2025 FIM Motocross World Championship
Round Seven – MXGP of Portugal
Agueda – Crossdromo Internacional de Águeda
A rain lashed MXGP of Portugal hit the Crossodromo Internacional de Águeda venue, marking the circuit’s 40th MXGP anniversary and the seventh round of the championship in muddy conditions.
In the absence of injured Championship leader, Honda HRC’s Tim Gajser, it was Lucas Coenen who completed a perfect weekend with a double victory for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, although he was chased all the way by Romain Febvre, who could console himself with the red plate as the new World Championship leader for Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP. Honda HRC had their spirits kept high by local Ruben Fernandez, as the Spaniard who lives near the circuit took his first podium for well over a year with two consistent third place finishes.
Andrea Adamo completed his first ever perfect three-victory weekend with great starts and solid riding to put himself right into Championship contention, as title rivals Kay de Wolf and Simon Laengenfelder joined him on the podium.
Aussie Jake Cannon was clearly not comfortable in the conditions and had to withdraw from both races after crashes.
The red clay of Águeda also served up a show in the EMX250 and EMX125 classes and in EMX250 Janis Reisulis continued his title charge with a dominant 1-1 sweep, while in EMX125 Mano Faure delivered a near-perfect second race to clinch his third overall win of the year.
MXGP of Portugal Video Highlights
MXGP Race One
After his best result of the season in the Qualifying Race, Calvin Vlaanderen set the fastest time in the Warm-Up session, ahead of Febvre and Calvin’s teammate Maxime Renaux.
On Saturday Coenen went elbow-to-elbow with Febvre to claim his third Fox Holeshot Award of the season, while Fernandez also looked in contention for the early laps, although Renaux hit the floor as he exited turn two from what was looking like fifth position. That allowed Mattia Guadagnini through into the spot.
Glenn Coldenhoff was left at the start gate initially, Fantic Factory Racing teammate Brian Bogers loving the tricky conditions and soon passed Guadagnini, then went around the outside of Fernandez to take third through the wave section at the far end of the track. Pauls Jonass also moved up to fifth past Guadagnini.
Vlaanderen had pace, and was making moves, including two passes on Jeremy Seewer, then a banged-up Jeffrey Herlings. Herlings had an up and down race to end up in tenth behind Guadagnini, who was also battling the pain from his early season injuries.
They both fell prey to a charging Coldenhoff who rose to eighth in the closing laps behind a strong ride from Kevin Horgmo.
Bogers looked strong until the halfway point, when he twisted awkwardly up a hill and let the bike go from underneath him, visibly wincing with pain from his shoulder. It looked like he would retire as he held his arm limply, but then suddenly re-joined the race to finish 18th at the flag.
His Fantic Factory Racing teammate Andrea Bonacorsi fought into the top five as Vlaanderen made a succession of mistakes in the deep mud that dropped him to 12th, but one of the best performances of the race came from Renaux, who fought from the very back of the pack to pinch fifth from Bonacorsi on the very last lap.
While Fernandez and Jonass rode lonely races to third and fourth, Febvre repeatedly attacked Coenen for the lead, but the rookie proved equal to the challenge to take the win by just over six seconds.
A frustrated Febvre nonetheless moved ahead in the Championship by just three points from the absent Gajser.
MXGP Race One Results
MXGP Race Two
The start of race two was almost a carbon copy as Coenen moved to the top of the season’s Fox Holeshot Award standings with his fourth of the year, millimetres ahead of Febvre, as Fernandez fought past Vlaanderen to take third place on the downhill towards turn three.
In slightly drier conditions that made the lap times a few seconds faster than race one, Renaux slipped out of fifth on the first full lap to allow Bonacorsi into that spot ahead of his teammate Coldenhoff.
The drying circuit made the going quite thick and one-line, and while Herlings made a good move to pass Coldenhoff for sixth on lap ten, he fell back down a position with a small crash on the following lap.
Very few were making progress, and as Horgmo veered off the side of a jump to avoid a sideways Renaux, he sunk his Honda into some off-track mud that left him unable to finish.
That advanced Guadagnini to tenth, where he would finish overall, as Renaux only got back to ninth to leave him seventh overall, ahead of histeammate Vlaanderen, who rode well for fourth in race two.
