGP, to catch the highlights of Detroit Supercross, round 11 of 17 in 2026 AMA Supercross, and found myself captivated - once again - by Ken Roczen. For sixteen years the German has raced his own way, made his own decisions, paid for his own misjudgements to maintain a unique strain of excellence.
From his startling emergence as a bony 15-year-old at the 2009 Portuguese Grand Prix (round five of the season because he was too young to begin the year in MX2) the hype that had been emerging from Suzuki (a major force between Japanese factory and German-based European racing divisions at that time) and from the then-distant European Championship was immediately justified.
Ken was a European kid with American looks. A German with near faultless English. A teenager but with a cliched 'old school' awakening in terms of determination and realisation of the commitment his sport required. He was also feisty and fearless, modern and refreshing. He respected the greats and the sport but then had zero qualms in surging ahead. He swiftly refined a natural flamboyance into a riding style that was more brutally economic and efficient. Even his name was cool. Roczen was a factory rider but then individualistic with his heavy rock tastes, Fox-branded imagery and his assured views. For instance, he barely disguised his frustration at the lack of development of the Suzuki RM-Z250, then after 2009 and 2010 in yellow he vaulted into Red Bull KTM in 2011 to realise his world championship ambitions despite a close history with the Japanese brand (that would later, of course, be resurrected). He pulled away from the training and testing KTM regime and the routines of the factory set-up in California to initially follow his own agenda with father Heiko, joined Aldon Baker's champion-making programme but then left and departed a flowering KTM set-up just as the SX-F machinery was hitting a highpoint of competitiveness for a satellite Suzuki effort at RCH.
Broken arms, viruses, illness, a lucrative HRC episode, A1 suits, Motocross of Nations triumph but also despair, World Supercross, Stark bikes, kickstart levers, expectations of fans' decorum: Roczen has been a charismatic (and hugely marketable) component of the American and international supercross scene since 2012 and 2026 might be the best chance of landing the big prize, the 450SX crown. Ken has won 450SX main events in 11 of his 13 years in the category but the scorecard has also been littered with 'DNS' and 'DNF' entries. This term, indoors, has been his strongest and most resistant in half a decade.
Throughout the 'near misses' for the championship Roczen has always displayed the same unorthodox and skilled modus operandi that he employed from his first days in MX2. He does things a little differently on the bike. He looks for alternative places to pass or make time (no easy feat on a supercross track). Watching him you can observe a nuanced athlete with elevated tactility, almost breathing with the terrain whether it's a complex rhythm section or a deep sandy sequence.
Roczen was only 15 years and 54 days old when he won his fifth Grand Prix start, his home round at Teutschenthal no less with a 2-2 score (after moto winners Marvin Musquin and Steven Frossard could rise no higher than 5th in their other outings that day). In 2009 and 2010 he would sit in press conferences alongside rivals and older riders like Musquin, Gautier Paulin and Rui Gonçalves, Steve Ramon, Max Nagl, Ken De Dycker and undercut their (rightful) complaints about woeful track preparation and the difficulties of overtaking by quipping "you can always find places to pass". 17 years later and Roczen's open-mindedness and ability means he was still able to exploit opportunities around that rough Detroit soil and then bewilder supercross once more a week later in St Louis. If the history of the sport and Ken's own trajectory teach us anything then the situation could pivot drastically this weekend in Nashville but that's no reason not to celebrate this wonderfully enduring talent.
It was in Nashville where I last sat down for a long interview with KR, just over two years since he had crumpled his left forearm in that horrible Anaheim 2 crash at the beginning of 2017, leading to a grizzly Instagram chronicle of the multiple operations to get him back on two wheels and with a degree of regular use of the limb. "I don't know if a lot of people write-me-off - if that is the right way to say it - but they might be wondering 'what's going on with him?' and dude, I'm trying just as hard to get a sense of normalcy back…" he told me, also in the wake of further health problems while trying to lead Honda's supercross charge in the pre-Lawrence days. "I want the races to seem normal to me because at one point it wasn't."
Ken's definition of normal is another way in which he varies from the pack. His attitude to racing has always been underpinned by a juvenile thirst for fun and self-entertainment. Being a factory rider, a Red Bull and Fox athlete and having snared a world title, Motocross of Nations spoils and a 250SX crown all before his 20th birthday means that certain areas of a Pro career had been ticked: money, fame, acclaim and identity. His durability beyond his last championship - 450MX in 2016 - has been based on that quest for kicks. "As a fifteen-year-old all I did was ride my bike, train and have fun," he told me in Tennessee. "There was nothing else, and I guess that was quite normal because I was just a kid but also it wasn't normal because most people don't do GPs at that age and most are still in school…"
It came from an organic approach to the sport. "I did not say I wanted to be 'world champion', I said I wanted to be the best rider in the world. With my family, when I was younger, we never talked about taking up motocross as a profession, we just kept on racing and travelling and seeing where we could go," he told me in another interview in 2012 and the fringe of his first U.S. campaign. "A lot of guys have the talent to ride a bike…but they don't have the support behind them, usually from parents. Mine were fully behind me. I was fast and they could see that and took the decision to help me get better."
Roczen also had backing from key people in Suzuki during his rapid-fire formation. At the 2009 German Grand Prix, in a report for RacerX, I wrote that he was 'perhaps the most emergent figure to hit the GP scene this century' and it did not feel like an exaggeration, even in the wake of Ben Townley, Tony Cairoli, Christophe Pourcel and Tommy Searle. Ken had been submerged by fans and expectation that weekend: the fuss was overwhelming and he looked pale and exhausted for the post-GP celebration photo. "I don't know what to say; this is amazing for me," he had commented to us on Sunday in Germany. "After my first two GPs I saw that the podium was possible. I always do my best and I hoped for a podium here, with a bit of luck, but didn't expect the win. All the attention has come quickly…and it isn't always easy to give people what they want but I try to do what I can!"
As a journalist Roczen was the epitome of what I then labelled as the new 'video generation'; where riders were dashing off quips and soundbites rather than the usual lengthy and skilful explanations of racing expounded by older competitors to hook the last remnants of print media space. He was constantly in demand but was mostly courteous, if brief, with his time. The clamour surged to new peaks once his supercross chapter begun and it was not unusual to spot writers and reporters patiently waiting outside his motorhome for a slight opening of the door that might never come. With age and maturity Ken has become a fine exponent of the art of his craft and the underlining playfulness of his riding does not disservice how much he works and analyses and strives for the highest level.
This was true of how he became quickly versatile in Grands Prix and adept at sand riding and then again when he honed an acumen for supercross, having previously only ridden a rudimentary layout at his family's home in Mattstedt. "I feel what I did in Europe was kinda thrown out the window in terms of how we raced," he said of the transition to the U.S. from Grands Prix and where he initially embraced time in California to later relocate to Florida. "Everything was a lot more fast-paced here and the set-ups are so different. I think, back in the day, the KTM bikes I had for Supercross were not the best and we pretty much started from absolute scratch. The team was very new, I had to do all the testing, there was not much help with that…and everything was thrown at once and it felt like what I'd done in Europe didn't really help."
One of Kens better throwaway lines to me came in 2012 and the description of his first season-opener: "When I got to Anaheim 1, my eyes were everywhere apart from the track. I was nervous…." Perhaps because of constant repetition, he was also able to articulate how he had grasped the intricacies of supercross. "You have to be quick and have tight lines because there is a lot going on and the track is so compact," he reflected. "Outdoors you can try something and if it doesn't work then that's fine but in supercross if you are not committed to the jumps and the lines then you are not fast enough."
Trying to nail the specifics of Roczen's talents has never been too easy. He has prime aptitude for improvisation as well as superior dexterity and motor skills, as well as the confidence and conviction in the momentary choices he makes. The seeming effortlessness of his riding is classic 'going slow to go fast' and he rarely gets it wrong. "Watching Kenny as a Lites [250SX] guy he was a very smooth rider," Ryan Villopoto told me in 2014. "If you are smooth on a Lites bike then it will transition very well to the 450. He's got that 'Euro' style with rolling speed and can ride the KTM very well. He uses those things to his advantage, and it works for him."
This observation was repeated by Kelly Lumgair, his mechanic at the time of his U.S. KTM tenure between 2012 and 2014. "The majority of Ken's power preference is at the bottom of the band; he doesn't rev the bike. He wants everything down low and with a very smooth delivery," the South African said. "He doesn't get on the gas super-hard all the time. I don't think he even knows what the top-end of this bike is even like because he doesn't use it up there."
Roczen's cleverness, his personality and longevity, his refusal to be limited by injury and his deserving 'generational' tag strike parallels with Marc Marquez. I think it also says something about Kenny's persistent youthfulness that Pedro Acosta carries the same verve and motorcycling X Factor in MotoGP both on and off the bike.
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Roczen's injuries and setbacks have pegged him as the 'nearly man' of supercross and when he simply could not match the relentlessness of Ryan Dungey or Eli Tomac or Cooper Webb. However, a ratio of 117 top five finishes in 172 Main Event starts with four different teams and three different brands points to a rider that has always stayed the course. The forced absences in 2017, 2018, 2022 and three races at the end of 2024 may have also helped to extend his zeal to be on track and in the gate. "When I got hurt I was at the top of my game and I felt like it was hard for anyone to touch me," he reflected on the 2017 smash in Nashville. "In the beginning my arm was a total mess and I didn't know if I would ever ride again. At that point I took a breath. I thought 'this is what it's like…' [not to be a racer anymore]. Before the big injury, I'd never really missed a race. In the beginning, for the first months, all I did was therapy morning and night. I was busy but I did not have to be anywhere…"
Ken still has places to be.
By Adam Wheeler. Photos by MotoGP.com
Ai Ogura leans back in his chair. He looks reluctant: is this another interview about Aprilia, his astonishing second year in the MotoGP class, his decision to leave the burgeoning SuperFile Trackhouse team for a floundering Yamaha project? There is also the prospect of the on-the-record discourse in his second language; Ai's English is great but his calm, introverted demeanour means that he thinks carefully before he talks, picking and choosing the right words. His discourse is almost systematic, a little like his understated but fluid and incredibly efficient and economic riding style.
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By saying I want to chat about his background instead his eyes widen. It's a tact I learned in 2025 when we made an interview largely based around his passion for motocross. It was a way to tap into how he rides a motorcycle, and what he takes from his love of off-road to apply to the day-job. A leftfield approach sparked his interest. Today, at one point, he exasperatedly says: "I really like these kinds of interviews, and I know exactly what I want to say in Japanese…but I cannot find it in English!"
It's fair to say that a lot of people want to know more about Ai. He's a Moto2 World Champion but his rookie MotoGP season in 2025 was unspectacular, if encouraging in spells, and blighted with injury. In 2026 he has been arguably the series' most fascinating figure. Ogura has posted four podiums finishes, a maiden victory in the Netherlands (just the seventh of his career in all classes) and has yet to cross the line outside the top five from twelve rounds (he suffered a technical DNF in the USA, was penalised with a 3-position demotion in Catalunya for tagging Pedro Acosta in the final corner and his crash out of podium contention at Silverstone two weeks ago was the first major slip of the campaign). He has frequently outshone teammate Raul Fernandez even though the Spaniard has two more terms of experience with the RS-GP and three more in the class in total.
Ogura's Grand Prix origins have been peddled across MotoGP channels this year: his rise from pocketbike to the Asia Talent Cup and adoption by the Honda Asia programme for Moto3 (he finished 3rd in the championship in his second season in 2020) and then Moto2 (where he pushed Augusto Fernandez all the way to the title in 2022). Ai's choice to move out of Honda's gaze after 2023 led to a sensational year with the Spanish MT Helmets MSi team and he won the title in 2024; Japan's first in the Moto2 era.
At the end of 2024 Ai was one of a raft of world champions attending the FIM Awards ceremony in Mallorca. During the afternoon press call at the FIM hospitality rig, positioned on part of the coastal road in the capital city of Palma, he sat alone, undisturbed, seemingly content, possibly a little bored while the rest of the platform was packed with media talking to various motocross, Rally, Enduro athletes and hankering for time with Jorge Martin and Toprak Razgatlıoğlu. Ai was oblivious to the fuss.
By that point he had already spurned a MotoGP berth and a return to Honda colours for 2025 (the LCR Honda seat went to his friend and former flatmate Somkiat Chantra) and accepted Davide Brivio's offer to enter Trackhouse. The Italian had done his research and knew that Ogura's talent came with a zany degree of focus and unwavering commitment to the job.
Ai typically avoids any social media fanfare and fulfils requests from the team or MotoGP Group but does not engage in many other extracurricular activities, outside of some limited-edition merch or custom gear for his home Grand Prix. He's all about the job.
"To be honest, I knew almost knowing about him, just his name…but I enjoyed watching him ride," Giovanni Mattarollo, Ai's Crew Chief at Trackhouse told us during a Paddock Pass Podcast recording at the Grand Prix of Catalunya in May. "When we first met him in Misano - when he was still fighting for the Moto2 title- he was invited into the garage, we didn't understand anything from him because he didn't talk or even touch the bike! He was very focused on what he was doing at the time and, when I came to work with him and to know him, I understood this. He thinks about what is important in that moment."
Mattarollo spoke effusively about his charge. He even felt Ai could be a championship contender on the eve of round seven. It seemed a little far-fetched at the time but proved to be prophetic as Ogura made his way up to 2nd in the points table pre-Silverstone and was the head of press conference duties.
"He is not the guy that makes many journalists talk about him, due to his low profile and how he approaches things… and I don't think many people understood how hard his first year in MotoGP was with injuries, comeback, loss of confidence," Gio said. "He might be different to others with his mental approach. He always does 100%, or even more, to do his job in the best way. Like riding at Motegi last year with a broken hand."
"Ai's a really hard worker and is always studying what he is doing," he adds. "At the Sepang test he made more laps than anybody else. He is always focused mostly on himself and what he has. He never puts any doubt on the bike and, if he is struggling, his first question is always 'what am I doing wrong?'
The technician offers a story that sums up the rider. "We were in Qatar last year and he was going very well. It was before the first injury he had. He found a rider going slow on the line in qualifying. Sometimes we see other riders going mad about things like this and throwing up their hands. He continued to push, did another lap and went into Q2. Then at the end of the qualifying we did a summary, talked about what we'd do and heard his comments. I said to him I appreciated the fact that he kept focused and kept pushing. He then made a statement that gave me one of my best lessons in MotoGP. With the same straight face he always has, he said: 'emotions just make you slower'".
