RIOLA SARDO (Sardegna, Italy) 12th April 2026 – The Sardegna Round of the FIM Europe Motocross European Championships delivered a weekend of high-intensity racing at the demanding Riola Sardo circuit, where deep sand, rough lines and technical sections tested the limits of Europe’s rising stars. Both the EMX250 and EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing classes produced dramatic races, with standout performances, unexpected twists and important shifts in the championship battles.
EMX250 Start Sardegna 2026
The EMX250 class once again underlined its competitiveness, as MX-Handel Husqvarna Racing’s Nicolai Skovbjerg emerged as the overall winner after a composed and consistent performance across both races, becoming the first rider this season to deny Venum BUD Racing Kawasaki’s Francisco Garcia from a perfect weekend.
Race 1 of the EMX250 class got off to fast start, with championship leader Garcia not getting the best jump and emerging from the opening lap outside the top ten. It was Team VHR Racing Yamaha Official’s Mano Faure who took early control of the race, leading ahead of Maddii Racing Team Honda’s Nicolò Alvisi, while Skovbjerg quickly positioned himself inside the top three. As the race developed, Garcia began an impressive recovery, working his way through the field with decisive passes, including moves on his teammate at Jake Cannon and Gyan Doensen from Gabriel SS24 KTM Factory Juniors and, before closing in on the leading group.
Up front, the pressure intensified as riders battled for position, with mistakes proving costly in the deep and technical Riola Sardo sand. Faure, who had led for a large part of the race, eventually lost control in dramatic fashion, opening the door for Skovbjerg to take over at the front. However Garcia, came back with a vengeance and passed the Danish rider on lap 10 of 15 to take the lead and win an impressive first race, while Gyan Doensen from Gabriel SS24 KTM Factory Juniors secured third after a solid ride. Maddii Racing Team Honda’s Nicolò Alvisi and RACESTORE KTM Racing Team’s Andrea Roberti completed the top five as the race unfolded without major changes at the front. Jake Cannon made great charge to come back after crashing
Race 2, however, proved far more unpredictable. Faure once again flew from the gate to take the lead with Dirt Store Triumph Racing’s Billy Askew in his wake. Skovbjerg made a strong start and positioned himself perfectly at the head of the field behind them. But then JK Racing Yamaha’s Jekabs Kubulins took momentarily the lead passing the official first lap leading the race. The Latvian fell from the lead and Skovberg took it with no hesitation.
Garcia, after running near the front early on with a decent start, tipped off in and while coming back up got clipped again by Motovation Motosport Husqvarna’s Dean Gregoire who couldn’t avoid him. With this the Spaniard had once again a mountain to climb as he picked himself up in 9th, 10th position.
As the race progressed, Skovbjerg managed the conditions expertly, maintaining his rhythm and avoiding mistakes on the rough Sardinian surface. Behind him, Venrooy KTM Racing’s Áron Katona put in an impressive charge to second, while Sebastian Leok fought his way to third while Faure fell down from 3rd to 9th with 3 laps to go.
Garcia pushed hard although not as fast as in Race 1 but played the troublemaker for the podium places! While he secured his 2nd spot on the box, on the very last lap, The red plate holder moved past Doensen into fourth, pushing him off the podium, which in turn secured a first EMX250 podium for Hungary’s Katona.
With a 2-1 scorecard, Skovbjerg secured the overall victory with 47 points, ahead of Garcia on 43 and Katona on 36 . The result is a significant milestone for the Danish rider, not only claiming his first overall win of the season but also proving that Garcia can be challenged. Despite finishing second overall, Garcia continues to lead the championship comfortably, extending his advantage over Skovbjerg in the standings.
Nicolai Skovbjerg: “Really, really good, because also Garcia is riding really strong this season, so I'm the first one to beat him, it's really, really nice. And yeah, I fought for this podium this weekend and his speed was really good. I'm really, really happy, I’m gonna enjoy it.”