Jonass claimed fifth overall with eighth in race two, losing fourth to Bonacorsi on the second race tie-break.
Fernandez fought to keep the leading pair in view, but ultimately finished third for his first podium result since Maggiora in September 2023.
Febvre threw everything at Coenen, who survived a few scary moments in the tricky conditions, but finally it was Febvre who made the biggest mistake with a near-crash that left him resigned to another second place.
The 12th GP win of Lucas Coenen’s career, and second on the bounce, puts him 43 points behind new leader Febvre in the Championship, and just 18 away from overtaking Gajser’s total.
It’s unclear when the Slovenian will be back, and how close to the top pace he will be, but for sure the teenage Belgian will be a real challenger in the races to come. The red plate will be attached to Febvre’s Kawasaki however, for the first time since the end of 2021, when they line up at Lugo next weekend.
Lucas Coenen – P1
“A really good weekend. 1-1 again and the three motos! The rain made the track so sketchy and I was all over the place but it was a positive first moto; good start and I tried to ride smart. It was hard to handle all those edges in the ruts with the 450 but we made it happen. In the second moto I managed the pressure from Romain and I was a bit nervous at times but I’m so happy to win again. Let’s go again in Lugo.”
Romain Febvre – P2
“I tried to go for the win, but my goal heading into the races today was to take good starts and not crash as it can be so difficult in these conditions if you crash and get mud on your gloves. We saw today that we have got the starts sorted as I was immediately at the front with Lucas both motos and that will play in our favour as the season continues. Of course I wanted to pass him and indeed I made it happen twice in the first moto but Lucas could respond immediately both times. In the second moto I could come back onto his rear wheel but I could not find a line to make the difference. It’s hard as a racer to accept but I had more to lose than to win if I had taken a risk, and I leave here with second overall and the red plate. I have spent the last four years chasing the red plate so I really wanted it; for me it is no pressure and it gives me confidence for the rest of the season. But it’s still a long series and anything can happen so I need to stay sharp.”
Ruben Fernandez – P3
“I really like Agueda, but when the weather is like this, I wasn’t sure how it was going to go, but thankfully it went really well. I certainly didn’t expect my first podium to come in these conditions, however I know I’ve been riding well and I just needed to stay consistent across both motos and I’d make it happen. My starts were excellent, which was crucial, and I kept any mistakes to a minimum. A big thank you to the team and my friends, family and fans for all their support and I can’t wait to try to do even better in Lugo next weekend.”
Pauls Jonass – P5
“It was nice to get back to the intensity of racing. I felt good in the first race and was rewarded with fourth but I was a little disappointed about moto two; I just didn’t find such a good flow but P5 overall was a good result first race back and I look forward to building step-by-step from here. The conditions were tough but the track crew did a great job to give us a track where you could race.”
Maxime Renaux – P7
“It was good to go 5-9 today because earlier this week I didn’t think I’d be racing. I crashed twice in the first race, but I was happy to finish fifth in that one. I then rode most of Race Two without a front brake lever after I crashed a couple of times, so I could only push so hard. That was a little frustrating but I came here to score points and that’s what I did. So, I have to be happy.”
Calvin Vlaanderen – P8
“It’s been a positive weekend. I felt really good on the bike and it was a shame to crash in Race One while in sixth. That ruled out any chance of the podium really, but I still fought hard in Race Two and placed fourth. I was really happy with my riding in that one and kept my mistakes to a minimum, which is hard to do in a mud race like that. It’s a shame about the rain we had but it was the same for everyone I guess.”
Jeffrey Herlings – P9
“Yesterday we were quite hopeful until the crash in the Heat when I was thinking about pushing for the lead. I was hit by another rider and bruised my ribs and had a sore elbow. I was struggling with the ribs today and I could feel every bump. It was annoying! We could finish 10-7 and that’s not what we wanted from this GP but after Saturday I think it was OK. I’ll definitely be 100% for the next race and I hope to be closer to that top five.”
Mattia Guadagnini – P10
“Not bad; it was hard to hope for anything more, even if in these conditions anything was possible. I started well in the first moto, but I struggled a lot in the last 10 minutes, and I lost four positions, which made a big difference in the result. In race two, I started less well, and I tried not to make too many mistakes. After half the moto, I was tired, so I just tried to bring it home because it was really tough. Top 10 on the way back is fine. I couldn’t have hoped for much more, but I didn’t aim for less, so for today it’s fine like this.”
