RIOLA SARDO (Sardegna, Italy) 6th April 2025 – The Crossodromo Communicale “Le Dune” circuit on the island of Sardegna played host to an amazing day of racing for the fourth round of the FIM World Motocross Championships, and in mercifully cooler conditions the top riders were able to push to their maximum on the shifting sands!
In both classes the overall podium was in doubt right until the final corner of the second race in a stunning display of all-out Motocross racing.
The MXGP class saw a combination of youth and experience at the top of the field, with rookie Red Bull KTM Factory Racing sensation Lucas Coenen winning race one. It was the veterans who prevailed in the end, however, with Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP leader Romain Febvre clinching his first Grand Prix victory since August 2023, with Glenn Coldenhoff claiming second overall for Fantic Factory Racing ahead of Honda HRC’s Tim Gajser.
The MX2 class was another mighty tussle with many twists and painful turns, although the result was the expected one as Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s reigning World Champion Kay de Wolf took his second win of the campaign with a perfect 1-1 Sunday to reclaim the Championship Leader’s red plate. Monster Energy Triumph Racing took their first trophy of the season with Camden McLellan finishing second overall ahead of Andrea Adamo, who scored his first podium in Sardegna for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.
For the enthusiastic fans who came to Riola Sardo, it was a Grand Prix full of action and emotion in the shifting sands!
After French Championship chasers Febvre and Maxime Renaux both lost ten points to Gajser in Saturday’s Qualifying Race, they jumped to the top of the morning Warm Up timesheets, the Kawasaki man fastest ahead of the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP rider!
Race one blasted from the gate under gloomy skies, but Jeremy Seewer became the first rider to score his second Fox Holeshot Award of the season for the Aruba.it Ducati Factory MX Team! He just squeezed ahead of Team Motul Honda Motoblouz SR rider Kevin Horgmo, with Lucas Coenen right on the pace immediately for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing! Gajser and Febvre were on the fringes of the top ten, but it was even worse for Renaux as he dropped the bike in turn one!
Lucas was not to be denied and fired around the outside of Seewer to lead at the start of the first full lap, and the Swiss rider made a mistake that dropped him down the order! At the end of the first lap, four of the first five were either first- or second-year MXGP riders, as JK Yamaha’s Isak Gifting held third behind Coenen and Horgmo, with the Fantic Factory Racing duo of Coldenhoff and Andrea Bonacorsi giving chase!
Gajser, Febvre, and Honda HRC’s Ruben Fernandez were running from sixth to eighth, and unable to move forward for several laps, while Coenen stretched out an amazing nine second lead over the first two circuits! By lap five the two Fantic men had moved past Gifting, who still held Gajser at bay until lap seven! On that lap it was the turn of Horgmo to yield to first Coldenhoff, then Bonacorsi for second and third, as the younger rider pit pressure on his veteran Dutch teammate!
It took until the 15-minute mark for Gajser and Febvre to break into fourth and fifth, with the Frenchman working past the Slovenian in the dunes to peg back two precious points. Horgmo dropped to seventh behind Fernandez at the finish, while Ben Watson put in his best ride of the season so far to put his MRT Racing Team Beta into eighth at the flag!
Behind him, Gifting had fallen out of the top ten, as Valentin Guillod claimed tenth on his private Yamaha, behind the skilful sand specialist Roan van de Moosdijk for the KTM Kosak Team. Seewer dropped to fifteenth position, still two better than Renaux, while the final point went to the returning Jeffrey Herlings, still on his fightback from injury for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.
Coenen had stretched out a considerable lead and was cruising, while Bonacorsi got close but couldn’t shake Coldenhoff from second. The pair suddenly had hopes of a 1-2, however, when Coenen dropped his bike in a tight left-hand corner, distracted by a yellow flag for another fallen rider! Picking the bike up still in front, the teenage Belgian got back on the gas fast enough to take his first ever full-length race win in the MXGP class! Fantic Factory Racing were very happy with another 2-3 race result, and hopeful for a similar double podium to their result in Cozar!
