ÁGUEDA (Portugal) 4 May 2025 – The iconic red clay of Águeda served up a weekend of unbelievable show in the EMX250 and EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing classes as relentless rain turned the Portuguese circuit into one of the toughest tests of the season yet. In EMX250, Team VHR VRT Yamaha Official’s Janis Reisulis continued his title charge with a dominant 1-1 sweep while in EMX125, Yamaha Europe EMX125 MJC’s Mano Faure delivered a near-perfect second race to clinch his third overall win of the year.
With deep ruts, limited visibility, and ever-changing grip, both classes saw championship shake-ups, charges through the mud, and race-deciding mistakes in one of the most punishing rounds so far in 2025.
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Heavy rain earlier in the day left the iconic red soil of Águeda deeply rutted and treacherous, setting the stage for a test of skill, patience, and bike preservation.
At the gate drop, it was Fantic Factory Racing EMX125's Simone Mancini who 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 Gabriel SS24 KTM Factory Juniors' Gyan Doensen and Bike It Kawasaki's Bobby Bruce in pursuit, but positions quickly shuffled as Cat Moto Bauerschmidt Husqvarna's Nico Greutmann, Venum BUD RACING Kawasaki’s 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. JM Honda Racing’s Noel Zanocz rode consistently to secure fourth place.
A torrential downpour moments before the Race 2 gate drop turned the already rutted Portuguese clay into a treacherous battleground.
Zanocz took 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. While Zanocz stayed upright, the jolt clearly unsettled him. Behind them, 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. Meanwhile, Garcia was 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.
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."
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Main Photo: Janis Reisulis
Top Photo: EMX250 Start
Bottom Photos: 1. Noel Zanocz; 2. Francisco Garcia
EMX250 - Race 1 - Top 10 Classification: 1. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), 31:35.859; 2. Simone Mancini (ITA, Fantic), +0:10.060; 3. Francisco Garcia (ESP, Kawasaki), +0:39.794; 4. Noel Zanocz (HUN, Honda), +0:43.699; 5. Nico Greutmann (SUI, Husqvarna), +0:52.185; 6. Liam Owens (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:55.479; 7. Gyan Doensen (NED, KTM), +1:22.075; 8. Bradley Mesters (NED, KTM), +1:25.364; 9. Adria Monne (ESP, GASGAS), +1:41.412; 10. William Askew (GBR, Triumph), +1:54.772;
EMX250 – Race 2 - Top 10 Classification: 1. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), 32:08.522; 2. Noel Zanocz (HUN, Honda), +0:06.139; 3. Nico Greutmann (SUI, Husqvarna), +0:08.932; 4. Francisco Garcia (ESP, Kawasaki), +0:15.898; 5. Adrien Petit (FRA, Yamaha), +0:49.004; 6. Bradley Mesters (NED, KTM), +1:05.855; 7. Lyonel Reichl (LIE, Husqvarna), +1:14.643; 8. Simone Mancini (ITA, Fantic), +1:14.812; 9. August Frisk (SWE, KTM), +1:33.368; 10. Paolo Maschio (FRA, Honda), +2:00.356
EMX250 Overall - Top 10: 1. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 50 points; 2. Noel Zanocz (HUN, HON), 40 p.; 3. Francisco Garcia (ESP, KAW), 38 p.; 4. Nico Greutmann (SUI, HUS), 36 p.; 5. Simone Mancini (ITA, FAN), 35 p.; 6. Bradley Mesters (NED, KTM), 28 p.; 7. Adrien Petit (FRA, YAM), 24 p.; 8. Lyonel Reichl (LIE, HUS), 24 p.; 9. Adria Monne (ESP, GAS), 21 p.; 10. Gyan Doensen (NED, KTM), 18 p.
EMX250 Championship - Top 10 Classification: . Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 176 points; 2. Noel Zanocz (HUN, HON), 164 p.; 3. Francisco Garcia (ESP, KAW), 162 p.; 4. August Frisk (SWE, KTM), 116 p.; 5. Simone Mancini (ITA, FAN), 110 p.; 6. Nico Greutmann (SUI, HUS), 110 p.; 7. Adrien Petit (FRA, YAM), 109 p.; 8. Lyonel Reichl (LIE, HUS), 106 p.; 9. Bradley Mesters (NED, KTM), 104 p.; 10. Gyan Doensen (NED, KTM), 101 p
EMX250 Manufacturers - Top 10 Classification: 1. Yamaha, 204 points; 2. Kawasaki, 184 p.; 3. Honda, 175 p.; 4. KTM, 172 p.; 5. Husqvarna, 167 p.; 6. Fantic, 112 p.; 7. GASGAS, 105 p.; 8. Triumph, 91 p.