Back in the Trackhouse hospitality in Assen, Ai is not betraying too many emotions as we dip into some personal subjects. Slowly, he appears to semi-enjoy unveiling details of his trajectory.
I ask Ai about his family. His sister Karen also used to race and lives close to the family home in Kiyose; a district west of Tokyo. Ai's Dad is a truck driver and his mother works in admin department of a hospital. When he isn't at MotoGP, Ogura commutes from Japan and stays with his parents. From 2019 to 2025 he lived in Spain and his last residence was in Castelldefels; the beachside town close to Barcelona and next to the airport. "Spain never felt like home," he admits.
"When there is a week off between races I go back," he says. "I train in Japan and spend time in Japan. I live with my Dad and Mum. I have all my training bikes and I can train better there. The level of the riders that you spend time with on a track day is not high, not like it is in Spain, but it's OK. I just had one motocross bike in Spain and many times I wanted to go to a circuit but it was closed. I couldn't prepare like I wanted, so that's why I'm based in Japan."
"Until now the flights are not disturbing me," he says matter-of-factly.
What was it like growing up with an older sister who also raced?
We are completely different characters. She was faster than me, so she pushed me. [I think] if she didn't race then I would not be like I am today. Around pocketbike time she was important because she always went quicker and fought for the victory when I was P5-P6. She was always ahead…and I think it was important for me to have that person in the family. When I moved up to minibike I was better [than her]. It is probably also the last time I raced with her because then we split classes.
How is the family home? Do you have land?
[awkward smile] It's a normal house. MotoGP Group asked to film something at my home…but I said "no" because it's not something to show. Yes, it's private but I don't care about that…it's just that it's not what people might think! It's not huge, or something to show to the racing fans.
Your Dad must have been another fundamental person in your development. Was he tough on you? What kind of guidance did he give?
My Dad was a racer. When I was really small, pocketbike time, he was like that [tough]. Sometimes he kicked me! When I moved to minibike then he changed completely. He would say nothing to me. Sometimes [at tracks] I would ask: "what should I do?" and he'd say" think for yourself". It was interesting. He thought it was better for me. To train my brain and be more independent.
How old were you?
Seven…or eight? It was part of his strategy. If you always have a teacher saying to you "do this, this and that" then maybe in the next race you do very well but not ten races later. You have to think for yourself, especially if you get to GPs then you have to be aware. My father explained this to me only four-five years ago, and it is impressive to think he was already believing it was the way when I was so young.
Did you ever miss having a support network?
I was fine. I never joined a school or a team. My first proper team was when I went to JuniorGP! I'd always raced with my family, even if it was difficult for money. The most important thing that my parents gave me was to give me nothing. They kept me 'hungry' all the time. I don't want to say this to sound a certain way…but I never had a new bike, I never had new suits or a new helmet. And that kind of thing makes you a bit stronger, a bit hungry. I feel they gave me that.
Did you race to please your parents? To gain some approval?
Pocketbike time, yes. I just didn't want my dad to kick me! The biggest target of the day was that one. By minibike this thing had gone.
Were there other distractions as a kid?
I was only serious about motorsports. I liked to play football or basketball with friends in the evenings but it was never serious. The only thing I was serious about was motorcycle racing.
What about the feeling of missing out on other activities?
By middle school I was OK with it because I would always think 'if was them then I'd be jealous'. So, I said: "OK, I'm here right now [with my career] and I am super-lucky…" and I was fine. I never thought 'I want to be a normal student guy' or whatever.
And moving away from home and Japan?
I was completely OK with it.
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You don't have an entourage or a group. There was the Honda Asia set-up…but other than that you seem very understated in MotoGP. We don't see you elated or very frustrated…
I can think simple. It's easy. The race is a place to show what you have got and what you can do. If you finish P10 - no matter what - then you are a rider that finished in 10th position. That's it. I'm ready to accept this and I will be OK. If you are not happy with P10 then you need to work harder. That's all. I was never [banging the table]
What if P9 was one second ahead? Would you be frustrated?
Frustration, no. Because the guy went one second faster than you. To beat him you need to go 1.1 faster. That's all. Of course I think 'how…' but never [angrily].
When did motorcycle racing get serious for you?
When me and my Dad decided to go for Asia Talent Cup selection. It became very serious. Before then I was just racing and if I crashed I would just crash and nobody would be disappointed but me. When we got to Asia Talent Cup I thought 'this is not just for me anymore…it's also for others'.
Could you deal with that pressure?
Absolutely not!
So how did you learn that part?
Time. Experience. Even now sometimes I am not handling it very well. I've never thought 'I'm very good…' Wait! Yes! Probably when I won the championship because that says you are number one and nobody can say anything about that. Now if you win a race then there are 22. You might win 3. From 22. Hmm. But the championship? Yes.
What were the effects of winning the championship?
Of course, life goes back to normal but it [feeling of the title] stays here for ever [touches chest]. Again, I don't want to say this because people might go 'blah, blah' but when I won the Moto2 title I knew at that time, in that year, I was #1 in the world. This makes me…calm. It makes me OK. It gives me the feeling that I did something. That's everything to me. Of course, I am fighting for something important again in MotoGP but if something [adverse] happened tomorrow…then I would be OK.
What did you think of the scale of MotoGP? Of the extra scope of the premier class?
Hmmm. How happy I can be is related to how big the stage is. In training, this purely for me to enjoy riding a motorbike. But here? If somebody asked me: "do you enjoy riding here…?" Then, no, not really. I can explain much better in Japanese! Practice: for me to enjoy. Here: for others to enjoy. This is my understanding. Whatever. Next.
At what point did parents say they were proud of you?
You need to ask them. My mum sends me messages. After a good race, she'll say congratulations…
What is happiness to you?
It's related to the result. Yes.
It's that a bit risky. The results can't always be good…
Then I would be an unhappy guy.
How about the increased level of attention that comes with being successful in MotoGP?
I'm still learning that kind of thing…but I am doing my better than in the past.
What happened in the past?
Asia Talent Cup time was the worst. Every time before the race I was like "this if f**king important, this if f**king important, this if f**king important…" and it made me anxious. But, now it's quite OK.
Can you feel any fame in Japan?
You can only see it with this [points at phone]. You can't see it with your eyes or in the street.
Only in Motegi…
In Motegi yeah, but only because they are there to see a race. They know me, of course. But in normal life in my town or in Tokyo, you cannot see anything.
That's both good and bad…
Yes. In one point is good and one point is bad. Personally, it is fantastic! But for the sport probably not a good thing
Do you feel like you need to do more?
I start to feel [this]. It is also important to do this kind of thing. Not for me. don't need to be a different person but I need to accept many more things…while being myself. That would be nice.
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By Adam Wheeler. Photos by MotoGP.com
Kelly Brittain is trying to lead change in MotoGP. She doesn't have an influence on engine capacity, tyres or technical rules…but she does have the power to shape how people find or follow the championship or what they think about it. MotoGP Group are trying to steer where the series goes, and what it will look like on the track, but they are also considering the perception away from the grid. For the first time it feels like there is a concentrated and resourceful effort (specialists, money, campaigns) by the promoter to push MotoGP beyond hardcore subscription-paying audiences and her flowering team are standing on the first bricks of a long path with a promising Liberty Media wind at their backs.
Brittain, Madrid based for over a year with her family, and a veteran of DAZN (UK) and Red Bull Racing in F1, is one of very few non-Spanish senior management at MotoGP Group and is representative of the company's quest to be more global to become more global. Her hefty experience and CV was critical for the mammoth task of constructing a marketing department and subsequent activities, projects and workload to get the wheels rolling on the juggernaut and, in particular, to make the whole rig more attractive to lucrative audiences and markets in territories like the USA and the UK, where MotoGP has comparative anonymity to southern Asia, southern Europe and zones of the Americas.
From the calming environment of her compact office in the MotoGP Group workspace within the paddock, we tackled a range of topics…
One of the big, more visual impacts of MotoGP Group's marketing efforts has been the 'Wired Different' campaign. It's looks radical and less endemic. What was the thinking and is this where MotoGP is heading?
It is the start of something…but it was built on the research and the positioning work we did last year. The idea behind that was to really understand how fans and potential fans engage with the sport and to position the sport in a way that responds to that. What we saw was that they were bored with stuff that seemed manufactured and bored of feeling like their algorithm is being dictated elsewhere. They want something that really stands out and is impossible to turn away from. That's how we came up with this concept of 'magnetic defiance' and we tested that across multiple markets and frontier-and-growth markets for us in the UK and U.S. and it resonated strongly. So, we used it as a creative brief and then developed the Wired Different campaign from it. It's founded on brand positioning that we believe in and has been strength tested. That won't evolve because we know it speaks to core insight, but the activation will evolve and change. 2026 was our first year of this season-wide campaign and what you'll start to see over the following years is how it embeds itself into more touchpoints; so how does it really manifest in our content? In our physical fan activation? In our digital content that we provide to fans? I think we are learning that at the moment. The organisation is getting to grips with what that means and as we become more adept at implementation that you'll start to see more of it.
How has it been moulding a marketing department but then also directly catering to the expectations of Liberty?
I was bought onboard by MotoGP, or Dorna as it was then, and a company that already had growth ambitions before it was bought by Liberty. We'd had a set of really good discussions about the size of the marketing team and the ambitions for how that would evolve over time. Obviously with Liberty coming onboard that was something they were looking for as well…so it has been quite an easy process. What we want and need for MotoGP is what Liberty wants to see, so there hasn't been any clashes or a feeling that we had parallel plans. There are a lot of people looking from the outside in, and now we're under the Liberty umbrella they say to us "why don't you just do a 'Ride to Survive'?" I think it is what I have heard the most in marketing and it's absolutely something we were looking at before Liberty came onboard and what they are keen for us to explore. I don't think there is a point of conflict. They are looking at what worked for F1 - and they would be daft not to and we'd be daft not to listen - but we know that the sport has different roots and slightly different fandom and fan insight. What we need to do is make sure that we speak to that insight and not the F1 insight.
Will that be hard to do for MotoGP?
Not really because the main 'buckets' are the same. So, commercial development and media rights development: we know we need to focus there. Long-form content and serialised content: we need to focus there. The approach to that content will be the bit that's different. Maybe where you go to watch that content. Maybe we want it to be more (or less) accessible. There are lots of different ways to cut what you do in each of those buckets. I don't think anybody is denying that the timing for F1 was brilliant but they were in a position to capitalise on that. They did it brilliantly. We are existing in a different time…and we are from a 'different part of the world' So there are lots of points and difference to look at and how we can do it our way.
Will one of the main areas be sports rights and how-and-where people will fine MotoGP? If you look at F1's U.S. deal with Apple as an example of change…
Precisely, but it's a challenge that many sports rights holders are facing right now. We are all chasing the big bucks from a distribution and sports rights perspective, but it does feel that in 10-15 years the whole landscape will be turned on its head. It feels like the most successful entities will be those that can balance the shift as it happens as opposed to sticking their fingers in their ears and trying to make hay as the sun shines.
What percentage of your job so far has been internal organisation compared with external priorities and talking with the big companies to find more partners?
Great question. I would say we are still in a time of internal evolution right now. We are recruiting, bolstering the team. We have some great individuals in our marketing team but if we are to do more then we need more specialists. So, there is a focus on that at the moment and utilising the assets we have brought in. There is a much more sophisticated means of analysing the things we've done and using it to shake the things we are going to do. There is a bit of internal refocusing and as that settles and we build-out that team there will be more of an opportunity for looking outwards. All of the agencies and big companies that want to talk to us are really interesting, and we are really lucky that we already have a pipeline of organisations that want to take us to the next level or benefit from the scale we have already got. We're in a good place but we need to get that internal structure sorted to capitalise on it.
Have you seen a tangible increase of interest in MotoGP since you joined the championship?
Without a doubt, and Liberty's involvement has increased interest from agencies that want to work with us and brands that want to work with us. Also, talent. A lot of the talent we are talking to about appointments are very clear on the benefits that Liberty can bring to organisations, and that's really appealing to them. That's been really helpful.
Is there an 'ABC' plan, or a map, for marketing? Do you need a series, a social media campaign and so on…?
They [plans and projects] take a lot of time to develop, so you need to run a lot of them parallel. I would not say they are organic. There are plans in place. I am naturally a very impatient person and the time taken to get them live is very frustrating, but I know it will definitely be worth it. It would be a shame if you half-arsed a lot of this stuff, you rushed it or didn't do it properly because there will be no benefit downstream. You'll look like a 'me too' or a budget brand or it just won't shift any needles and that negative perception will do us active harm as opposed to helping us build.
So how do Liberty influence your work? Is it just a budget thing?
It's definitely not just a budget thing. It is much more collaborative than that. The kind of talent that exists on that board - Chase Carey and Sean Bratches - who have had the most incredible careers, as well as our CEO through Derek [Chang] and Marty [Patterson] they have built businesses and done deals in the kind of direction we want to go. Derek is very involved from a media rights perspective and also a commercial pipeline development perspective and he has been brilliant. Super-helpful. Opening doors and engaging in active conversations, so I think those teams [in MotoGP Group] have massively benefited. Also, for me with Sean Bratches, he has made himself incredibly available and he's introduced me to good people, some I've interviewed for roles and it's hugely collaborative. It's been nothing but beneficial and perspective-broadening actually but it's hard to….well, I think a lot of people don't want to hear that and have made up their mind already about what Liberty are going to do to the sport and how they are going to 'F1-it' and do X-Y-Z. Every little development that MotoGP is making, you've got to be careful not to read too far down the comments because you know what's coming.
Aiming for F1 boom with MotoGP can't be seen as a bad thing…?
If you look at how many fans are able to enjoy F1 - and do enjoy F1 - and have had the doors opened by one of the levers F1 has pulled in the last few years: that's people time and enjoyment. While the purists might feel that something has been detracted you cannot argue that a ten-times growth in fans and ten-times the people are able to enjoy a sport and turn on a TV or open an App or whatever and enjoy what they are seeing; how can you say this is a bad thing? And I'm not talking about the income being through the roof, I'm talking about people's time and enjoyment accessibility to the sport and that's ultimately what we are trying to do. Everyone thinks Liberty are here just to make money…but you do that by taking it to someone who is going to enjoy it. No money will be made if people don't love it and our job is to give people something that they love and that, to me, feels like something more altruistic and positive than just 'they want to make money from this'.