Jago Geerts – P12
“Two bad starts made things really difficult today and I also crashed in the third turn in Race Two. I can be happy with my consistency and now the goal is to be closer to the front next weekend in Spain.”
Jeremy Seewer – P13
“Not too much to say. We scored points and didn’t do anything crazy, but I want to be more upfront, especially after yesterday with the feeling and riding I had. But today, we know how mud races are – sometimes they go your way, sometimes not. It seems like at the minute we’re struggling with them. Usually these races happen once a year, but it seems like we need to get used to this more, as since last year we’ve had so many mud races. I need to work, and we need to improve. We need to improve together in these conditions, but I’m still happy because, like I said, in normal conditions and normal racing, we made a step. We saw that yesterday; I’m way more confident. We lost it today, but you know, we stay positive and keep pushing forward, and I think some good results will come soon.”
MXGP Race Two Results
MXGP Round Overall
MXGP Championship Points
MX2 Race One
Qualifying Race winner Andrea Adamo set the fastest time in morning warm-up to declare his intent for the races ahead, but the MX2 class had the worst of the weather, even after the delay to help track workers clear the worst of the water from the track and the surrounding areas.
With the track in a similar condition to last year, many considered 2024 winner Liam Everts to be the favourite, and he duly took the Fox Holeshot Award for the second time this season, as Adamo ran wide to allow Sacha Coenen through into second, with De Wolf right on his tail.
Everts’ day wouldn’t get any better, however, as he fell on the corner before the Pit Lane tunnel jump, and would suffer many more crashes to leave him just 11th at the flag.
Coenen took up the lead, then De Wolf dropped his machine to give second up to Adamo. As the Champ remounted, he pushed Camden McLellan wide and left the South African on the ground instead.
Oriol Oliver briefly held fourth for Gabriel SS24 KTM Factory Juniors, until he crashed on lap three. Then right at the start of lap four, Coenen jumped to the edge of the track and left the bike buried, firing himself over the bars, the bike stood up where he left it. The young Belgian had another off-track excursion which left him in 19th by the end.
Adamo held the lead, and with his pit-board telling him to ride “ENDURO STYLE!”, and he pulled clear from De Wolf and the chasing Laengenfelder, as both riders pushed to the limit.
Behind the leaders, David Braceras claimed a solid tenth with a late pass on his Monster Energy Triumph Racing compatriot Guillem Farres, although a crash on the last lap by Thibault Benistant cost the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 man a top ten finish.
Valerio Lata claimed ninth for Honda HRC, with his teammate Ferruccio Zanchi in seventh ahead of the TM Moto CRD Motosport machine of Julius Mikula.
Back from injury, the Kawasaki Racing Team MX2 rookie Mathis Valin maintained a great fourth position for most of the race, before a frustrating tumble on the penultimate lap dropped him to sixth at the flag.
This allowed Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 man Rick Elzinga through to a season-best fifth place finish, and WZ-Racing KTM’s Quentin Prugnières through to a career-best fourth.
Among the title contenders there was a twist in the tale, as De Wolf finally made one mistake too many, sliding sideways on an uphill corner to allow Laengenfelder, with no goggles, past into second.
The four-point swing put the German to within two points of the series leader heading into race two, although winner Adamo closed in on the pair of them with his second race win of the season.
MX2 Race One Results
MX2 Race Two
This time Adamo claimed his second Fox Holeshot Award of the season, but Laengenfelder was not so fortunate as he lost his front end from second position in turn two. Coenen attacked the Italian over the finish line jump to take the lead, while Farres got the best start of his season yet to place third at the end of the first full lap.
Everts’ day went from bad to worse as he slid off the side of a jump and was unable to continue with his buried machine, while Zanchi was lucky to survive a similar incident on the same jump to hold on to sixth behind Valin in fifth and De Wolf in fourth.
Laengenfelder was on a rampage, up to twelfth by the end of the first full lap and steaming through his competition. De Wolf managed to fire past Farres in lap three and give chase to the KTMs ahead. By lap seven, however, Adamo had worn down Coenen to take the lead with a decisive inside pass, and set sail for the win.