1. Francisco Garcia; 2. Áron Katona
EMX250 - Race 1 - Top 10 Classification: 1. Francisco Garcia (ESP, Kawasaki), 30:37.044; 2. Nicolai Skovbjerg (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:07.477; 3. Gyan Doensen (NED, KTM), +0:17.598; 4. Nicolò Alvisi (ITA, Honda), +0:26.949; 5. Andrea Roberti (ITA, KTM), +0:28.134; 6. Jake Cannon (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:29.716; 7. Áron Katona (HUN, KTM), +0:30.394; 8. Kasimir Hindersson (FIN, KTM), +0:45.366; 9. William Askew (GBR, Triumph), +0:46.778; 10. Dani Heitink (NED, Husqvarna), +0:47.154;
EMX250 – Race 2 - Top 10 Classification: 1. Nicolai Skovbjerg (DEN, Husqvarna), 29:09.221; 2. Áron Katona (HUN, KTM), +0:19.681; 3. Sebastian Leok (EST, Husqvarna), +0:23.046; 4. Francisco Garcia (ESP, Kawasaki), +0:24.046; 5. Gyan Doensen (NED, KTM), +0:25.223; 6. Dani Heitink (NED, Husqvarna), +0:46.437; 7. Dean Gregoire (NED, Husqvarna), +0:47.054; 8. Andrea Roberti (ITA, KTM), +0:48.129; 9. Mano Faure (FRA, Yamaha), +0:48.715; 10. Tom Brunet (FRA, Yamaha), +1:07.620
EMX250 Overall - Top 10: 1. Nicolai Skovbjerg (DEN, HUS), 47 points; 2. Francisco Garcia (ESP, KAW), 43 p.; 3. Áron Katona (HUN, KTM), 36 p.; 4. Gyan Doensen (NED, KTM), 36 p.; 5. Sebastian Leok (EST, HUS), 29 p.; 6. Andrea Roberti (ITA, KTM), 29 p.; 7. Dani Heitink (NED, HUS), 26 p.; 8. Nicolò Alvisi (ITA, HON), 24 p.; 9. Dean Gregoire (NED, HUS), 19 p.; 10. Tom Brunet (FRA, YAM), 18 p.
EMX250 Championship - Top 10 Classification: 1. 1. Francisco Garcia (ESP, KAW), 143 points; 2. Nicolai Skovbjerg (DEN, HUS), 93 p.; 3. Jake Cannon (AUS, KAW), 88 p.; 4. Gyan Doensen (NED, KTM), 69 p.; 5. Mano Faure (FRA, YAM), 61 p.; 6. Liam Owens (AUS, KTM), 56 p.; 7. Nicolò Alvisi (ITA, HON), 55 p.; 8. Mads Fredsoe (DEN, KTM), 55 p.; 9. Bernardo Tiburcio (BRA, YAM), 54 p.; 10. Áron Katona (HUN, KTM), 48 p.
EMX250 Manufacturers - Top 10 Classification: 1. Kawasaki, 143 points; 2. KTM, 110 p.; 3. Husqvarna, 93 p.; 4. Yamaha, 91 p.; 5. Honda, 56 p.; 6. Beta, 54 p.; 7. Triumph, 48 p.; 8. Ducati, 38 p.; 9. GASGAS, 18 p.; 10. Fantic, 11 p.; 11. TM, 7 p.;
EMX250 Podium Sardegna
Moritz Ernecker
The EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing class delivered another thrilling chapter in its 2026 campaign, with Norman KTM Factory Rookies’ Moritz Ernecker securing the overall victory through consistency, while Yamaha Europe Monster Energy MJC’s Sleny Goyer stole some of the spotlight with a sensational comeback win in Race 2.
Race 1 saw a strong start from MCV Motorsport – TM Moto’s Riccardo Pini, who delighted the home crowd by grabbing the holeshot and leading the pack ahead of Jorge Salvador.
The opening laps were particularly eventful, with Salvador initially showing great pace before dropping back, allowing the red plate holder Ernecker to move into contention. As the race settled, a tight battle formed at the front, with Goyer also joining the fight after an impressive charge through the field.
The French rider showed strong speed and even managed to pass Ernecker at one stage, closing in on Pini and applying pressure for the lead. Goyer went on to let his pace talk and took the lead on lap 6 of 14. Unfortunately drama unfolded for Goyer, whose promising ride came to an early end due to a technical issue, denying him a potential podium result in what had been one of the standout rides of the race.
However, the demanding Riola Sardo sand track made consistency difficult and can be unforgiving as Goyer had to retire with technical issues. Ernecker wouldn’t have asked that much but took it with pleasure and eventually found his rhythm. From there, the Austrian rider pulled clear with a composed ride to secure the victory. Behind him, Pini held strong to finish second, while the surprising Swiss Emil Ziemer completed the podium after a solid performance.
Race 2 provided a complete contrast. Goyer, determined to make up for his Race 1 disappointment, delivered one of the standout performances of the weekend. After a difficult start, the French rider carved his way through the field with aggressive and decisive moves, steadily closing in on the leaders. At the front, Ernecker once again showed strong pace, but as the race entered its final stages, Goyer made his move to take over the lead. From there, he controlled the closing laps to secure his first victory of the season. Ernecker followed in second, while Ricardo Bauer completed the podium in third. Behin them, Ziemer confirmed his first race result and finish 4th to validate his first podium.