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The head of COTA, Bobby Epstein, said you just need to give Liberty time…and they are not in for the quick return…
Absolutely. I think they came onboard with F1 in 2016-2017 and nothing substantially moved until 2020-2021 so they are here for the long-term and are investing long-term and are supporting the business with a long-term view. It doesn't feel like an a-typical piggybacked industry where they will come in and rip a bunch of costs out of the business and bleed it hard and sell it off. That's not what they are looking to do at all.
Inside the paddock, does MotoGP need to be more business, commercial and promotion orientated rather than just focusing on racing? Do the blinkers need to come off?
I don't think it's blinkers because everybody has managed to build this sport; it's passion that has done this. It's not just MotoGP's Group's passion but the teams also. The same way that we are building our capability internally here, them being able to leverage the brands they have built and being able to capitalise on those brands, to me, we all need to do that. Them through their own brand 'worlds' because they are not just manufacturers or teams; they are brands, and I think they need to leverage that as much as we do. I know the old adage of 'win on Sunday and sell on Monday' should not just relate to two wheeled vehicles but relate to the profile of the riders and teams. Also, didn't Daniel Ricciardo prove this to all of us, it isn't just about winning. When Marco Bezzecchi was on stage at the MotoGP Forward event earlier this year and was asked about how he will build his personal brand, he said by winning; that's not the be-all-and-end-all. There is much more to a personal brand than that.
After 'Wired Different' is there anything else coming? What can MotoGP followers expect to see?
It's difficult to segment it down to just 'marketing'. For example, if you look at the Fan Zone then you'll see a step-change in how we present those. A step-change in our merchandise, the kinds of brand partnerships, a step-change in the kind of content we produce and particularly across our social channels as we continually try to diversify away from just track footage - which is what we are really good at producing. There is a whole ecosystem here, and marketing plays a part of that. For me - and this is so important and F1 will tell you - they don't do a lot of their marketing themselves; it comes through those that come onboard to work with them. So, as we proliferate the kinds of brands - and on a commercial basis as we bring in those non-endemic and lifestyle brands - you'll start to see those opportunities open up because we will never have enough time or money to grow a marketing team as big as we would need to grow globally. It would have to be through fans, broadcasters and through licences. We'll start to see growth in those areas.
Lastly, media rights and deals bring in so much income to the championship but is it also a shackle for bigger growth?
If you look at what a lot of brands have done, NFL, NBA etc, they have opened the doors a little bit around their footage. They have given footage to teams and athletes and you see a bit of a trend for what is going on there. I think it is definitely something we need to consider.
By Adam Wheeler. Photos by Ray Archer.
Arrive to most MXGP Grands Prix and they feel like busy, bustling events within a fecund sporting series with public interest and plenty of participation numbers. But, has MXGP been 'redlining' too long with more riders, more speed, and more potential for 'cracks' of an inflated championship? MXGP has not changed format (apart from a brief dalliance with a SuperFinal concept for the flyways) for 22 years and still wedges into circuits from the days when the sport was split into separate 125, 250 and 500cc championships; a scheme last used in 2000.
The European Championships, sanctioned by FIM Europe, have been part of the MXGP support programme since 2011. The advantages of this blend and from the abandonment of EMX as a separate calendar for Infront Motor Racing are numerous: young riders learning and using Grand Prix level tracks (with prep, infrastructure, medical facilities), proximity to factory teams and power-movers in the sport, a degree of promotional worth with larger crowds and TV exposure, increased professionalism. For Infront the entry fees for this high-standard platform of 10 races for EMX125 and 12 for EMX250 (with a qualification system in place) provide a decent amount of income per event and reduced costs by wedging more races into single locations.
There are disadvantages. The extra load of people and transport in paddock spaces put a strain on more traditional or condensed circuits. Tracks crews have less time for maintenance and circuit staff (mainly volunteers) have long days with sessions starting as early as 07:40 and running towards twilight in the spring months especially. For some the overbearing presence of EMX overshadows the Grand Prix motos themselves. Fans that are paying to enter the circuit gates may well welcome more action, but lines are being blurred for priority and relevance, especially for new eyeballs on the world championship.
This is best encapsulated by the respective start gates. Publicly, Infront have been unconcerned by filling all 40 MXGP and MX2 slots; preferring a 'quality rather than quantity' approach, orientated around the Officially Approved Teams [OAT] and those signed up for the full world championship calendar. In the first six European rounds of the series this year in Spain, Switzerland, Sardinia, Italy, France and Germany, MX2 moto1 finishers have numbered: 24, 30, 21, 29, 35, 35 respectively while EMX250 has had a full 40 quota in their respective five outings. This is partially to do with the different ethos of the categories (a more privateer, development story with EMX250 compared to the OAT nature of MX2) but with similar machinery and similar speeds, similar age groups (EMX250 has a 21-year age ceiling while MX2 is 23) there is an argument for a greater need for separatism.
Add five dates for the FIM Women's World Championship and one-off Grands Prix like Czechia where the European Two-Stroke, EMX65 and EMX85 classes will appear then MXGP is a bundle that comes close to the organisational limits of some venues.
The subjects of appropriate Grand Prix tracks, collaboration in the paddock, and their role as forceful custodians of the sport have brought the FIM under the spotlight recently. MXGP World Champion Romain Febvre's forthright comments and criticism in the wake of the French Grand Prix stirred emotions and turned the gaze on the sanctioning body.
The FIM has made irreputable steps with safety initiatives in MXGP. The helmet homologation tiers [ensuring racers have the latest tech for protection and rotational acceleration] pushed one of the biggest and most conservative product suppliers in motorcycling into action while mandatory chest protection and the openness towards airbags and ingredient brands like Mips are other commendable nods.
But what can be done to further hone the championship and allay concerns of teams (particularly those in the MX2 class) and racers for the future direction of Grand Prix? Much to his credit FIM CMS Director Antonio Alia Portela always has the door open and swiftly answers any enquiries. The Spaniard is at the centre of a political circle that involves the sports' promotional controllers, Infront Motor Racing, who also bring financial contributions to the FIM (any promoter pays for sanctioning rights, for MotoGP it is MotoGP Sport Entertainment Group) and FIM Europe as well as the MSMA that speaks for the manufacturers and teams. Alia Portela also deals with national federations and how they support their respective Grands Prix and the two-rider delegation that changes every round and should (in theory) speak for the riders regarding any issues they have.
What is your current view of the European Championships and its support role to the FIM World Championship?
It is the base of the pyramid that Infront have been building up and have been working on for many years, and we can see the results; some of the best riders have evolved into MX2 and MXGP eventually. Those classes sometimes put the whole system in a difficult position and stretch the limit of the capacity of some of the places…but Infront is able to cope with the facilities, and manages to persuade the organisers to provide more, time and time again. I listen to the organisers, and there should be a limit…because there is a physical limit of the venue. Sometimes the timetable is difficult, particularly for Saturday because we are aware that having people on the track for more than 12 hours in a day is complicated. People might volunteer for one event but unless the experience is satisfying in some way they will decline to come back. Which, at the same time, puts us in a difficult situation because we have to manage a group of 60-70 every single event, and that's very demanding for our officials and the organisers to provide resources or replacements for people who are flagging the races. All-in-all we have able to cope with this demand and accommodate the facilities. We, and Infront - who deal with this problem - have been able to do that with the venues in the best way. It is not perfect…but it is the best way.
The benefits are easy to see: the classes are oversubscribed and people want to race. It filters the best towards Grand Prix contention on world championship level circuits. It also saves costs for the promoters and makes them money. But…track preparation suffers and it could be said to water down the Grand Prix experience. How easy would it be to change the system? To scrub EMX250 and push riders straight into MX2? Or have some sort of rookie sub-category?
It could be very drastic. We could split the series' and just have MX2, MXGP and maybe WMX and then the Europeans on the other side but then they would not have the same level of exposure as they have right now. We put everything in a balance. Without these European series' then younger riders would be more obscured. They would be fighting in national championships and FIM Europe would have to organise its own series. The platform Infront is offering to FIM Europe to host their classes within the frame of MXGP is fantastic.
But is it too much?
It could be. If you see it here today [Trentino] then there are two classes and two groups in each class…so it is complicated. It stretches the manpower, the facilities and the way you have to work but at the same time you are offering the visibility and the possibility to attract more sponsors, spectators and attention. You have to widen the gaze to see the full picture and not just organisation on the track. In my opinion it is beneficial to the sport and beneficial to the small classes. The promotion they get back through the year is very important.
How would a change to EMX250 and MX2 happen?
Here we have three bodies. FIM Europe, FIM and Infront. As Infront holds all the rights for the promotion of motocross for both FIM and FIM Europe we simply have to adapt to how they organise themselves with those groups. They are limited to the number of days and events - which is 20 a year - because they also have to consider the cost of moving the circus around Europe for EMX. The furthest away from central Europe is Turkey, which is a bit more demanding.
So how much power does the FIM or FIM Europe have with Infront to say: 'we feel it's better to change the structure…'?
OK, so we have open conversations. But, as I said before, we deal with the sporting side and they deal with the organisational side of the events and we try not to interfere or hinder the progression. We are normally in contact or communicating to improve things but, as you can see, every time things are growing and growing. And it becomes more demanding. Not only for marshalling but also medical and other factors like water, electricity, paddock space, facilities, toilets, services. Everything is growing. Up until the moment that the organisers cannot cope with the demand…I think the system will stay in place.
Those ingredients of the event are important…but from an image perspective spectators can see an MX2 gate that is not full and an EMX gate that is overspilling. You, as the FIM, can you bang the table and say 'guys, this is not presenting the world championship in the best light…'?
Hmmm. There is the negative aspect: of less people on the grid…but then there is more room on the track. More options, more chances to pass or less chance of an incident and more space for medical teams. There are positive and negative aspects. Do we really want a full grid? They are prepared for it. We have to look at the figures also for incidents and accidents and the number of spectators on site and TV. We have to play with the balance.
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How would you like to see MXGP change?
So, in Spain this year we were able to set up our first TV Control Room and we have become a bit independent from the TV images and the TV compound. We still have the images they use for TV promotion so we cannot focus on one specific part of the track if there is an incident but we can register the images from the live for analysis. It's a great advantage. It means we can look and do things like rule on actions or apply penalties as soon as possible and if protests are logged or any appeal then we are better equipped. From another aspect there are many things we can still improved…but this [MXGP] is like a big dinosaur and it takes time to move and to implement any development. It takes time to decide when, how and how much. That's important. We are already asking organisers to provide, provide and provide and an example is the container, space and connection for the TV Control Room. From an organisational point of view, there are different opinions…but you have to put everything on the table and develop it as a whole, not just one side.
Riding gear and safety performance has been one area of focus for the FIM. What's your view on the progress and acceptance of airbags and then the new level of FIM helmet homologation?
With the airbags we are still in the early stages of development and the algorithm is getting better and better. Yesterday I spent the day scanning helmets to make sure the whole process was thorough because the scrutineers are in the process of checking and uploading all the new information into the platform. Also, we realised that we have more and more helmets in the European classes that are passing the standard, even though it is not compulsory until 2027. Through our controls we are also seeing more and more kids using airbags. That's good. The more people that use this kind of protection then the faster the evolution and the proper algorithm will be there sooner, and prices get a bit cheaper so it is affordable for everybody and not just the riders in the top classes. We also have to consider kids and different sizes of rider. All those things. We cannot make them mandatory because we need to look at the whole industry to ask if they [brands] are willing to provide this-and-that. That's an issue we had with helmets. We wanted to homologate but the industry had to be ready to go into production for all sizes. It's coming slowly. We expected them to be faster but there are more and more on track. The outcome of the tests run at the University of Zaragoza has shown the breakthrough of technology. Safety is a big issue in the Motocross Commission.
By Adam Wheeler. Photos by MotoGP.com/Adam Wheeler
The press call at Mugello for the announcement of an official link between MotoGP and the largest motorcycle show in the world was one of those small 'oh, of course…' moments at the Italian Grand Prix. The series had a short-lived involvement with the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK three years ago but, oddly, haven't carried much official presence at the Milan event.
EICMA is a big deal. The organisers claim annual attendance increases for the six-day gathering where there are more than 730 exhibitors, over 2000 brands and 43,000 trade professionals, spread throughout the halls of the Fiera expo centre. 2025 saw crowds of 600,000 bleep through the gates. Creating presence and pomp at EICMA has required each significant powered two-wheel brand in the industry to assign a hefty quota of their yearly marketing budget due to the fancy stands and showy set-ups.
MotoGP riders have frequently attended a portion of the show but the scheduling pf the Valencian Grand Prix has inhibited these obligations in recent years. When figures like Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso have gone to Milan then it's usually been at the behest of sponsors or employers rather than MotoGP itself.
Since the ratification of the Liberty Media takeover of Dorna Sports in 2025 there has been speculation about how the championship will change. A new visual identity (put into place before Liberty arrived), internal recruitment and alterations towards better corporate entertainment (organisation of the paddock, an extra pitbox space for guests) have been the only signs outside of confidential meetings between teams, the MSMA, MotoGP Group and Liberty for the next five-year contract window starting in 2027: the foundations of how the championship will eventually blossom.
Expansion and new audiences are the mantra of MotoGP as the championship morphs to be an 'entertainment brand' as much as a sport. 'Show' elements are increasingly eating into agenda of the riders - the stars names - across Grands Prix, and there may well be much more of a promotion emphasis moving forwards. This might be a chore to the establishment but it will soon become normality to the likes of David Alonso, Izan Guevara and the next generation of Grand Prix racers. Replacing Phillip Island for Adelaide Parklands is coincidental timing but the city centre location for the 2027 Australian Grand Prix is a fine example of the Liberty remit for a basic 'ABC' formula regarding more fan and public catchment.
Most followers might be resistant to change in fear of dilution of the traits that made them adore the championship in the first place. But MotoGP Group's commitment to EICMA means they are working on a 360-degree programme of promotion, rather than just nonendemic channels for more eyeballs. In Mugello, it felt abnormal that MotoGP hadn't taken advantage of the EICMA platform before or more regularly.
"It is kinda a surprise," CSO Carlos Ezpeleta smiled. "EICMA is a huge event. MotoGP and our fan base are much more than people who just ride bikes, having said that we still have work to do with people that do. Millions and millions of bikes are sold every day and the people buying them are not as engaged with MotoGP as we'd like them to be. It is a more targeted initiative than others that we do… but from a brand perspective EICMA is the best in the world at what they do and we're the best in the world in what we do, so it makes sense."
The association was reflected in the advertising campaign for the 83rd edition of the show featuring a partially covered sportsbike. It's not the most obvious gesture when the lion's share of contemporary interest in the motorcycle market revolves around scooters, electric mobility and convenience models like naked bikes, tourers and upmarket adventure products. MotoGP's push is to not only widen consideration for Grand Prix racing at EICMA but to work with the stakeholders and investors in the paddock.
