The seventh round of the 2026 FIM Motocross World Championship took place at Germany’s legendary Talkessel circuit in Teutschenthal, May 29-31. Changing weather conditions, deep ruts and a challenging racetrack tested riders across both classes and led to several championship shakeups. Lucas Coenen and Mathis Valin emerged victorious in MXGP and MX2, respectively, with both riders gaining momentum as the series hits its stride.
MXGP
Lucas Coenen continued his remarkable championship campaign with a dominant 1-1 sweep for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. The Belgian teenager controlled both motos from the front, taking holeshots in each race and leading every lap en route to his third perfect Grand Prix performance of the season. While several championship contenders crashed or faced mechanical problems, Coenen remained composed and mistake-free all day. His commanding performance increased his championship advantage to 31 points over Jeffrey Herlings as the series heads to Latvia’s sands June 6-7.
“Good weekend, two holeshots, and I led every single lap,” Coenen said. “The track was crazy. Every time you hit one, you were almost looping out. I had two big moments, and I said, ‘Let the race finish, because I don’t want to end up on my ear.’ Overall, I’m happy. I think I did a good job this weekend. I’m looking forward to next weekend in Latvia.”
Andrea Adamo celebrated his first MXGP podium with a career-best second-place finish overall. The Red Bull KTM rookie showed impressive consistency throughout the weekend and spent much of both motos battling established veterans. Adamo overcame a mid-race crash with Ruben Fernandez in moto one and rebounded with another strong ride in race two, where he held off repeated attacks from defending champion Romain Febvre. A 7-3 scorecard was still enough to secure the runner-up spot and complete a one-two finish for the KTM team.
“It’s amazing,” Adamo said. “It’s my first podium in my rookie season, and there are many fast guys out there, including many world champions. The line between P3 and P10 is thin. Following is almost easier than leading right now, because I learn quite well when I’m behind. Expectations aren’t so high; I came into the season just to learn in every race, keep pushing and not give up. That’s the main goal for this season.”
Ruben Fernandez rounded out the podium with his strongest result of the year. The Honda HRC Petronas rider ran near the front in both motos of the weekend and capitalized on mistakes by other main contenders. Fernandez claimed third in the opening moto, which set him up nicely for the day’s overall podium. Even after a crash in race two, the Spanish rider put in a strong performance for seventh and secured enough points to hold onto third overall by a narrow margin. The result marked his first podium appearance since the 2025 season and provided a morale boost for the Honda HRC squad, as Herlings did not finish race one and Vialle did not race at all.
“It’s always good to get back on the box, especially after the last podium in China last year,” Fernandez said. “I haven’t been feeling the best on the bike lately. I’ve been working with the team and changing some things to try to get a better feel. It seems like it’s getting better. The speed and the results—it’s the feeling I have when I’m riding. I’m hoping to feel a little bit better and be like myself again.”
Jeffrey Herlings endured one of his toughest weekends of the season. The Honda rider struggled with a poor start in race one and then suffered a mechanical issue that forced him out of the moto entirely. He rebounded with a strong second-place finish in race two but could only salvage ninth overall, allowing Coenen to significantly extend his championship lead.
“Obviously not happy with today,” Herlings said. “I wanted to keep the pressure on in the championship battle, and now I’ve dropped a lot of points. Germany definitely hasn’t been my friend in recent years, but we go again in Latvia next week and just keep pushing hard.”
Defending champion Romain Febvre also faced adversity throughout the day. Crashes in both motos kept the Kawasaki rider from reaching the podium, and he finished 10th overall.
MX2
Mathis Valin captured the first Grand Prix victory of his career with a breakthrough performance for the Kawasaki Racing Team. The French rider has shown consistent progress lately and finally converted that speed into an overall win with 2-1 moto finishes. Valin pressured Sacha Coenen throughout the opening race and later pounced on a mistake by the championship contender in moto two when Sacha Coenen hit the deck. That allowed Valin to slip by and hold the lead to the checkers. The victory marked Kawasaki’s first MX2 win in a decade (since Dylan Ferrandis in July 2016 at Loket) and extended Valin’s podium streak to three consecutive rounds.
“It was a nice weekend,” Valin said. “I had good speed and two strong starts. In the second race, Sacha had a small crash, so I had the opportunity to pass, and after that I was quite good. I don’t know exactly what changed about my starts, especially since we didn’t change so many things, but it’s working. Just having more confidence is key. I know that if I can start in front and my speed is coming back, I can keep performing. I did three podiums in a row, so I think I can do it every weekend.”
Sacha Coenen finished second overall behind Valin. The Red Bull KTM rider dominated race one and appeared on course for another overall victory after leading early in moto two. However, a crash while running up front allowed Valin to pass, and later, a five-point penalty for jumping under yellow flags only further complicated his day. Despite missing the overall win, Sacha Coenen still finished second overall and claimed the MX2 championship lead for the first time in his career.
“I had two good starts, two Fox holeshots, led the first race all the way, and managed to win,” Sacha Coenen said. “The second race was a bit different. I was in the lead, lost the front coming off the start straight, had to come back from third, passed second quickly, and chased my pace, but it was quite difficult to pass. I was a bit disappointed because of the five-point penalty. Two brothers with the red plate on the same weekend is quite nice. I’m just going weekend by weekend and having fun on the bike.”
Camden McLellan continued his strong midseason form with a second consecutive podium for the Triumph Racing Factory Team. The South African rider fought through difficult starts and wet conditions in both motos but still posted 3-6 results, finishing third overall. McLellan demonstrated podium-level speed and sits fifth overall in the championship standings.
Janis Reisulis narrowly missed his first career podium with fourth overall after another impressive ride for the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory rider. Defending champion Simon Laengenfelder salvaged fifth overall at his home GP despite battling illness throughout the weekend. The German rider struggled with crashes and did not match his usual pace with the front runners. He limited the championship damage and remains only three points behind new series leader Sacha Coenen heading into Latvia. CN
VIDEO | 2026 MXGP of Germany Highlights
2026 FIM MXGP Round 7 Results
MXGP (Top 5)
- Lucas Coenen (KTM) 1-1
- Andrea Adamo (KTM) 7-3
- Ruben Fernandez (Hon) 3-7
- Maxime Renaux (Yam) 4-6
- Kay de Wolf (Hus) 5-5
MX2 (Top 5)
- Mathin Valin (Kaw) 2-1
- Sacha Coenen (KTM) 1-2
- Camden McLellan (Tri) 3-6
- Janis Reisulis (Yam) 4-5
- Simon Laengenfelder (KTM) 8-3