Despite Goyer’s Race 2 victory, it was Ernecker’s consistency that proved decisive. With a 1-2 finish, he claimed the overall win on 47 points, ahead of Ziemer and Pini. Pini finished 10th in race 2 as he couldn’t get going as much as he did in Race 1.
The overall result strengthens Ernecker’s hold on the red plate, as he extends his advantage in the championship standings after three rounds .
The Sardegna round highlighted both the importance of consistency and the unpredictability of racing, with Ernecker consolidating his position at the top, while Goyer’s comeback served as a reminder of the depth of talent in the EMX125 field.
Moritz Ernecker: “Yeah, it was a really good weekend. To be still the red plate, so I think also I gained a lot of points this weekend. So yeah, I'm really happy about this weekend and looking forward to the next races.”
1. Emil Ziemer; 2. Riccardo Pini
EMX125 - Race 1 - Top 10 Classification: 1. Moritz Ernecker (AUT, KTM), 30:11.173; 2. Riccardo Pini (ITA, TM), +0:04.627; 3. Emil Ziemer (SUI, KTM), +0:11.242; 4. David Cracco (ITA, KTM), +0:16.281; 5. Bertram Thorius (DEN, Fantic), +0:37.624; 6. Timo Heuver (NED, Fantic), +0:43.696; 7. Storm Maymann (DEN, Yamaha), +0:55.665; 8. Lucas Leok (EST, KTM), +1:00.570; 9. Jorge Salvador (ESP, Yamaha), +1:17.615; 10. Andrea Uccellini (ITA, TM), +1:18.468;
EMX125 – Race 2 - Top 10 Classification: 1. Sleny Goyer (FRA, Yamaha), 29:55.134; 2. Moritz Ernecker (AUT, KTM), +0:16.413; 3. Ricardo Bauer (AUT, KTM), +0:36.946; 4. Emil Ziemer (SUI, KTM), +0:40.623; 5. Lucas Leok (EST, KTM), +0:41.541; 6. Arno Cazet (FRA, Yamaha), +0:50.893; 7. Bertram Thorius (DEN, Fantic), +0:58.930; 8. Hayden Statt (GBR, KTM), +1:01.711; 9. Aston Allas (EST, Yamaha), +1:04.068; 10. Riccardo Pini (ITA, TM), +1:10.820
EMX125 Overall - Top 10 Classification: 1. Moritz Ernecker (AUT, KTM), 47 points; 2. Emil Ziemer (SUI, KTM), 38 p.; 3. Riccardo Pini (ITA, TM), 33 p.; 4. Bertram Thorius (DEN, FAN), 30 p.; 5. Lucas Leok (EST, KTM), 29 p.; 6. Sleny Goyer (FRA, YAM), 25 p.; 7. David Cracco (ITA, KTM), 25 p.; 8. Jorge Salvador (ESP, YAM), 21 p.; 9. Ricardo Bauer (AUT, KTM), 20 p.; 10. Andrea Uccellini (ITA, TM), 19 p
EMX125 Championship - Top 10 Classification: 1. Moritz Ernecker (AUT, KTM), 128 points; 2. Ricardo Bauer (AUT, KTM), 96 p.; 3. Sleny Goyer (FRA, YAM), 89 p.; 4. Bertram Thorius (DEN, FAN), 84 p.; 5. Andrea Uccellini (ITA, TM), 80 p.; 6. David Cracco (ITA, KTM), 68 p.; 7. Liam Bruneau (FRA, KTM), 65 p.; 8. Emil Ziemer (SUI, KTM), 61 p.; 9. Edoardo Riganti (ITA, YAM), 57 p.; 10. Lucas Leok (EST, KTM), 52 p
EMX125 Manufacturers - Top 10 Classification: 1. KTM, 142 points; 2. Yamaha, 114 p.; 3. TM, 94 p.; 4. Fantic, 84 p.; 5. Husqvarna, 33 p.; 6. GASGAS, 21 p.;
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EMX125 Podium Sardegna
All the photos from the MXGP of Sardegna will be available HERE.
You can find the complete results HERE.
MXGP OF SARDEGNA QUICK FACTS:
Circuit length: 1750m
Type of ground: Sand
Temperature: 19°
Weather conditions: Cloudy
Crowd Attendance: 16,000
LINKS
Infront Moto Racing
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