"It's an event that you have to be part of; to inform that crowd and how the manufacturers that are in this paddock are a level above," Carlos added, exclusively. "We want to help with that and its important."
EICMA, running from November 5-8 for general public (with an extra two days for trade and an expected media attendance of 8000+), falls on the rescheduled Qatar Grand Prix date and, for now, is one of the only non-race commitments MotoGP has for this type of fixture. "I think we will definitely do more outside of the circuits with different audiences and different targets…but I don't think we'll look at many other automobile shows," Ezpeleta remarked.
What can EICMA attendees expect? The usual display paraphernalia of bikes, faces, merchandise and more but also some historical race machinery, partially borrowed from the new FIM Museum in Switzerland. The details will be announced across the weekend of the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano in September.
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As for MotoGP, is the gesture towards a predominantly motorcycling audience (and one embedded in hotspot country for the sport at that) one that MotoGP Group felt they needed to quell some of the consternation about future alterations of Grand Prix? At the very least, EICMA will allow an opportunity for connection and dialogue with a hefty sample of European followers.
"I don't think we need a gesture," Carlos underlines. "There is always scepticism and people that like to draw-and-divide, and we have been very vocal and clear that we don't feel we are making any choices between our fans. In this new era we come with a tremendous position of strength in that we don't need to change the sport to find new audiences. It's the best motorsport out there and we're continuously evolving it to be better, safer and more entertaining. A testament to this is the new regulations [from 2027]. To make this sport bigger from the grass-roots all the way up to MotoGP. We think it makes sense. We're definitely not forgetting about our more engaged fans and those that helped us build the sport up to what it is now."
By Adam Wheeler. Photos by Ray Archer
Honda and HRC formed their own 'compound' at the recent Grand Prix of Trentino. There were four trucks alone for the factory MXGP team; one of which being an elite VIP enclave. Shoes were left at the door. Paired with the new expansive and modern workshop in The Netherlands and a three-rider attack with the CRF450RW in the premier class (two of whom hold seven world championships) HRC has never been so well equipped and equipped to do well. The architect of this red empire is Italian Giacomo Gariboldi, who invests in and administers the platform for HRC's swelling hunger for motocross glory as Honda edge closer to former heights on both sides of the Atlantic. Thanks to a prosperous association with Tim Gajser between 2014-2025 that delivered five titles across both MX2 and MXGP classes, Honda has not been in the wilderness but the line-up of Jeffrey Herlings, Tom Vialle, Ruben Fernandez and Valerio Lata in MX2, not to mention a team of nearly 40 people and increasing interest in the series from Japan, means Gariboldi now oversees the most powerful and opulent team in the sport.
I first met Giacomo in 2008. He'd set-up an ambitious talent development squad in the European Championship (then a separate, distant contest from MXGP) and helped launch the careers of Christophe Charlier and Harri Kullas. Gariboldi's scope for racing caught the eye of Yamaha bosses and he was soon tempted to transition to Grand Prix. Budgets, priorities and politics meant a switch to Honda at a time when their 250 programme did not inspire confidence. It was a redirection for the Italian crew but Gariboldi snared Gajser from KTM's grasp in 2014. The teenage Slovenian was a champion-in-waiting, even though he had a complicated family dynamic, but the collusion of emerging star power and Japanese curiosity with the potential of the CRF250RW in 2015 led to quick results and the Gariboldi and HRC relationship began to flower, even to the point where he could consider his independent Honda-armed youth schemes once more, and spent his own cash to run Livia Lancelot's crew for three years; home of Hunter Lawrence's last MX2 season in 2018.
In 2026 there was plenty to discuss. The arrival of Herlings from a 16-year Red Bull KTM association was a coup. Bringing Tom Vialle over from the U.S. after two 250 SX crowns was also a statement. Managing to convince HRC to field three riders and retaining Ruben Fernandez (the 27-year-old is another Gariboldi project after two years in the MX2 'pipeline' and this season represents the fast but inconsistent Spaniard's fifth term in red) offers continuity after he'd started to shape the prototype CRF from the mid-points of 2025. Lata, and the new alliance with Marco Maddii's team for MX2 and starlets filtering from EMX, means the footprint is even deeper and scarlet.
It's hard to imagine HRC MXGP being any bigger or better than it is in 2026. Is this the dream?
Yes, with four riders, the new workshop, around 35 people working for the team…it's a lot of work - like running two teams - but this is what HRC deserves. They want to be top of the game in both classes. We are struggling with the 250 a little bit but we'll be there one day. With the 450 we have shown that we have three top riders that can go for the win every race. Everything has been built with the goal to win championships, and you need this to perform at the best level.
In the past you backed Livia and had your own 250 programme because you felt it was lacking for HRC…
Yeah, what we [HRC] were missing was a place for younger riders and this was why I started those teams in the past and this year we've made an agreement with Maddii to do this because in HRC we cannot take young riders from the European Championships and wait three years for them to perform at the highest level. We need riders that can already go for podiums. We tried in the last two seasons to take somebody from EMX but it [the development period] was too long. That's why we started with Maddii, and the idea is that they grow some of the young talent in their team and pass onto us because we need somebody for the 250 class. It's not easy because we don't have a two-stroke, so they always go through other manufacturers which then sign the best guys. It's possible to find decent riders but not always those that are ready to go for the win.
What are your thoughts on the EMX250 and MX2 situation at the moment? Is one class choking the other?
I think we miss riders in MX2 now and the top two-three in EMX250 can match the speed of the MX2. Honestly it is like a double class. I think you should either leave MX2 without a [age] limit and put a limit on EMX, like it is now. But having two classes limited in age is a double situation, like a copy. I would go for just one class but I don't know if it is in the interests of the federation to do that.
What do Honda say?
In the past they were not really interested in the 250. For them, the 'F1' of motocross was the 450 and they wanted to win there. But a couple of years ago they really started pushing for the 250, and the new bikes will come…I think they want a good performer on a 250, and they understand that to get a good 450 rider they need to try and work at a younger age to try and hook the next champion. This is how it worked with our riders like Gajser. I have always been pushing HRC for the 250.
Your teams always had a project; whether it was Christophe or Ruben or Tim. This year you went 'big' on recruitment. How was it to lure these top champions? It must have been a different experience for you and other management because Tim had been here for a decade…
We decided to turn the page. Our results were based on just one single rider in the past seasons, and we needed to show that we could win GPs and championships with more than just one. So, the choice was to go for two champions and, of course, it was not easy to find them! We were lucky because Jeffrey and Tom were at the end of their contracts. We jumped on the opportunity and after having worked so many years with top riders you know how to work [with this type of athlete] and what they need. So, it was not really complicated for us to put them in a condition where they could perform, even if we didn't know their personality and habits, but very quickly we knew what they needed. I have been with Jeffrey since day one to understand him, and that worked because I think we put him in a position where he could perform right away and the results have shown. Tom the same; from the first test. To put the best people around him and to make him feel at home. The crew did a god job.
Was it interesting to see Jeffrey up close after being a rival for so many years?
It was strange…even now, after a few GPs, when I see #84 on a Honda I think 'wow!'. It's a bit like dream because he was a rival and against us for so many seasons and we had to fight him every time and hoped he wouldn't perform well. Now to have him onboard it's the other way and it still feels a little strange…but I'm also excited every time I see him on a CRF. The same for Tom. I've seen him on a KTM his whole career and to now be on a Honda and performing so well…you cannot imagine.
How is he? Tom is one of the fastest learners in global motocross…
He is very shy. Very professional. Extremely focused on what he does. He's not afraid to be in a battle. He is used to that after the experiences with [Haiden] Deegan in the U.S. He's an admirable guy, as well as sweet. Jeffrey is somebody who is completely different to what I thought he would be…and Tom has also been a great discovery for the team and, looking at his career, he has needed only one season to adapt and then we would go for the title the next. So, we said: "this year, take it easy, we don't have goals…see where you are" and he is over-performing. Incredibly well. We expected to go for the title with him next year, not this one.
Tim Gajser: can you talk about the decision to part ways?
After twelve seasons we had won quite a lot; five titles and 50-something GPs. I think it was the right time. It is never a lifetime relationship between and team and a rider, and we already had a long time with him. How many others have lasted so long? Maybe only [Tony] Cairoli with [Claudio] De Carli. The decision was made after some disappointing results in the last two-three seasons. We expected…well, when you pay so much money for a rider…of course it [winning] is never easy but you expect to win titles and when this doesn't happen then it is like a disappointment. I think, and also it was felt in Japan, that it was time to go for a new experience and new champions.
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What exactly is your day-to-day role now?
I've never been as involved as much as I have been this year. I spoke about being with the riders but then also my involvement with top management in Japan about contracts and the future. I'm very pleased that they value my ideas. I try to give them an inside view of what is happening in the paddock and with the riders, so they have that feedback to make the decisions for the future of Honda [in MXGP]. I also try to put everyone in the team into a position where they can perform well and to have the right people in the right place but without interfering in their job because I don't want to be the one that does everything. I think if you hire one guy for one job then it's because you rely on him and you trust him. I think now we have the nicest group we've ever had in HRC. Everybody is happy to work. You see the enthusiasm of everyone in the team…and we are many. We have also had more visits from top management, and I think now they are passionate about motocross and that wasn't the case in the past, it was more MotoGP. This makes a huge difference and why we have four riders now instead of two, like in the past.
By Adam Wheeler
As I write this the music of MotoGP's first official 'Fan Fest' will be building up in Plaça Catalunya; the touristic and commercial hub of Barcelona. For two days before round six of the 2026 world championship, the five hectare square will contain all sorts of 'festival-esque' activities in promotion of the Grand Prix and is the first gathering of its kind, aping the F1 'Village' set-up that has accompanied the cars in recent editions and since the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, located 15 miles north of the centre of the metropolis, became the Spanish host of the championship from 2013.
The 35th Catalan MotoGP (not counting the 'Solidarity GP' at the end of 2024) comes less than three weeks after the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez and follows hard upon the French Grand Prix at Le Mans (scheduling that could hit the attendance figures this weekend, as Barcelona lies just 100 miles from the border and tends to attract a large quota of French fans and motorcyclists). It is three-and-a-half months before the trip to Aragon and then Valencia is likely to wrap MotoGP for the last time come the end of November.
Last week Carmelo Ezpeleta was joined by political delegates from the Generalitat [the Catalan government], Montmelo (town of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya), district and circuit representatives to commemorate the 35th year in a row that the venue welcomes MotoGP. Fittingly, the press conference took place in the astonishing Gaudi-influenced Hospital Sant Pau Recinte Modernista; a 125-year-old institution, refurbished and restored, updated and unavoidable for any passerby or tourist. The 80-year-old spoke at length (in Catalan) about the significance and relevance of the country in the modern era of MotoGP. "In F1 they speak English [as the main language], in MotoGP it's Catalan," he said.
Ezpeleta explained how, as a five-year old, he was fascinated by watching cars barrel up Diagonal and the old Pedrables circuit (site of the 1951 F1 Grand Prix) and realised that Catalunya was a place where his motorsport predilection could be fostered and encouraged. Ezpeleta, of course, went on to become arguably the most influential figure in MotoGP history once Dorna Sports took over the commercial rights to Grand Prix racing in 1992. He was the head of the CdBC - which had been built as part of the same mammoth regeneration project to coincide with the 1992 Olympic Games and signed-off the first GP there that same year (tagged the European Grand Prix until 1996 when it gained its Catalan moniker).
Catalunya's influence and legacy is unescapable. From MotoGP Group's roots and operational base in Sant Just (a neighbourhood southwest of the city), to the bygone brands that used to compete (the Derbi factory was a short distance from the circuit), to the history of the Montjuic circuit and endurance motorcycle races that lapped the city's principal hillside park, to Alex Criville; Spain and Catalunya first premier class world champion, to the bases for teams like HRC, Ajo, Honda Asia, to the residence and training focus for countless riders, the proximity to Andorra and where half of the current MotoGP grid call 'home' to Monlau and other motorsport 'schools' for mechanics, technicians like the late Antonio Cobas, Crew Chiefs like Santi Hernandez. In 2026 four of the current 22 riders on the grid are Catalan: the Marquez brother, Alex Rins and Maverick Viñales.
The Catalan Grand Prix is exactly the model of event that ticks boxes for the future shape of the series under Liberty Media's watch: proximity to a major city, glamourous and modern (CdBC have been upgrading their facilities for the last three years, have aimed for better security and have invested more than a million euros in improvements to the medical centre for 2026). Monster Energy have seen fit to sponsor the event, choosing Barcelona's appeal over Le Mans and Silverstone where they had previous agreements and presence. Crowd figures have fluctuated; from more than 97,000 on race day in 2015 dropping to 60 in 2022 and the first GP after the pandemic. The Marquez influence helped to a surge back to 76k in 2024 and twelve months ago the official figure was 83,320 for an unusual September slot on the agenda.
Last year the Grand Prix was the third best attended from the four on the slate. Jerez drew over 101k, Valencia (benefiting from its position as the championship climax) generating over 93k while Aragon could only pull in 50. Valencia is due to shift in 2027 as Australia and Adelaide are expected to assume the finale role, so it will be curious to see if the event continues to sell-out. Crucially, Catalunya has a 5-year contract in place, running from 2027 to 2031 as does Jerez and Valencia, so Aragon - which is up this year - is sweating under the axe. As a side note: Balaton Park and Silverstone were the lesser attended European rounds in 2025.
"In the future it will be difficult…but well, like I said before, Catalunya is a 'birthplace'," Ezpeleta commented when asked about the wavering Iberian prevalence on the calendar. "I think from the beginning in 1949 and then our stage from 1991 we cannot dispute that is has grown exponentially. I hope the growth from now will be almost the same again. We cannot do more than 22 races due to safety and due to the contracts with the teams and the federation, and therefore four GPs in one nation will be tricky."
22 Grands Prix place huge demands on MotoGP Group for costs, staff and logistics but Ezpeleta intimated that the championship could - but won't - accommodate even more. "The prospects are really good. There is a huge interest for MotoGP, above all, from investors and people who want to be part of the teams and, for sure, from the 22 rounds we have, if we could rise to something like 27 then we'd have them. People have accepted the change really well and everyone involved is committed to making thing better."