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Photo: EMX250 Podium
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Conditions were already challenging when the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing 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 for round six of the series.
It was Filippo Mantovani who launched out of the gate and led the field up the opening hill, but it was Mano Faure who quickly took control of the race with a clean inside move before the end of lap one. TM Moto CRD Motosport's Niccolo Mannini, Áron Katona, and Nicolò Alvisi from RACESTORE KTM FACTORY ROOKIES all battled within the top five early on, with Fantic Factory Racing EMX125's 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 of the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing was another true 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 Dream Team’s 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, JK Racing Yamaha’s 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!"
Top Photo: EMX125 Start Agueda
Bottom Photos: 1. EMX125 Podium; 2. Mano Faure
EMX125 - Race 1 - Top 10 Classification: 1. Nicolò Alvisi (ITA, KTM), 30:11.400; 2. Áron Katona (HUN, KTM), +0:03.483; 3. Francesco Bellei (ITA, Fantic), +0:22.150; 4. Mano Faure (FRA, Yamaha), +0:27.084; 5. Niccolo Mannini (ITA, TM), +0:34.412; 6. Filippo Mantovani (ITA, KTM), +0:35.807; 7. Dean Gregoire (NED, KTM), +0:37.174; 8. Jarne Bervoets (BEL, Yamaha), +0:44.317; 9. Douwe Van Mechgelen (BEL, Fantic), +0:47.997; 10. Jekabs Kubulins (LAT, Yamaha), +0:59.487
EMX125 – Race 2 - Top 10 Classification: 1. Mano Faure (FRA, Yamaha), 30:09.838; 2. Cole McCullough (IRL, Fantic), +0:39.063; 3. Jekabs Kubulins (LAT, Yamaha), +0:45.299; 4. Francesco Bellei (ITA, Fantic), +0:47.554; 5. Filippo Mantovani (ITA, KTM), +0:49.336; 6. Jarne Bervoets (BEL, Yamaha), +0:49.586; 7. Nicolò Alvisi (ITA, KTM), +1:01.806; 8. Douwe Van Mechgelen (BEL, Fantic), +1:21.986; 9. Vencislav Toshev (BUL, Fantic), +1:33.719; 10. Andrea Uccellini (ITA, Husqvarna), +1:40.428;
EMX125 Overall - Top 10 Classification: 1. Mano Faure (FRA, YAM), 43 points; 2. Nicolò Alvisi (ITA, KTM), 39 p.; 3. Francesco Bellei (ITA, FAN), 38 p.; 4. Jekabs Kubulins (LAT, YAM), 31 p.; 5. Filippo Mantovani (ITA, KTM), 31 p.; 6. Jarne Bervoets (BEL, YAM), 28 p.; 7. Douwe Van Mechgelen (BEL, FAN), 25 p.; 8. Cole McCullough (IRL, FAN), 23 p.; 9. Dean Gregoire (NED, KTM), 23 p.; 10. Niccolo Mannini (ITA, TM), 23 p.
EMX125 Championship - Top 10 Classification: 1. Áron Katona (HUN, KTM), 217 points; 2. Francesco Bellei (ITA, FAN), 194 p.; 3. Nicolò Alvisi (ITA, KTM), 192 p.; 4. Mano Faure (FRA, YAM), 188 p.; 5. Niccolo Mannini (ITA, TM), 166 p.; 6. Jekabs Kubulins (LAT, YAM), 160 p.; 7. Dani Heitink (NED, YAM), 156 p.; 8. Filippo Mantovani (ITA, KTM), 148 p.; 9. Cole McCullough (IRL, FAN), 144 p.; 10. Riccardo Pini (ITA, TM), 135 p
EMX125 Manufacturers - Top 10 Classification 1. KTM, 266 points; 2. Yamaha, 255 p.; 3. Fantic, 220 p.; 4. TM, 209 p.; 5. GASGAS, 85 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 34 p.;
All the photos from the MXGP of Portugal will be available HERE.
You can find the complete results HERE.
MXGP OF PORTUGAL QUICK FACTS:
Circuit length: 1630m
Type of ground: Red Dirt
Temperature: 18°
Weather conditions: Rainy
LINKS
Infront Moto Racing
FIM
FIM Europe
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