Prugnières had to fight back from his own poor start to claim tenth in the race, but that was still good enough for a career-best fifth overall.
Zanchi took sixth overall with 7-9 finishes, while the Yamaha teammates Elzinga and Benistant finished eighth and ninth overall.
Having a better second race, after getting stuck in the first outing, was the Venrooy Racing KTM of Cas Valk, who took a fine sixth at the flag behind Valin, who took his best result yet in MX2 with fourth overall.
Farres suffered a small crash with four laps to go which dropped him to eighth in the race, still good enough for tenth overall.
Laengenfelder’s charge amazingly took him all the way to the rear wheel of De Wolf, and he very nearly passed his Dutch rival on the final lap, although neither could catch Coenen who put a confidence-boosting ride in for second place, and seventh overall.
Adamo completed his first ever perfect three-win weekend with a four-second margin to take his fifth career GP win, and third of the series. He has already won more GPs this season than he did the year he was World Champ.
Due to De Wolf undoing the damage from race one to Laengenfelder, there is now four points between first and second, with Adamo now just six points behind the German.
Andrea Adamo – P1
“I rode well, really well. No mistakes and good starts, especially yesterday, and that put me in a good position for today, which was really important with the weather. In the first moto the conditions were crazy but the second moto was not too bad. 1-1-1: it’s the first time for me, so I’m super-happy.”
Kay de Wolf – P2
“That was one of the toughest GPs we’ve had so far this season. The conditions were just brutal – deep mud, super physical, and really easy to make mistakes. I did my best to stay consistent and ride smart. In the first moto I had a crash and some goggle problems, but I kept pushing and managed to get back to third. The second moto was similar – I had to dig deep after a small crash, but I stayed focused and held onto another podium. I’m happy to come away with second overall and keep the red plate. Now it’s all eyes on Lugo.”
Simon Längenfelder – P3
“So much mud! It was really hard to pass in the first moto, there was a lot of water and even though they worked on the track there was only one line. It was difficult but I could get Kay for 2nd. I folded the front on the first lap of the second moto and had to come from last. I had a good feeling on the bike though and unfortunately I ran out of tear-offs which made overtaking a challenge. A decent second race but a bit unlucky. Today could have been much better.”
Mathis Valin – P4
“I wasn’t expecting such good results as this was my first race since the injury so I’m very happy to finish fourth overall. In the first moto I was fourth but I made a mistake with two laps to go and crashed; I lost time to restart but sixth wasn’t so bad. The track was really rough for that first moto and physically it was a tough weekend as we had less time than usual between both motos so I was delighted with fifth in race two. The team has worked on the engine and I have worked on my technique so we got good starts all weekend even though I didn’t had the best gate-pick. It was a wise decision of the team for me to rest my wrist as I now have no pain. I have also had time to reflect on the first part of the season; I already had the speed but I also had too many crashes and today I showed that I have learnt to take my time and stay on two wheels.”
Ferruccio Zanchi – P6
“Sixth overall looks good but I know I could have scored more points in both races and done even better. Conditions weren’t great but I knew I had the opportunity to have a good GP, and I just couldn’t perform to the level that I want to. We will keep working though and I will keep pushing to improve so that I can work my way back to the podium as that’s where I want to be.”
Sacha Coenen – P7
“Better than the last GP. We made quite a lot of changes to the set-up of the bike in the last two weeks and I was feeling good on Saturday. I had a comfortable lead in the first moto but just jumped a little off track and got stuck in a mud pile. Anyway, we had good speed. The second moto was OK, Andrea was a bit faster today but P2 is more of what we need.”
Rick Elzinga – P8
“In Race One, I went a little wide in the first turn and then as I went to pull a tear off in the next corner, someone had crashed in front of me. Then someone crashed into me. So, I was dead last but I rode really good, all the way up to fifth. In the second race, I stalled the bike and had some goggle issues, which is pretty normal for a mud race, but it was frustrating after how well I rode in Race One.”
Thibault Benistant – P9
“A really tough weekend in these conditions. Bad starts made it even more difficult for me and I wasn’t able to ride freely in either race. Hopefully, the weather will be better next weekend and I can ride like I know I can.”