"Liberty is a world leader and knows a lot about the entertainment business. They are going to fill the well, and should be very good for us," Carmelo added. The Spaniard said that MotoGP Group has "changed a lot" but initiatives like the Fan Fest in Barcelona was the sort of idea the company wanted to chase. Now, with Liberty's approval, the quest to take MotoGP away from the race circuits and into the faces of a bigger audience had been empowering. "There are a lot of things that we already wanted to do…but [needed] to have shareholders that agreed with these activities. Liberty's experience of having done it with Formula One - and their knowledge - is really important, in comparison to the previous shareholders and for that we're really happy and proud."
The Fan Fest is largely a circuit and city initiative with MotoGP Group's full involvement. It's a dummy-run for more schemes and follows the priority in 2025 and 2026 for big activations like the season Launch. It's also an example of the fresh demands that MotoGP Group are making of the 11 teams (more time, more marketing staff, more commitment, more promo motorcycles) in the protracted negotiations towards the new 5-year deal between promoters and players. Ezpeleta was also asked about this. He didn't seem worried about the delay or stated that there was a deadline. "The agreement is different than it was…and changes need time for negotiation," he admitted. "I don't like people that don't barter…because that tends to mean they won't fulfil [the contract]! So, it's normal that we discuss…but we'll reach an agreement for sure."
Also at the press conference was Miquel Sàmper, Minister of Business and Labour of the Generalitat, who stressed that the business spread of MotoGP covers "more than just 3 days" and the accumulative effort of the bikes and F1 contributes an "annual lever" of more than 500m euros for revenue and commercial interest in the region, city and country. Perhaps it's an important stat considering the public funding required for the Circuit to exist and to bring the Grands Prix to town. He also commented that for 2026 "the circuit leaves its current area and comes more into Barcelona" with reference to the promotion efforts.
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MotoGP gained even more traction in the eyes of the authorities when Madrid swooped to acquire the Spanish GP rights to F1. The five-year tie for the Catalan GP ensures that Barcelona won't have to sweat its Grand Prix status as it barrels up to the four-decade marker…and can instead dream of other ways to get an already mainstream sport into wider consciousness.
By Adam Wheeler. Photos by Polarity Photo/MotoGP.com
'April is the cruellest month…' so opens T.S. Eliot's seminal modernist poem 'The Wasteland' and Marc Marquez could well relate. The world champion's love-hate relationship with Jerez persists and was partly encapsulated in a 36-hour period. The 2026 Spanish Grand Prix could even be said to represent a snapshot of the Catalan's career: acclaim, adoration, speed, skill in the hardest of track conditions, improvisation, victory, controversy and then a disturber of gravel traps. For the second time in two years, his younger sibling jumbled Marc's emotions of annoyance, frustration but also pride and affection.
All this came after a heavy crash in a former fortress - the Circuit of the Americas - and a somewhat fortunate three week reprieve to recover after the rescheduling of the Qatar Grand Prix. April was testing for Marc. 'One must be so careful these days'.
There is plenty of poetic substance to the Spanish Grand Prix, and since the world championship found a spiritual home at Jerez. The frequent sun-kissed zeal for racing is immediately transparent through the repeatedly large attendance, the volume of the fans' reactions, the abundancy of apparel, the now-traditional pre-dawn light show of the congregation at Peluqui and hammered home by the banks of shimmery motorcycle metal in the stodged parking zones.
Marquez, 33 years old, was aware of the great stage on Saturday when he turned his last corner Sprint crash into a first win of 2026. "I say many times; sometimes the people remember more, or talk more, about the riders that create show than the riders that win a lot. So yeah, the most important [thing] is that the fans enjoy."
Alex, 30 over the weekend, and now a veteran of 250 Grand Prix starts as well as one of only three riders on the grid with world championships in the other two classes, also felt the indelibility of his mark. "This is something magical," he said of his second win in a row and being the first Spaniard to do so since his brother in 2018/2019 (before that it was Jorge Lorenzo in 2010/2011).
Jerez. Where the Don Pepe tower flanks the sounds of dance music, the echo of the tannoy, the pungent smell of 'lomo con queso' occasionally mixes with sunscreen and the crowd are still pouring through the gates less than an hour before the main race (perhaps jaded after a busy night on the Andaluce tiles). All the vibe, but, perhaps less of the verve…in 2026. The 25 laps on Sunday was a long watch compared to the freneticism of the weather-hit Saturday Sprint where Marquez senior reigned but sparked debate once again with his detour into the pitlane after falling in the Flag-to-Flag wet at Turn 13. Cue yet another revision of the MotoGP rulebook due to the exploits of MM93.
Sunday was instead a showcase for Alex's self-confessed "flow" and where he did not have to worry about the elements interrupting his pace in the lead, as it had done to the detriment of his spare parts catalogue on Saturday. The day was also, a window for the recovery trend and 'acumen' of Marco Bezzecchi after another iffy Saturday, and further consolidation that Fabio Di Giannantonio knows what he is doing with the finickity Ducati GP26 and when the Italian doesn't have to lose energy and focus on rehabbing from injury, as he did in 2025.
There were only three position changes in the top eight from lap 5 of 25 and two of those coming when a resilient Johann Zarco lost all performance from his Michelin rear tyre with five circulations remaining, and the smooth Ai Ogura took aim with his Aprilia against the French sitting duck. "Especially the last four or five laps, everybody struggled in [corner] entry," the understated Japanese said. "And in turn 8, I have so much grip compared to others, so that's where I catch them. But, until lap 4-5, everybody was okay."
Jerez was described as a 'kart circuit' by more than one rider for its short 4.4km layout, and is one of the few courses on the calendar where riders vocally complain of arm-pump. It's also diverse, justifying its use as a testing source. "Jerez is a complicated track because it's super-complete with fast corners, slow corners, hard braking," offered Bezzecchi.
MotoGP is shackled by tyre pressures, aerodynamics and ride height devices and even though Jerez provides at least three delicious overtaking opportunities, the machinery appears too unwieldy. "We have many tracks where you can only focus on the rear tire, basically, because it drops the most. Here is a bit different," Diggia explained. "I always suffer with the front here. I think it's a track that if you are really precise you can make up time on the rider in front, but if the track is smaller it's more difficult because you have to be super-precise. You have here a bigger track, longer track. You can gain and lose time here and there."
The static extended away from the race distance. The MotoGP paddock is neither a wasteland nor a no man's land; nothing near the gravitas or seriousness associated with those words…but, currently, there is a sense of stalemate, and the stench of impasse. Serious faces, endless meetings and the drip-feed of rumour and suggestion. The manufacturers, the teams, the MSMA organisation that represents them, MotoGP Sport Entertainment Group [namely Carmelo and Carlos Ezpeleta] and any semblance of a brief from championship owners Liberty Media are still not aligned. There is a vow of quiet among the MSMA members and they are not using the media to air any grievances or explicit details of how they'd like the next half-decade agreement with MotoGP's rights-holders to play out.
Some information has emerged however as the parties barter on remuneration (and therefore the amount of future investment, with at least two of the brands involved almost entirely reliant on motorcycle sales to fund or justify their MotoGP involvement), profit share, and other stipulations such as the buy/lease process of equipment and mandatory requirements for marketing and promotion. Meetings have been going on for months and not just with senior racing management figures but also CEOs of the respective motorcycle companies (most recently at the USGP).
Allegedly, the latest proposal from MotoGP Group was deemed unsuitable for the MSMA members in Jerez. Three companies did not send representation to the promoter's annual dinner for influential paddock personnel in the centre of Jerez on Friday evening, although the reasons for their absence could also be coincidental.
MotoGP, therefore, is still in a holding pattern before the hype can begin towards the new era for the championship in 2027 and all the speculative changes the transition entails.
There is some self-serving and forthrightness through the murk. Alex Rins is jobless for 2027 and had few qualms in informing the media on Thursday that Yamaha had decided against renewing his contract after two-and-a-half fruitless seasons (and a best result of 7th). His statement was as much an advertisement and alert as a direct response to an enquiry. Trackhouse Racing's Team Manager, Davide Brivio, decided to tell MotoGP TV reporter Jack Appleyard during Friday's sessions that Ai Ogura had informed the Aprilia satellite crew he would not be staying on the American RS-GP for a third term; essentially confirming his shuffle to Rins' saddle. Apart from contracts for Johann Zarco, Diogo Moreira and Toprak Razgatlıoğlu there have been little else in the way of confirmation until the teams cement their status with MSEG.
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Jerez was far from peaceful on Monday morning. The rustle of litter was the only audio from beyond the fences but MotoGP bikes were still howling underneath brilliant blue skies and with the abundance of post-race grip ready for sticky testing laps. KTM, Honda and Ducati were particularly eager to grab track time to fix their turning and grip issues respectively while Yamaha maintain their development course in a separate MotoGP sub-category. Oh! What a turnaround 2027 MotoGP could be if the Japanese are secretly fashioning the most potent 850.
2027 is likely to see a large pivot in the sport and Jerez, with its status as the European 'opener', will again be a barometer for MotoGP's conditioning. Fragmentation and isolation in the pack and among the tinted windowed hospitalities are only temporary themes in this championship. Eventual harmony carries great promise.
By Adam Wheeler. Photos by Ray Archer and JP Acevedo.
In the initial stages of the 2025 Grand Prix season, Spanish hopeful Oriol Oliver was stranded. He had a ride with a privateer MX2 team but when they lost their main sponsor he was asked to cough up cash to keep his saddle. The 23-year-old couldn't pay and was briefly unemployed. He was rescued by the private Gabriel SS24 KTM squad with partial support from the Austrian factory as part of their talent development scheme. Oliver turned heads with a 4th position overall in MX2 at the French Grand Prix and he gelled with the modest British set-up until illness derailed the later stages of the campaign.
Team Owner, Simon Gabriel, and Team Manager Shaun Simpson had seen enough. Their remit with KTM saw them providing Dutch teenager Gyan Doensen with a berth in 2026 EMX250 but they pushed for a stock KTM 450 SX-F for Oliver in his forced age-related move to MXGP and their first dabble in the premier class.
Oliver has subsequently turned heads. His rapid starts, attractive riding style and fearlessness has given him opportunities to run at the front of the field in two of the five rounds to-date. In Arco di Trento and the last outing for the world championship he posted his first top ten results with a P8 and P10 for 9th overall.
So far, so rookie. What's the big deal; you might think…? Well, the narrative falls squarely into that classic underdog role. Oliver finished ahead of nine former Grand Prix winners, a world champion and three championship runner-ups as well seven factory bikes In the first moto at Trentino.
The #83 says "I'm learning new things on a bike I'd never ridden before - such as the changes we're making to the suspension and the feeling I have - but the thing I like the most is that every race I feel the margin for improvement", but for all his open-mindedness to the task there is a natural blend with the bigger motorcycle, compared to what he had in MX2.
"I always thought the 450 would be a good fit for me because from the 125 days and even the 250s I liked to ride long gears," he told us. "On the 250 I could click into third and use that for a whole lap, especially for tricky places like Arco di Trento. I don't get on the gas too aggressively. I ride gently and with low revs. So, I suspected I could be fast but I also don't yet know how to push it fully, and I'm learning. For example, in Arco the track was different to anything I really ride or train on, so it was a good experience to use the motor and also make changes to the WP suspension to get more out of the bike. I think I'm a 'light' rider. I'm not a factory guy but I think I'm smart with what I do. I have a good base; which is important."
"I know that when some riders move to the 450s they ask their team to lower the power, in my case I feel the more the better!" he admits. "I haven't ridden a factory bike…but I like having the full possibilities of the engine because I can be fine with the throttle."
"In MX2 I was more preoccupied [about the bike]," he adds. "Going to the gate knowing that it was not at the level of the factory ones next to you did not give extra confidence. It didn't phase me…but it was on my mind. Now, I don't have that feeling. I have a competitive bike and that means I only have to worry about one thing: me. It helps a lot to know that I can start well and be right at the front and with the team we have trained and practice a lot for this. We've tried different things, and in Sardinia we figured out the way to start consistently good. My confidence is up."
Defending and seizing track positions from rivals with far more experience and silverware is not a daunting prospect. "It gives me even more motivation to work," he reveals. "I love motocross and I love being in this category."
The loss of his friend and fellow racer Enzo Badenas towards the end of 2025 after a training crash seems to have hardened a mental resolve. He took a podium finish at the Internazionali D'Italia on his 450 debut in Sardinia less than two months after the tragedy. He wrote on Instagram that he was 'happy but not satisfied' with 9th in Italy last week and for all his humility (and the dwarfing might and resources of his opposition) Oliver is aiming for bigger prizes, much in the same way that Simpson himself subverted the MXGP establishment and, to this day, is still the last winner from a privateer set-up with his effort at the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix (at Assen later that year he was steering a works KTM 450 SX-F).
Simpson says that Oliver is as fit as a fiddle, focused and (crucially) modest with his set-up and entourage. Ironically, for what was meant to be a team dedicated to the progressive steps of youngsters, Gabriel SS24 KTM is now moulding a flowering talent at the elite peak of the series, as well as vying for a British Championship. Oliver's story is one to watch. He dropped back into the clutches of the field during the Sardinian Grand Prix and the difficult sand of Riola Sardo for round four but was stubbornly resistant seven days later in Arco.
"Things had gone well at Riola but that's a hard track and I'm still in the 'process' with the 450," Oriol explained. "It was positive…but the results not so much because I got tired, honestly. It's one of the toughest tracks, together with Lommel. Starting at the front was a big lesson for me and I stayed there as long as I could by giving the maximum and not saving much energy. I sunk! But I concentrated on recovery after Sardinia. I hardly touched the bike and got ready for Arco, where my lap-times barely changed through the moto and I was happy about that. We're almost there and we can use these weeks without a GP now to work really hard and reach the next level."
MXGP might obsess with the title fight between Jeffrey Herlings, Lucas Coenen and Romain Febvre, or dwell on the rookie efforts of ex-world champs Tom Vialle, Kay de Wolf and Andrea Adamo, or chart the course of Ducati's second year…but there are also other stories of merit in the premier class and Oriol Oliver and Gabriel SS24 are doing all they can to grab glory as well as the cameras.
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By Adam Wheeler. Photos by Ray Archer.
During a gripping first MXGP moto at El Ciclamino there was a full-volume cry from the endlessly animated circuit commentary team: "la furia!" It was belted out in reaction to Jeffrey Herlings' race-winning charge from 5th and past teammate Tom Vialle and dumbstruck world champion Romain Febvre. Herlings somehow found a brace of laps four seconds faster than the Frenchman, and the moto was done. "I just got into a flow, and it got better and better," the five-times world champion said of his most emphatic performance yet on the works CRF, and only his ninth GP start on Japanese machinery. "I was in traffic all the time; I picked up lines and saw some good spots. I had to be creative but at one point I just had a really good flow."
