The ninth round of the 2026 FIM Motocross World Championship took place at Italy’s historic Crossdromo Miravalle circuit in Montevarchi, June 21. Hot summer temps greeted the passionate Italian crowd who were treated to some of the closest racing of the season at the hard-packed hillside venue. The event saw another victory for Jeffrey Herlings as he rebounded after two disastrous rounds, while Sacha Coenen earned top honors in the MX2 division.
MXGP
Herlings returned to the top step of the podium with a 1-2 finish aboard his Honda HRC Petronas machine. The Dutchman grabbed the holeshot in race one and held the lead despite constant pressure from both Maxime Renaux and Lucas Coenen. In race two, Herlings charged from outside the top five on the opening lap and eventually moved into second behind Tim Gajser. Although he couldn’t find a way past the Slovenian, Herlings’ 1-2 results secured his 116th career Grand Prix victory and his 20th overall win on Italian soil. More importantly, Herlings gained crucial ground on championship leader Lucas Coenen, reducing the points deficit to 56 as the series heads to Portugal next weekend.
“I had the speed to win all weekend long,” Herlings said. “Yesterday we missed the start and had to fight through the pack with Romain [Febvre] and Lucas [Coenen]. Today I took a gamble, going to the gate twice next to the box, and it paid off, especially in the first race where I got the holeshot and could lead. It’s not easy leading with pressure all race, first from Maxime [Renaux] and then from Maxime and Lucas. In the second race, I had a better start, then was behind Maxime until about six or seven minutes to go, and I knew if I kept Lucas behind me, I’d win the overall…We had two tough weekends in a row with DNFs that cost us around 40 points in the championship, but we keep charging, and we’re at the halfway point now.”
Lucas Coenen returned from his U.S. venture, when he made his Pro Motocross debut at Thunder Valley, and continued to show his championship mentality, securing a pair of third-place finishes that put him second overall. The Red Bull KTM rider had to work through traffic in race one after a midpack start, slicing his way into podium position as the race wore on. He eventually slotted into third and finished just behind Herlings and Renaux. In race two, Lucas again battled inside the top five and climbed to third after a close battle with Herlings and Gajser. Although he was unable to secure another overall victory, Lucas left Italy with his championship lead firmly intact and continues to hold a comfortable advantage over Herlings.
“I’m happy to be standing here on the podium,” Coenen said. “Coming from the U.S., I wasn’t expecting much here. When I went out for the first lap, I looked at the team and said, ‘This isn’t going to be good.’ In race one, I had a bad jump and was almost last into the first corner, but I made some good passes and worked my way back to the front. In the second race, I had a better start, and Jeffrey and I were battling back and forth. You don’t want to make a big mistake; you have to be smart and play it cool, and that’s what I did. At the end, I had a small issue with my goggles, but I was happy to finish third with those two guys ahead of me.”
Maxime Renaux secured his second podium finish of the season in third overall for the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory team. Renaux was impressive throughout the Grand Prix, running near the front in both motos. His weekend was highlighted by a second place in the opening race after pressuring Herlings for much of the race. He followed that up with a sixth-place finish in moto two, which proved good enough for a podium result. Combined with the absence of Kay de Wolf, Renaux moved back into fifth place in the championship standings and continues to build momentum after a difficult start to the season.
“I’m struggling a bit with my health at the moment, so it was physically hard,” Renaux said. “In the first race, I pushed hard on Jeffrey to find a way past, then Lucas came flying at the end, so I had to give everything on the last lap. I think it was my best lap of the race. In the second race, I had a good start but hit neutral in a corner and lost a couple of positions. From the fourth lap, I was really struggling physically, but finishing on the podium is a good step forward for the season and the championship.”
Andrea Adamo narrowly missed the podium but still delivered one of his strongest rides of the year in front of his home crowd. Romain Febvre completed the top five overall.
Tim Gajser ended the weekend with a moto victory, but a wheel change in race one relegated him to ninth overall.
MX2
Sacha Coenen continued his championship campaign by securing another overall victory, highlighted by a pair of second-place finishes. Although he did not win either race, the Red Bull KTM rider showed consistency throughout the day and avoided his usual costly mistakes. This marked the seventh Grand Prix victory of his career and allowed him to extend his championship lead to 35 points as the series heads toward the halfway mark.
“It was a difficult weekend, but it was the same for everyone,” Sacha said. “Even though a couple of riders were faster than me today, I managed to finish second in both races and take the overall win, so I’m pretty happy with that. I also took some time to find my rhythm. In the first race, I had a good start but messed up in a corner and dropped back. Then I made a mistake before the pit lane and lost more places. I had to fight back and finished second behind Guillem [Farres], with my best lap coming as I passed Simon [Laengenfelder], so I had good flow at the end. I was trying to be safe out there because there were a lot of riders to pass, so I just focused on racing smart this weekend.”
Guillem Farres secured another overall podium for Triumph Racing Factory Team. The Spaniard dominated the opening moto and charged past defending champion Simon Laengenfelder to take his fifth win of the season. A difficult start in race two left him outside the top 15, but the Spanish rider fought back to fifth at the checkered flag. 1-5 scores gave him enough points to secure the runner-up spot and keep him second in the championship standings.
Camden McLellan rounded out the podium and put two Triumph riders on the overall podium. The South African rider recovered from an early crash in race one and clawed his way to a seventh-place finish. McLellan then fired back with a big win in race two, working his way through the field and passing Sacha for his second moto win of the season. Another podium result bumped McLellan to third in the championship standings and further strengthened Triumph’s presence in the title fight.
“I was pretty annoyed after my first race and, honestly, after the whole weekend,” McLellan said. “So I was already fired up yesterday, and today I felt good from warmup. I’d been riding at about eighty percent all weekend. I wasn’t willing to risk it the way some other riders were, and it was working. The first race was tough. I got a bad start and crashed on the first lap. My own mistake. I was frustrated and knew I’d already ruined my chances of an overall. Speed-wise, I felt really strong, and I backed it up with a good second race. I was fired up and wouldn’t have accepted anything less than a race win, so I’m happy I delivered on that.”
Liam Everts narrowly missed the podium despite finishing third in the second moto. Kawasaki’s Mathis Valin completed the top five overall after a string of podium finishes in recent rounds.
The biggest championship development came from Simon Laengenfelder, who failed to capitalize on two strong starts and finished outside the top 10. The disappointing result dropped him to fourth in the championship standings, allowing both Farres and McLellan to gain significant ground.
The series heads to the red dirt of Agueda, Portugal next weekend for the MXGP of Portugal.CN
VIDEO | 2026 MX2 & MXGP of Italy Highlights
2026 FIM MXGP Round 9 Results
MXGP (Top 5)
- Jeffrey Herlings (Hon) 1-2
- Lucas Coenen (KTM) 3-3
- Maxime Renaux (Yam) 2-6
- Andrea Adamo (KTM) 7-4
- Romain Febvre (Kaw) 6-6
MX2 (Top 5)
- Sacha Coenen (KTM) 2-2
- Guillem Farres (Tri) 1-5
- Camden McLellan (Tri) 7-1
- Liam Everts (Hus) 4-3
- Mathis Valin (Kaw) 5-4
Click here to read the 2026 MXGP of Italy Story in the Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine.