Guillem Farres – P10
“That’s the weekend here in Portugal done. It’s a shame about the rain because on Saturday morning the track was really good. I had a good qualifying race with seventh and felt great on the track. My start in race one was decent but I crashed in the second corner. I stopped for goggles and it was a gnarly race overall. I was running 10th until the last lap when I crashed again and finished 12th. My start in the second race was also really good, but I just didn’t ride very well. I crashed twice and ended up eighth. Next weekend it’s my home GP so I’m focused on riding like I know I can and hopefully we get good weather too.”
Valerio Lata – P11
“When the track was nice and dry, I felt I was riding well, but mud makes things really difficult and I’m just not able to match the other guys when it gets so wet. It is something I need to work on, and I really want to get better because it seems like we are having a bad run of weather, so I want to fight for the higher positions whatever the track conditions are.”
Camden McLellan – P14
“It was a super tough weekend. I was a little bit off with my feeling on this track and then it rained a lot, so that made things tougher. I had a good race going in the first moto until I got taken out, and then in the second one I had a bad start and crashed on my own. So, it’s been one of those mud races to forget and now it’s onto Lugo next weekend.”
Karlis Reisulis – P17
“Today was interesting, to say the least. My speed was good, but crashes let me down. Now it’s on to Spain, where hopefully, it won’t be raining.”
Liam Everts – P18
“Honestly, a weekend to forget for me. I felt really good coming to Portugal – I’ve had great memories here – and grabbing the Holeshot in the first moto was a good start. But after that crash and the brake issue, it just snowballed. The conditions were so tough, and I couldn’t find my rhythm again. The second moto was short-lived with a crash, and I got stuck off track. It’s frustrating, but this is racing. I’ll regroup with the team and come back stronger in Spain.”
MX2 Race Two Results
MX2 Round Overall
MX2 Championship Standings
EMX250 Races
At the gate drop, Simone Mancini grabbed the early lead and quickly opened a sizeable gap on the rest of the field. Behind him, the start was chaotic— Venum BUD RACING Kawasaki’s Jake Cannon, who had a strong jump, crashed heavily in the second turn and did not rejoin the race, while others struggled with visibility and grip.
Mancini looked in control through the opening laps with Gyan Doensen and Bobby Bruce in pursuit, but positions quickly shuffled as Nico Greutmann, Francisco Garcia, and the red plate holder Janis Reisulis worked their way forward. Greutmann made a strong charge into second, while Garcia and Reisulis also pushed through the pack, capitalising on mistakes from others, including a crash from Bruce that ended his race early.
By lap 5, Reisulis, despite having no goggles in the deteriorating conditions, had moved into second place with a brilliant pass on Garcia and began hunting down the leader. With just under three laps to go, the Latvian made a decisive and clinical move down the inside of an unsuspecting Mancini to take the lead. From there, he extended his advantage with authority, crossing the line more than 10 seconds clear.
Garcia claimed third after a late crash dropped Greutmann to fifth. Noel Zanocz rode consistently to secure fourth place, while Australia’s Liam Owens was sixth, Ryan Alanderson 17th.
A torrential downpour moments before the Race 2 gate drop turned the already rutted Portuguese clay into a treacherous battleground. Zanocz taking the holeshot with Reisulis right on his rear wheel and Bruce in third. Mancini and Garcia also slotted inside the top six, keeping all the key contenders in the mix from the start.
Reisulis wasted no time. A bold move in the early corners saw the Latvian tag Zanocz and take the lead. Zanocz stayed upright, however the jolt clearly unsettled him. Behind, Bruce was holding strong in third with Mancini applying pressure.
Conditions were deteriorating lap by lap. As the race unfolded, a mistake from Mancini opened the door for Bruce to briefly regain second, but the Italian fought back, until a slip dropped him to fourth behind Greutmann. Garcia steadily working his way into contention.
With Reisulis out front by over 10 seconds, disaster struck—the red plate holder went down and had to restart the bike, allowing Zanocz to momentarily take over the lead. The two front-runners then engaged in a brief battle, but as quickly as he lost it, Reisulis retook control after a crash from Zanocz on a downhill reception.