Herlings' enduring ability to surprise MXGP fans and followers has been one of the characteristics of the series since the Dutchman's shock emergence as a Grand Prix-winning 15-year-old in 2010. Through an elongated, untimely sequence of comebacks, comeback charges, spats, crashes, injuries, debuts, wildcards…MXGP is rarely staid when the #84 is moving; except for 2018, where he won practically everything and filled Grand Prix with a withering sense of inevitability with every gate drop.
"It's so stacked right now and it's so good for the sport, for the GPs and for everyone," he said after his second overall victory from five rounds, elevating him to four points of a curiously 'off' Lucas Coenen ("I didn't have expectations because this track does not suit me," the 19-year-old offered after finishing 7th). "It will bring a lot of people. Back in the day when I was winning by over a minute with Tony [Cairoli] it was quite boring to watch. People always want to see some rivalry; maybe Haiden Deegan way is too much for the European side…but it's what people want to see and why they come to the races."
Or because they can witness a master in motion. On Saturday Jeffrey had dropped the Honda in the Qualification Heat but some rainfall on Sunday had helped slow and roughen the rocky Italian soil (optimistically mixed with sand and softer dirt by the circuit organisers) and he looked less 'lost' against the formidable speed of Coenen, who had soundly defeated Herlings and co seven days earlier in the Sardinian sand.
Coenen's error on the first lap caused a groan in the Red Bull KTM camp and continued the 'one-on, one-off' podium streak for the Belgian who somehow had to plot a route from outside the top 25 to 12th. Febvre himself was fortunate to be anywhere near the front after a technical issue on Saturday left him with the 39th gate choice, but a lucky open slot eight/nine places from the inside opened for the Kawasaki man, like the softest, fastest and most inviting rut. He was bumped back to reality and the outside for the second moto, and had to claw back to 12th.
People might speculate that Ciclamino is not a definitive Herlings circuit but the 31-year-old actually dominated the very first Grand Prix at the site in 2013 with a 1-1 in MX2 (Cairoli delivering the same results on the KTM 350 SX-F that day in MXGP). He logged another four visits to the top step since and his 1-2 on last Sunday meant six career triumphs at a course that Tim Gajser claimed is: "not easy at all on a 450". HRC teammate Vialle, who was 3rd overall described it as "a slow track. I think I rode the whole thing mainly in 2nd gear. I shifted to 3rd a couple of times. It's slow, very technical and small bumps. Pretty fun."
Herlings revelled in the billing that came with his furious charge (career win #114 and 13 above previous record holder Stefan Everts) and hinted that the pliability of the Honda helped. "It's hard to make big margins on this track; in practice there were four riders in 0.1 [of each other]. It's really close. I felt that the bike helped me a lot. On the KTM it was not the easiest track for me, so I feel like I gained on that. I'm super-motivated, I still love it. If I get a win I just get so hyped-up and it makes me train even harder the next week. If I get beat…it depends on how. In Sardinia I was not the fastest guy. I was beat and I was fine with it."
Ciclamino pulsed with vigour (any airhorns, flares and chainsaws left in the rest of Italy?) as Herlings chased and passed. The packed attendance cheered his every move and the display of efficient overtaking. This, in itself, was quite a role reversal. From 2017 to 2021 Herlings was the semi-perennial scourge of local hero Tony Cairoli. Last weekend he was the darling of the crowd; Tomac-esque.
Pietramurata is flanked by majestic grey 1000m mountainous peaks and it was fitting that the two monoliths of the series pressed their weight. Herlings and Gajser have claimed six of the last ten MXGP titles between them. They now also have six wins each at the venue. Ciclamino split the moto honours as the Slovenian profited from another Coenen slip to glide that fetching Alpinestars Valentino Rossi dedicatory gear into the lead during moto two and then defied Herlings' best attempts to pressurise. "I was pushing but he did not make a mistake," Jeffrey admitted. "He did a good job.'
Gajser's first success in Yamaha colours comes after an erratic start to the campaign in which he has totalled three podiums but also crashed and has yet to find holeshot potential. It's hard to know whether Tim is now set to challenge for 25 points regularly. His steady but unspectacular first moto run to 3rd was followed by some unspecified set-up changes for the second moto. "I was pushing way-more. I felt way-better," he said. That the 29-year-old found his way is already impressive as he dealt with the legacy of his fall in Sardinia. "I didn't expect a lot. I had that crash…and broke some ribs," he revealed. "I felt like the fans were giving me something to keep pushing," he added, in refence to the large, smoke-toting Slovenian contingent that make the short annual pilgrimage to the Dolomites.
Pietramurata feels so contradictory. For all the excellent attendance and dynamism of the fans it was also overly congested in the paddock (where the throughfares become hazardous lanes of bikes, pitbikes, cars, lorries and bicycles, even dogs), access tunnels and passages were rammed and the parking for public and campers outside of the single-road entry was an inventive exercise in logistical opportunism. Mobile phone coverage was a guess.
Also, for the tinted windows of the teams' goldfish bowl trailers (and factory bikes mounted on F1-style 360 dollies) and HRC's assembly of five truck trailers housing workstations, storage, and two for hospitality - the most impressive and comprehensive MXGP set-up I've ever seen in 25 years covering the sport - the rest of the paddock was disparate, with scant amenities for food, sanitation or promotion.
For the wholesome full start gates there were also 18-lap motos and gripes of backmarkers. If MXGP grows further, then what can be done about places like Pietramurata and all its stunning beauty? Do tickets become limited and priced higher? Can this GP become 'boutique' or does it give the impression of spilling over the edge, and dilutes the fan experience? If the crowds are filling the venue then there is clearly a vibe of 'not broken, so no fixing required'…but there is undoubtedly scope for more at this Grand Prix and Pietramurata is still a draw, even in the post-Cairoli era.
"It's not my favourite track but definitely my favourite race," Gajser said, unsurprisingly.
"There are some others like it; five-six other rounds that are also quite hyped up but Arco is usually the first big one," claimed Herlings.
This year MX2 is underwhelming compared to MXGP but Ciclamino was a fitting home for the 'Sacha Coenen Experience' and the irresistible start combination of Red Bull KTM 250 SX-F power and his diminutive frame.
Coenen's dedication and wilful abandon is admirable and his style is unusual: he commits to ruts and corners sometimes with blind faith, leaning off the front part of the bike to such a degree that the motorcycle won't be saved if it goes. Holeshots, speed and mistakes are part of the Sacha Coenen 'ride'. Precision is not yet part of his arsenal, neither is sustained focus, but once (if?) these rough edges are smoothened then he'll be unshakable. If he increases the percentages in the rest of the 2026 then MXGP could be in the unlikely position of two brothers, two twins, not only fronting their respective categories but also running towards the titles. His first victory of the season was a rout and puts him just four points behind a curiously lacklustre Simon Längenfelder.
MXGP is a long weekend. After Sunday press conferences the clock is nearing 7pm and this scheduling is partly because of the championship's willingness to pack European Championship support classes into the program. The relevance and role of EMX250, the last tier before MX2, seems more prevalent than ever, as the speed and ability of the riders narrows and European competition is more attractive and popular option compared to the world championship. It's a subject for a deeper dive - coming soon - and I spoke at length with the FIM and team reps at the weekend about it.
At the moment, the MXGP class is a powerful distraction. Yes, there are Triumphs and Ducatis on track but the big hitters are still making the big plays; that's four different moto winners now from the ten held so far, seven different podium finishers. "It will be a difficult year because it is not just Lucas; it is Tim, Romain, so many guys who can also be in between," Herlings assessed. "If you have a bad day…there are still many guys with GP wins or championships."
Less than 30 minutes and 20km south of Pietramurata lies Lake Garda; the largest stretch of water (52km in length) in Italy. The region is apparently one of the most seismic in the country. Depth and rumblings: perhaps MXGP is very much at home here.
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By Adam Wheeler. SardiniaGP photos by JP Acevedo.
Jeffrey Herlings made the dream start to his HRC career at the 2026 MXGP opener in Argentina but Lucas Coenen has since upped the ante, and with two conclusive sandy victories to boot. The 19-year-old Belgian is the Dutchman's heir apparent on the motorcycle that Herlings helped shape from the Red Bull KTM confines that he called 'home' from the end of 2009 up to 1st January this year. It's an elite duel that could shape the championship arc of 2026.
Coenen is in the ascendancy, but Herlings is hardly dragging his feet after his high-profile team and manufacturer switch and is the only athlete to have appeared on three podiums from the first four Grands Prix. He sits just 14 points behind Coenen, who is the third rider to have held the red plate already. This total equals the same amount from 2025 and is the most since the fabled 2021 title dispute…which Herlings conquered.
Lucas triumphed in the sand of Andalucia and Sardinia, and Jeffrey had to play runner-up on both occasions. Coenen's combined race-winning time in Spain was a hefty 30+ seconds. In Riola last Sunday it was just over 20, after he'd tripped up and crashed, resulting in a grandstand finale that was decided by just 1.2 at the flag. Put simply, Coenen has been largely without peer and has dealt with one of the best sand racers of all-time quite comprehensively.
In Spain Herlings graciously gave Coenen his dues during the post-race interview. In Sardinia he was equally as effusive as the strong winds rattled through the media centre and (figuratively?) through the Grand Prix paddock "He's on a level now…[and] even though I'm maybe Jett Lawrence's biggest fan; I don't think even Jett Lawrence would have stayed with the boy next to me," he said in the press conference Sunday afternoon. "I think currently he is one of the fastest in the world."
Coenen has looked stronger and more assured in 2026 so far compared to his record-breaking rookie term last year and his speed across the mind-bobbling bumps of Almonte and Riola (and also the ruts of Frauenfeld in Switzerland when he wasn't being limited by racing incidents) show that the youngster is hitting a stride. He is still prone to mistakes though, and while not as frequent or dramatic as his twin's in MX2, these lapses could be countered by the mental resilience that has long been formed in the heat of premier class competition by the likes of Jeffrey, Romain Febvre and Tim Gajser. Being simplistic for a moment, we could talk about the aged racing trade-off: youth, vigour and abandon against steel, consistency and weathered experience. Jeffrey Herlings, for so long MXGP's exponent of the former category, is now firmly into the latter but this is not to diminish his powers, nor to undercut the reenergising effect of trying to take Honda back to the top of the pile.
There was something invincible about Coenen in the Sardinian powder, however. Even Herlings' trademark final laps attack could not dislodge his peer in the second moto climax. "You have to be perfect everywhere," Coenen said of the sun-kissed sand.
To see Jeffrey outpaced in 'his' terrain in this way raises questions…but then we must remember that this is not the young man who once lapped up to 2nd place in the Lierop sand in MX2 or the animal that raced to victory in the Arnhem sand with a fractured shoulder. Even a superpower like Jeffrey Herlings has to bow to time, age, mileage, stiffness and pain, and his comments in recent years - in the wake of the momentary paralysis, broken necks, concussions, plates upon collarbone plates, shattered ankles and knee reconstructions - have recognised his powerlessness to fate and destiny while on track. The Herlings risk-minimalization strategy has still been enough to rack the GP wins.
Mitigations. There might be work ahead with the CRF (and this most certainly seems the case with Gajser and the factory YZ450F Yamaha) and Herlings' caution is well founded, considering he has completed only two interrupted seasons since his masterpiece in 2018. Sizeable injury setbacks coming into 2024 and 2025 mean he must be given some leeway for a steady build into 2026. Encouragingly, his feeling with the Honda was good enough to lead MXGP from the off, despite just two months of riding time his first non-Austrian steed. His starts have occasionally been a past vulnerability, but these have also improved in regularity with Honda trickery. Such is Herlings' might, his thirst, his experience and his pain-staked longevity that he simply cannot be ruled out of podium contention, and this means he will nudge Coenen and co all the way unless a doctor intervenes.
The bad news for Jeffrey (and the establishment) is that Coenen is at the front of a queue. #84 will know more about teammate Tom Vialle's rookie potential and will also have some insight into countryman Kay De Wolf's formation, even some of former teammate Andrea Adamo's slightly slower development, considering both the Dutchman and the Italian are steering the 450 SX-F basis that Herlings up until recently regarded as an extension of his anatomy. There have already been seven different riders on the four MXGP podiums of 2026 and two of those are debutants to the class. Herlings was not playing lip service in Sardinia when he said: "I don't feel ashamed. I feel that the competition is very strong here in MXGP. The top ten are all top, top riders in top teams with great bikes and great facilities so it is not a shame to be second but…second is the first loser."
"I was the best of the rest again," he added.
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De Wolf was particularly rampant, even with two injured thumbs, to make the podium for the first time with the Nestaan Husqvarna (and the team's first premier class trophy). "I was almost off 10 times but held on for dear life," he said endearingly in the press conference. "I don't have much to say. I just pinned it. This class is no joke, even P15 can be really fast. It's fun and a nice experience but I still need to work a lot to catch up to these two."
Tony Cairoli, Jorge Prado, Tim Gajser, Romain Febvre: Herlings has defeated some of the best and most successful Grand Prix riders in the modern era and Lucas Coenen is his latest challenge as he extends that all-time GP win haul up to 113 and counting. If anything, Lucas should be rubbing his hands in glee. 2026 is his chance to collect a distinguished set of scalps before the AMA beckons and they don't get much more decorated than a resistant Bullet's.
Nathan Gouker Claims Triple Crown Championship and Dominates WERA GNF at Barber Motorsports Park
Nathan Gouker delivered an outstanding performance at the 2026 WERA Grand National Finals (GNF) at Barber Motorsports Park, capturing the 400 Superstock Triple Crown Championship and collecting multiple victories across the weekend in both the 400cc and 600cc classes.
The weekend kicked off Friday with Nathan competing in the two-hour Ultralightweight Endurance race. Taking on the challenge as a solo rider, Nathan completed the entire two-hour race himself and came away with the victory, all while running used takeoff tires. It was an impressive display of consistency, endurance, and determination to open what would become an exceptional weekend.
Saturday brought Nathan's opportunity to compete aboard a 2008 Yamaha YZF-R6 with no electronic rider aids. In his opening 600cc race, Nathan quickly worked his way to the front, taking the lead on lap two before a broken shift rod unfortunately ended his race prematurely. Despite the setback, he bounced back to claim victories in his next two 600cc races.
Nathan continued improving his pace throughout the weekend, recording a new personal best lap time of 1:28.2 aboard the 2008 YZF-R6, an impressive accomplishment on an older-generation motorcycle without modern electronics.
The 400cc competition presented another challenge. Riding Dale Quarterley's stock Kawasaki 400, Nathan started the opening Triple Crown race from row 20 in the second wave, having registered the Monday before the event under WERA's registration-based gridding system.
Despite the starting position, Nathan immediately began working his way through the field. By the time the red flag came out with two laps remaining, he had closed the gap to the leaders, demonstrating impressive pace and racecraft.
Nathan went on to secure the 400 Superstock Triple Crown Championship, adding another title to his growing list of accomplishments.
Sunday was another dominant day, with Nathan sweeping both 400cc races aboard Dale's stock Kawasaki 400, along with winning all of his 600cc races.
Even more impressive, the Kawasaki 400 was running used Krämer takeoff tires from the MotoAmerica Talent Cup season. Despite the older tires and stock machinery, Nathan recorded a pace that would have been good enough for pole position in the 2023 MotoAmerica Junior Cup competition at Barber.
The weekend showcased Nathan's versatility, consistency, and ability to adapt between different motorcycles, delivering victories across endurance, lightweight, and middleweight competition.
A special thank you to Dale Quarterley and Bob Robbins for their continued support and belief in Nathan. Their commitment to providing him with the equipment, opportunities, and environment to continue developing as a rider has played an important role in his success. We are extremely grateful for everything Dale and Bob continue to do for Nathan and for the platform they've provided him to excel.
A Triple Crown Championship, a solo two-hour endurance victory, multiple sprint race wins, and a fantastic weekend at Barber Motorsports Park!
The post Gouker Earns WERA Triple Crown Championship At Barber GNF appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.
Army Of Darkness Wins Overall WERA Endurance Four-Hour Race at Barber Motorsports Park, Clinching 25th National Championship
Army Of Darkness Riders Taylor Knapp, Gabriel Da Silva, and Chuck Ivey used Dunlop tires to good effect, winning the October WERA Endurance four-hour race at Barber Motorsports Park by over seven laps. Taylor seized the lead from the green flag and laid down a relentlessly fast pace. Backed up by the flawless pit stops of the AOD crew, Gabriel and Chuck continued to lap faster than any other team all the way to the checkered flag.
The victory was AOD's 10th win in a row, marking a winning streak that has now extended across three seasons and seeing them clinch both the 2026 Overall and Heavyweight Endurance championships.
Crew Chief Tim Gooding breathed a sigh of relief and observed: "I'm always worried that we missed something - some part that is about to wear out, a fastener that broke its safety wire yearning to be free - but fortunately we keep finding the issue that would cost us the race BEFORE we take the start rather than chasing after it under a green flag."
Taylor commented: "The bike looks unusual and it does take a little bit of getting used to but, at the end of the day, it's really good. The data said I was leaning it to 57 degrees and was spending 6.6 seconds a lap past 54 degrees. And that's on the hardest tires Dunlop has to offer!"
Taylor Knapp parks the AOD BMW known as "Gaijin" on the lift control cresting turn 4 at Barber. Photo by Buyisani Tabengwa.
Gabriel Da Silva noted: "Captain Sam had said that endurance racing is about being able to go fast at the end of the stint. I didn't really appreciate what that meant until the pit board is telling you there are 30 minutes left in your stint and it's 100 degrees F! This crew puts in so much effort that it gives us the confidence to ride hard, and I had to redouble my physical training to be able to push for that last fifteen minutes of each stint."
Chuck Ivey reminisced: "I remember going to the racetrack as a novice and seeing the skull and cross pistons and the Army Of Darkness T-shirt and thinking, "Who are these guys?" Over the years we became friends and I was so happy to join them in their championship defense this year. They really aren't that dark. We go get ice cream if we win the race. 'Only winners get ice cream' is as dark as they get."
AOD is sponsored by Dunlop Tires, Hindle, Stick Boy Racing, Vortex, Thermosman, Champ School, Woodcraft, Industry 13, WERA, and Roadracing World.
From Left: Tim Gooding, Melissa Berkoff, Chris Manfrin, Gabriel Da Silva, Chuck Ivey, Taylor Knapp, Sam Fleming, Sarah Muoio, YT Lechner all standing behind "Gaijin" the long suffering AOD A racebike. Photo courtesy of AOD Ministry of Information.
The post Army Of Darkness Wins WERA Endurance 4-Hour At Barber appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.
MotoGP, Moto2, and Moto3 teams are heading to Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia this weekend for Round 19 of the 2026 FIM MotoGP World Championship. From October 30 to November 1, the paddock returns to the 3.44-mile (5.54-kilometer) circuit as the overseas campaign enters its final round. Following Jorge Martin's crash at Phillip Island and with Marco Bezzecchi now 50 points behind Marc Marquez, every point becomes crucial as the championship battles intensify. Below, find the latest team press releases ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix.
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Racing:
Aprilia Racing ready for Malaysia challenge.
MotoGP's flyaway tour continues in Malaysia, at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit, for the nineteenth round of the season.
Jorge Martín will travel to Malaysia despite the non-displaced fracture of the distal radius he sustained during the sprint. The Spaniard is undergoing the prescribed treatment, and his fitness will be assessed over the coming days ahead of the Grand Prix.
Marco Bezzecchi heads to Sepang after taking fourth in the Phillip Island sprint. Sunday's long race, however, was cancelled because poor visibility prevented the medical helicopter from operating.
The Petronas Sepang International Circuit, some 50 km from Kuala Lumpur, is one of the world championship's historic venues. At 5,540 metres, it is the second-longest circuit in the championship, with 15 corners: 10 right-handers and five left-handers. It is known for its demanding braking zones, particularly the first and the last, with hard deceleration and a difference of more than 200 km/h between entry and exit speed.
Jorge Martin. Photo courtesy MotoGP.
Jorge Martin: I'm getting the treatment I need to recover from the injury and arrive at Sepang in the best possible shape. It's impossible to make any predictions. We have to assess the situation day by day.
Marco Bezzecchi (72) at Phillip Island. Photo courtesy Aprilia Racing.
Marco Bezzecchi: I can't wait to get to Sepang, especially since we couldn't race at Phillip Island. I'm happy to be going back to a track as fantastic as Sepang. Let's hope the weather is kind to us and that we can carry on with the work we're doing.
More, from a press release issued by Honda HRC Castrol:
Mir set for Malaysian GP return alongside Marini.
After retiring from the San Marino GP and missing the four subsequent Grands Prix, Joan Mir is targeting a return to action in Sepang alongside Luce Marini.
The Honda HRC Castrol team will be aiming to be back at full strength for the Malaysian GP, Joan Mir given approval by his medical team to return to action and Luca Marini's condition improving day-by-day. A circuit with fond memories and past successes, the Sepang International Circuit is the perfect launch pad for a strong final push in 2026.
Ruled unfit in Australia due to a virus, Luca Marini will need to undertake a medical check before his participation in the Malaysian round can be confirmed. Having focused exclusively on his recovery since Friday, the Italian has felt his strength return and is eager to reunite with his team. Sepang has seen the #10 score points consistently with Honda, achieving a best finish of eighth place in 2025 at the 5.5-kilometre-long track. With the cancellation of the Australian round, this weekend is set to be his 200th Grand Prix start.
A welcome return to his Honda RC213V is on the horizon for Joan Mir, the #36 having put in an impressive amount of work behind the scenes to overcome his medical issue. The 2020 MotoGP World Champion is focusing on getting back into the rhythm of a MotoGP weekend, having last ridden the 1,000cc machine on September 13. With thousands of testing miles collected across the years, the Sepang International Circuit is a familiar place for Mir to return as he targets a final flourish of success in his last four races as a Honda HRC rider.
After the wild weather of Phillip Island, the entire MotoGP World Championship will no doubt have their eyes tuned to the sky throughout the weekend looking for the typical Malaysian rainstorms.
Luca Marini (on the left) and Joan Mir (on the right). Photo courtesy Honda HRC.
Luca Marini: "Unfortunately we couldn't do more than a couple of laps in Phillip Island and since Friday I have been fully focused on recovering as much as possible. I am starting to feel better and have been able to return to the gym, but a MotoGP bike is always something different. Sepang is a physically demanding circuit with the conditions, certainly it will be a weekend where we change the approach a little bit to make sure we have enough energy for Sunday and a lot also depends on what the weather does. We have to do the medical test before the weekend, but I don't think it will be a problem."
Joan Mir:"It hasn't been an easy period, and I want to thank everyone close to me for helping to keep focused and working towards the end goal. I've been able to do some riding with different kinds of bikes in the past week, and the doctors have given me the green light to return. I am really looking forward to seeing the team again and seeing what we can do in these final races of the year. Sepang is a circuit which holds some good memories for me and for us as Honda and I think it's the correct decision to return at such a familiar track. The most important point of the weekend is to get back on the bike, reconnect with the team and check my feeling."
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Lenovo Team:
Ducati Lenovo Team faces the Sepang challenge seeking the tenth win in red.
19th race of 2026 with the MotoGP circus flying to the Sepang International Circuit. A demanding track and a scorching, very humid climate that will put everyone to the test. A track where the Desmosedici GP boasts a great tradition with 9 victories: from the first successes with Loris Capirossi (1) in 2005 and the dominance of Casey Stoner (2), to the wins of Andrea Dovizioso (2), up to the recent triumphs of Pecco Bagnaia (2) and Enea Bastianini (1). In 2025, the red bike from Borgo Panigale confirmed expectations with Pecco's victory on Saturday and Alex Márquez's (1) victory in Sunday's GP.
After the Sprint at Phillip Island that allowed him to return to first place in the general standings, Marc Márquez is ready to continue being a key player in a crucial weekend for the Championship. A track very different from the Australian one and weather conditions that need to be managed as best as possible.
Coming off a tough weekend in Australia, Pecco Bagnaia arrives in Malaysia ready to bounce back on one of his favorite overseas circuits, an iconic track where he has always been among the most competitive.
Francesco Bagnaia (on the left) and Marc Marquez (on the right). Photo courtesy Ducati.
Marc Márquez (#93, Ducati Lenovo Team): "Sepang is a completely different track compared to Phillip Island, and the weather here always makes everything more challenging. Saturday's race in Australia gave me a great boost, but we must stay focused: the goal is to keep playing a leading role and manage every session and effort as best we can".
Francesco Bagnaia (#63, Ducati Lenovo Team): "In Australia it wasn't an easy weekend, but Sepang is one of the overseas tracks I love the most. Here the Desmosedici GP has been able to make the difference, and we have wonderful memories. We will work hard right from Friday to immediately find the right feeling and play our cards over the weekend".
More, from a press release issued by VR46 Team:
The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team goes to Sepang International Circuit, where this weekend the Malaysian GP - the penultimate round of the Overseas - will take place.
MotoGP gets ready to face the second back-to-back weekend of the Overseas and this weekend hits the track at the Sepang International Circuit. The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team is eager to race at the Malaysian GP after the cancellation of Sunday's race at Phillip Island due to bad weather. Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli's goal is to confirm the good feelings and the steps forward in this last part of the Asian races.
Di Giannantonio arrives to Sepang in sixth place in the World Standing with 252 points, and he is ready to replicate the good performances of Australia, where he claimed a Sprint podium. On the Malaysian track, the winter tests usually take place, and this weekend won't be the first approach of the year. However, Sepang is different compared to Phillip Island, and this will represent a new challenge for Fabio, who got a sixth place in last year's race as his best result in MotoGP.
Morbidelli has great memories of the Sepang International Circuit, where he claimed two podiums in Moto2: a second place in 2016 and a third place in 2017. The latter result allowed him to be crowned World Champion in the intermediate class. Franco's best result in MotoGP on the Malaysian track is a fourth place he got both in last year's Sprint and race. The Italian-Brazilian rider's goal for the Malaysian GP is to continue making step forward, building on his solid performance on this track.
The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team will hit the track on Friday for Free Practice sessions, while Qualifying will take place on Saturday at ore 10:50 (local time, +8 UTC). The Sprint will get underway at 3:00 pm (local time, +8 UTC) on Saturday, while the Malaysian GP will conclude on Sunday with the main race, starting exceptionally at 3:00 pm (local time, +8 UTC).
Fabio Di Giannantonio at Phillip Island. Photo courtesy VR46 Team.
Fabio Di Giannantonio: "We arrive to the Malaysian GP with positivity after the Sprint podium we claimed in Australia. Even if Sunday's race didn't take place, the good result of last Saturday gives us a lot of confidence heading to Sepang, despite being a completely different track from Phillip Island. Also, the conditions will be very different because it will be very hot, but it's a very beautiful track, I like it. In Malaysia, the goal will be to confirm the good feelings, and we aim to have a linear weekend, getting off to a good start right away just as we did so far. It will be a good challenge, and we are eager to go on track."
Franco Morbidelli (21). Photo courtesy VR46 Team.
Franco Morbidelli: "I look forward to riding at Sepang, which is a very different track from Phillip Island. I like the track a lot and I have good memories: here I won the Moto2 World Title in 2017 and, overall, I've always been fast and got good results. This year, we're not where we want to be yet, and on this track, you need a good feeling to be fast. But we arrive to the Malaysian GP with confidence, and we continue working to be competitive again. So, this weekend's goal is the Top10 again."
More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP to Return to Action in Sepang.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP's Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins are determined to push to the limit at the Sepang International Circuit during this weekend's Grand Prix of Malaysia, Round 19 of the 2026 MotoGP World Championship.
Following the unfortunate cancellation of the race at Phillip Island last Sunday, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team are eager to start the action again. They have travelled from Australia to Malaysia for Round 19 of the 2026 MotoGP World Championship, held this weekend at the Sepang International Circuit.
Fabio Quartararo holds on to 15th place in the championship standings, and he will be on the attack again this weekend. He has raced at the Sepang circuit eight times (in the Moto3 class in 2016, in Moto2 in 2017 and 2018, and in MotoGP in 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025) and never finished a full-length race outside the top 7. He came close to a podium in 2016, finishing fourth, and in 2018, 2023 and 2025, when he finished fifth. He had his first and only podium finish on Malaysian soil in 2022, when he secured third place despite riding with a hand injury sustained in a crash earlier that weekend.
Álex Rins arrives in Malaysia holding 20th place in the rankings. The Spaniard was disappointed for the fans that the race at Phillip Island didn't take place and is keen to make up for it with a good show this weekend. He is looking forward to the Malaysian GP, especially since Sepang historically is a good track for him. He secured second place there in 2013 and third place in 2014 in the Moto3 class, and in the premier class he rode to second place in 2018.