As the laps ticked down, the fight for the podium intensified. Greutmann and Zanocz exchanged second place multiple times, while Garcia surged forward and capitalised on late mistakes from both Mancini and Bruce to climb to fourth. When Greutmann went down with just a few laps to go, Zanocz reclaimed second and secured his spot on the overall podium.
This time Liam Owens dropped to 20th collecting a single point in race two, which was enough to leave the weekend in 12th overall, with 16-points total. Ryan Alexanderson ended the weekend in 22nd with three-points from race one.
Reisulis, despite two crashes, took the win with a perfect 1-1 scorecard. Zanocz’s resilience earned him second overall with 4-2 while Garcia’s consistency 3-4 sealed third. Greutmann, who had been in the podium hunt, settled for fourth overall.
Janis Reisulis
“I came here with one goal, and that was to win. I just like winning. It wasn’t exactly the style or performance I wanted, but we got it done. Honestly, my goggles saved the race—everyone else was struggling, but mine held up perfectly. I’m thankful to my team and everyone supporting me. Now we look ahead to Spain with the same mindset.”
EMX250 Race One Results
EMX250 Race Two Results
EMX250 Round Overall
EMX250 Championship Standings
EMX125 Races
Conditions were already challenging when EMX125 riders lined up for Race 1 in Águeda, Portugal. The red soil quickly turned to deep ruts and slick corners as rain began falling mid-race, setting up a dramatic and unpredictable contest.
It was Filippo Mantovani who launched out of the gate and led the field up the opening hill, but Mano Faure quickly took control of the race with a clean inside move before the end of lap one. Niccolo Mannini, Áron Katona, and Nicolò Alvisi all battled within the top five early on, Francesco Bellei not far behind.
While Faure looked comfortable out front in the opening laps, he soon came under increasing pressure from Alvisi, who had already passed teammates and rivals alike to close the gap.
By lap 9, Alvisi capitalised on a small mistake from Faure—who nearly lost control on the jump take-off, making the race-winning pass. Katona followed through shortly after, relegating Faure to third, and later to fourth after a fall in the closing laps.
As the track worsened, visibility and goggle management became critical. Riders without roll-offs struggled to keep their vision clear in the pouring rain. Katona, despite pushing hard and briefly challenging his teammate for the lead, cross-rutted and crashed with three laps to go, handing Alvisi a comfortable gap to the finish.
Francesco Bellei, charging in the second half of the race, capitalised on Faure’s late mistake to secure third. Mannini held on for a consistent fifth-place finish after a mid-race recovery.
If Race 1 was about survival in the rain, Race 2 was another mud bath. From the opening corners, the turmoil intensified as multiple riders were involved in a first-lap pile-up. Alvisi, fresh off his Race 1 win had a bad start which while Faure began to break free at the front, with Bellei in pursuit.
As the rest of the field regrouped, Faure began building a massive gap, stretching it to over 10 seconds by the end of lap 2. Behind him, Bellei came under pressure from the hard-charging Cole McCullough, who moved past to take over second after an impressive ride through the chaos. Meanwhile, Alvisi remounted and started clawing his way through the field from outside the top 10.
Red plate holder Katona struggled off the line and was buried in 28th on lap 2. Despite a spirited comeback, the Hungarian’s day went from bad to worse when a stall dropped him completely out of contention, costing him valuable championship points.
McCullough continued his charge, distancing himself from Bellei and solidifying second place, but there was no catching Faure, who delivered a masterclass in difficult conditions. At one point, he held a lead of over 40 seconds, controlling the race with precision and confidence.
Behind the top three, Jekabs Kubulins and Mantovani battled for fourth and fifth, while Alvisi made a late push to climb back to seventh despite another small off-track moment in the closing laps. Bellei briefly lost third to Kubulins but regained the spot before the finish to secure back-to-back top-four finishes.
Faure’s dominant ride not only secured him the Race 2 win but also the overall victory for the round with a 4-1 scorecard, his third of the season. Alvisi’s seventh-place finish, combined with his Race 1 victory, was enough for second overall, while Bellei’s consistent 3-3 results earned him the final step on the podium.
Mano Faure
“I’m really happy to win the overall here. Yesterday was tough with two crashes, but today I stayed focused, got a great start, and finished first. I want to thank my team, my family, and my coach for their support. I’m already looking forward to my home GP!”