The Sepang International Circuit staged its first Grand Prix in 1999 and has been on the MotoGP calendar ever since. The 5.54 km track has a reputation for providing very exciting racing thanks to a mixture of slow and medium-to-high-speed corners (five left and ten right) and two long straights, the longest measuring 920 m. The circuit is also one of the longest tracks of the MotoGP season, and the riders have to negotiate it in extremely hot and humid conditions, making this GP extra challenging.
The Grand Prix of Malaysia is held in the GMT+8 time zone. FP1 will take place on Friday from 10:45-11:30 local track time and Practice will be held from 15:00-16:00. On Saturday, FP2 will be held from 10:10-10:40, and the qualifying sessions from 10:50-11:30, followed by the 10-lap Sprint at 15:00. On Sunday, Warm Up is held from 10:40-10:50 and the 20-lap Race will start at 15:00.
Fabio Quartararo (20) at Mandalika. Photo courtesy Yamaha.
Fabio Quartararo: "I'm happy to be back in Sepang. It's a track that I enjoy, and normally the racing there is always interesting. The bike has changed since last year, so it will be important to see where we stand as quickly as possible on Friday. After what happened in Australia, everyone is looking forward to getting back on track and racing again. The Malaysian fans are always very passionate, and I'm excited to see them this weekend."
Alex Rins (42) at Mandalika. Photo courtesy Yamaha.
Alex Rins: "I'm really looking forward to racing in Sepang. After Phillip Island, all we want is to get back on the bike and put on a good show for the fans - for sure they were all disappointed last weekend. I've always enjoyed this track, and I've had some good results here in the past. The conditions can be quite tough because of the heat and humidity, but that's part of the challenge. We'll work hard from the first session, try to find a good feeling with the bike, and see what we can achieve during the weekend."
Massimo Meregalli - Team Director: "After an unusual end to the Australian GP weekend, our focus is now fully on Sepang. Historically, this circuit has often suited our package, and it is a track where both Fabio and Álex have achieved strong results in the past. We also have valuable reference data from our previous testing here, although the bike has continued to evolve since then. Sepang is always a demanding venue because of the heat, humidity, and the physical nature of the layout, but it also provides a good benchmark to assess performance. We are motivated to make the most of this weekend."
More, from a press release issued by Prima Pramac Yamaha:
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP heads to Malaysia after a missed opportunity in Australia.
After the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix due to extreme weather, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP heads straight to Sepang for the Malaysian Grand Prix. Jack Miller arrives looking to build on his strong performance at Phillip Island, while Augusto Fernandez continues his work with the team and aims to regain his race rhythm.
The cancellation of Sunday's Australian Grand Prix left Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP with a sense of a missed opportunity, particularly for Jack Miller. The Australian had shown strong pace throughout his home Grand Prix weekend, securing fifth on the grid and eighth in the Sprint, matching his best result of the season and scoring his first points in a Saturday race this year. The cancellation denied him the chance to race one last time at his beloved Phillip Island in front of his home fans, making the Sprint result an important memory from his final MotoGP appearance at the iconic venue. The team now turns its attention to Malaysia, where the next round of the championship takes place this weekend.
The Sepang International Circuit presents a different challenge for the YZR-M1. Its 5.543-kilometre layout features 15 corners and two long straights, including a 920-metre main straight, placing a strong emphasis on acceleration, braking stability and top speed. These characteristics could make it a demanding circuit for Yamaha, although Miller has previous experience of competitive results at Sepang, having finished sixth in 2022 and eighth in 2023.
Weather could also play a role in the weekend. Rain showers are common in Malaysia at this time of year, and wet conditions could offer Miller an opportunity to make the most of his strengths. The Australian showed encouraging pace in the wet at Phillip Island and will aim to carry that confidence into the Malaysian round, whatever conditions the team encounters.
For Augusto Fernandez, the priority remains building mileage on the YZR-M1 and getting back into the rhythm of racing. As Yamaha's test and development rider, he knows the bike well, but each race weekend provides valuable experience working with Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP and adapting to the team's approach. Sepang is a circuit he already knows, offering a useful opportunity to continue progressing and build confidence ahead of the final rounds of the season.
Jack Miller (43) at Mandalika. Photo courtesy Pramac.
Jack Miller: "I'm looking forward to Malaysia. We've done plenty of laps around Sepang over the years, and it's a track I enjoy riding. It'll also be nice to get back to some warm weather, and hopefully we can have a positive weekend."
Augusto Fernandez: "I'm looking forward to Malaysia and to having another opportunity to keep improving with the team. Every lap is important for me at the moment, as I work to get back into the MotoGP race rhythm as quickly as possible. Sepang is a track I already know, which should help me focus on building my feeling with the bike and understanding the package better. We'll keep working step by step and make the most of the weekend, whatever the conditions."
Gino Borsoi - Team Director: "Of course, it's a shame for Jack and the whole team that we couldn't take part in the race. This was a particularly important occasion for Jack, as it was his final MotoGP Grand Prix at Phillip Island. At least he was able to race in the Sprint, where he delivered his best performance of the season, scored points and put Yamaha inside the top ten. He'll take that memory away with him, and it's one he truly deserves.
He could probably have achieved even more today, but these are the circumstances we have to accept. The riders' safety must always come first, and I believe Race Direction made the right decision."
The post MotoGP: Teams Are Ready For Sepang appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.
A lot of electric two-wheeler brands have confirmed a presence at EICMA 2026, which runs from 3 to 8 November at Fiera Milano Rho. The first two days are reserved for trade and press; the show opens to the public from 5 to 8 November.
The electric line-up, in alphabetical order, spans full-size electric motorcycles, urban scooters, off-road bikes and youth race machines. Most electric exhibitors are clustered in Halls 6, 9, 10 and 11. Below is what each brand has announced so far … Have a good visit at EICMA!
The highly anticipated first round of the CVMA 2026/2027 Winter series roared to life, attracting exhilarating racing talent from all corners of the country, all eager to bask in the California sunshine.
As other racing clubs wrapped up their seasons, the CVMA Winter series kicked off a thrilling new chapter, promising fierce competition and heart-pounding action.
The atmosphere buzzed with excitement as racers pushed their limits on the track, battling wheel to wheel. Lap records shattered under the pressure of fierce competition, while every rider poured their heart and soul into claiming double championship points.
The weekend kicked off with a spirited Friday practice session, setting the stage for what was to come. Among the participants, the New Racer School proudly celebrated the graduation of four determined newcomers, who bravely stepped up from their training to compete in the amateur ranks.
Their journey marked the beginning of an unforgettable weekend filled with adrenaline, camaraderie, and unforgettable moments on the track.
- Saturday Qualifying
The morning qualifying sessions started with moderate temperatures, clear skies, and little wind, perfect conditions for laying down fast laps.
The fastest of all in Saturday morning qualifying was Brenden Ketelsen on his middleweight bike, posting a 1:45.445 lap time.
Bryce Kornbau was quickest in the open-class qualifying session with a 1:46.151 lap time, two seconds ahead of the next rider.
Gio Alvarez was fastest on a lightweight bike with a 1:48.533 lap time.
Alex George was fastest on an ultra-lightweight bike with a 1:55.362 lap time.
Joel Ohman was fastest on a CVMA Hooligan bike with a 1:48.852 lap time.
- Saturday Races
Highlights from Saturday included:
● Mallory Dobbs and Gio Alvarez exchanged first and second place in tight battles across two separate races. Both riders set lap records over the weekend.
● Bryce Kornbau won two open-class races.
● Evan Esposito won two amateur-class races.
Saturday night CVMA hosted the awards banquet for the 2025/2026 Winter Series. Perfect weather made a large tent in the paddock the perfect setting to hand out awards for class championships and the top ten number plates. The club provided dinner and everyone in the pits was invited to attend.
- Sunday Shootouts
In the premier race of the day, The Shootout, Michael Gilbert took the holeshot and led Bryce Kornabu through the first lap, both riding Yamaha YZF-R1s. After dropping down to fourth at the start Eugene McMahel (Ducati Panigale V4S) made a pass on Luis Arredondo (Yamaha YZF- R9) at the end of the first lap to retake third place. Bryce Kornbau stayed in touch with Gilbert as they went into the second lap. Kornbau maximized the drive out of the turn 11/12 complex to get alongside Gilbert and pass him on the brakes on the entry to turn 10. Kornbau then streaked away at the front as McMahel and Gilbert fought for the remaining podium positions. McMahel caught Gilbert and, at one point, was within a couple of bike lengths, but Gilbert upped the pace on the penultimate lap and held off McMahel. Kornbau finished the race with a commanding win, followed by Gilbert in second and McMahel in third.
The Middleweight Shootout started with high drama right after the lights went out. Luis Arredondo got an excellent launch from P4 and looked like he had taken the holeshot, but as Arredondo and Haydn Meng rubbed fairings on the entry to turn 16 their bikes got stuck together, which resulted in both of them running straight off track into the dirt. Both riders kept their bikes upright and rejoined the race, with Arredondo fighting back to P6 and Meng retiring partway through.
Jack Roach (Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R) took advantage of the chaos ahead of him to take the lead, with Brenden Ketelsen (Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R) right behind him. Ketelsen quickly lined up a pass while on the brakes on the way into turn 10 where he took the lead and didn't look back for the rest of the race.
While Ketelsen and Roach streaked away at the front, a four-way battle for the final podium position broke out behind them. Aden Sandlin (Yamaha YZF-R6) briefly took P3, but he had to roll off the throttle to avoid highsiding, opening the door for Parker Mayer, Edgar Zaragoza, and
Sawyer Lafayette to take control of the fight for P3 as Sandlin hung back for the remainder of the race. Mayer, Zaragoza, and Lafayette battled it out in an exhilarating fight. After multiple attempts to pass, Zaragoza took control down the main straight and passed Lafayette into turn 17. Zaragoza pulled out a comfortable gap as Lafayette and Mayer engaged in a two-mandogfight for the rest of the race, which Lafayette won. Ketelesen took his first shootout victory of the season, followed by Roach in second and Zaragoza in third.
At the start of the Formula Ultra Lightweight Shootout, Alex George wheelied off the line, making it seem like Nathan Gravelle would take the holeshot, but as they charged through turn 16, the race was red-flagged because a bike was stuck and stalled on the start line. On the second start, George put the power down more smoothly, took the holeshot, and led for the rest of the race. Chris Binker (Kawasaki Ninja 400) caught up and passed Quinn Swift (Kawasaki Ninja 400) at the end of the first lap. While the rest of the field spread out for the rest of the race, Swift and Binker were nose-to-tail for the next few laps. Binker slowly pulled a gap on Swift as he closed in on Nathan Gravelle (Kawasaki Ninja 400). George took a commanding first place, with Gravelle holding off Binker for second and Binker finishing third.
In the final shootout race of the day, the Formula Lightweight Twins Shootout, Mallory Dobbs and Gio Alvarez met for a rematch on their Aprilia RS 660s in their back-and-forth weekend rivalry. Once again, Dobbs rocketed from P2 to take the holeshot into turn 17. Alvarez tried to pass Dobbs on the outside of turn 15, but Dobbs held her line and got a stronger drive off the exit. Alvarez stayed tight on Dobbs' tail, with less than a bike length separating them at multiple points throughout the race. Dobbs and Alvarez traded race-lap records as they pushed each other into the 1:48s. Alvarez closed the gap on the brakes into corners, and Dobbs opened it back up with better mid-corner speed through the turn 13 bowl. While Alvarez and Dobbs pulled away from the pack, Justin Bordonaro was locked in a tight, four-way fight for third. Dobbs resisted Alvarez's pressure to take first, and Bordonaro held off Geiser Hernandez's attacks to finish third, beating Hernandez to the line by one tenth of a second.
Full race results can be found on Speedhive: https://speedhive.mylaps.com/events/3759961
Come out and join us for the next round of the CVMA 26/27 Winter Series on November 13-15, 2026.
CVMA offers two full days of racing every race weekend and also includes Saturday qualifying for grid position in all classes, amateur, and expert, as well as a wide variety of classes to choose from.
CVMA offers free reciprocity as a means of encouraging racers from other clubs to come out and compete. CVMA also offers a New Racers School for those starting in racing on the Friday before each race weekend. Log on to www.cvmaracing.com to sign up or for more information.
CVMA. Built for racers by racers and offering the best racing experience around!
CVMA would also like to thank the 2026/2027 Winter Series Sponsors: Support Moto Racing, Apex Assassins, Ryder Gear, CaliPhotography, Racers Edge/Dunlop, Bridgestone - Pro J's Cycle, Honu Marshals, The California Superbike School, CT Racing/Pirelli, aRacer.
NRS Sponsors: Alpinestars, 6D Helmets, Five Gloves, and Racers Edge/Dunlop
About CVMA:
The Chuckwalla Valley Motorcycle Association (CVMA) hosts the premier winter motorcycle road racing series in North America. With a racer-first focus and a mission of constant improvement, CVMA provides safe, competitive, and fun racing for riders of all levels.
The post CVMA: Results From Round 1 of the 2026/2027 Winter Series appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.
After the washout at Phillip Island, MotoGP heads into the final stretch. With just four rounds to go, the MotoGP championship is still wide open. But maybe it's three rounds to go, if Qatar is dropped. Or maybe Sepang is the last round, if MotoGP heads to Qatar and the US-Iran war kicks off again, and the paddock gets stuck in Qatar.
The end of the 2026 MotoGP season is turning into a horrible mess. Most of it is largely out of the hands of the MotoGP Group. Though the weather at Phillip Island is often atrocious in October, the chances of a race actually being canceled are low. But not zero, as we saw last weekend. And the military and political conflict between the US and Israel on one side and Iran on the other is happening on a level way beyond anything MotoGP can impact.
David Emmett Thu, 29/Oct/2026 - 00:50
HOT HEADLINES: momentum could be everything as MotoGP lands in Malaysia.
More twists and turns await in the finely-poised battle for the crown as we arrive at fabulous Sepang.
And so, it's onto Malaysia. After a weather-affected Sunday saw the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix race, the 2026 MotoGP title race thriller heading into this weekend's PETRONAS Grand Prix of Malaysia is how it was after the barnstorming - and dramatic - Sprint at Phillip Island.
10 points in it. Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team), the leader. Walking wounded Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing), the chaser. And Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing), the underdog. The setting for Round 19? The wonderful Petronas Sepang International Circuit, scene of many a clash and decisive showdown.