Sadly for them, both Bonacorsi’s and Coenen’s hopes were dealt a blow in the first corner of race two, as they both had to pick their bikes up from the floor! The Fox Holeshot Award was once again taken by Seewer, with young guns Gifting and Horgmo right on the tail of the Ducati! However, a familiar face, a “Bullet” even, was soon firing to the front of the pack! Admittedly far from being at his best, the old competitive instincts of Jeffrey Herlings drove him forward from an early fourth to dive up the inside of Seewer to take the lead halfway around the opening lap!
After Herlings had led his first three laps of the 2025 season, the adrenaline started to ebb, and Gifting took his chance to cut across the front wheel of the KTM and take the lead for three laps of his own! However, the established top men of the series, Febvre and Gajser, were soon working their way forward, ripping past Herlings along the same wave section on lap five, before attacking Gifting in similar fashion two laps later.
By this time, Coenen had mounted an amazing recovery to run inside the top ten, before he launched just that little bit too quickly into the rear wheel of Seewer over a jump at the bottom of the circuit, suffering a massive crash as a result! He did remount, but a further crash around the same lap finally put him out of the GP entirely.
Working impressively through from the very back of the pack at the end of the first lap, Watson got up to an eventual 12th, putting his Beta into the top ten, ninth overall ahead of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP man Jago Geerts, who put together his best weekend of the season so far. His teammate Calvin Vlaanderen, who crashed out of race one, could console himself with an impressive charge to fourth in race two.
Gifting was passed in the closing stages by Bonacorsi, putting the Swede into a solid eighth overall behind Lucas Coenen. Ruben Fernandez claimed sixth overall behind Horgmo’s consistent 7-8 finishes, but Bonacorsi’s recovery from his first corner mishap, all the way to fifth at the finish, put the tall Italian fourth overall and up to eighth in the series – an impressive start to his first full MXGP campaign.
Herlings was able to hold on for seventh in race two, but at the front his fellow World Champions were starting to trade blows. Febvre could not shake the attentions of Gajser, and nearly suffered a huge crash in the wave section! Coldenhoff worked his way into third and held on to the end. A pass from Gajser would have put the Fantic man into first overall, but the Slovenian could never pull the trigger, so it was Febvre who took the chequered flag for his 50th individual race win, and 22nd career Grand Prix victory. Coldenhoff’s second overall, and the fact that Renaux was unable to start race two for reasons yet to be announced, puts the Dutchman into third in the points standings!
Gajser will continue to hold the red plate, taking a 34-point advantage to the closest thing he has to a home Grand Prix, the Monster Energy MXGP of Trentino, next weekend! The Championship is still a long way from being settled!
Romain Febvre: “"To win is always nice, I won’t complain — but honestly, I didn’t even know when my last win was. I just try to stay consistent and avoid mistakes, especially this early in the season. Starting from P20 today, I had to push hard. In the second race, I was more aggressive early on, found a good rhythm, and just rode smooth. It felt like a practice session as I felt super good the whole way through. Lommel and Riola are probably the toughest tracks on the calendar, so to battle and win it here is not too bad for 33 years old!"
Glenn Coldenhoff: “Two podiums in four GPs — it’s my best start to a season. We made a small suspension change that worked great, and I had a strong pace in the first race. Bona (Bonacorsi) was right behind me pushing hard, but I managed to hold second. I wasn’t 100% in the second race after being sick, so I’m just happy to be up here. The team is working great, the bike does exactly what I want, and as Tim always says, a happy rider is a fast rider. We’ve got a great group and we’re building something strong at Fantic."
Tim Gajser: “It was a solid weekend overall. We made some setup changes in race one that didn’t work, and I had to settle for fifth. In race two, I got caught up avoiding Lucas (Coenen) when he crashed, but I came back strong and stayed close to Romain the whole way. He didn’t make any mistakes, so credit to him. Now we go to Trentino — kind of my home GP with all the Slovenian fans coming to support the Slovenian riders. The atmosphere is always amazing there, and I’m really looking forward to it — especially with the red plate again.”
Main Photo: Romain Febvre
Bottom Photos: 1. Glenn Coldenhoff; 2 Tim Gajser
MXGP - Grand Prix Race 1 - Top 10 Classification: 1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 35:05.844; 2. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:04.078; 3. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Fantic), +0:07.019; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:12.421; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:15.748; 6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:20.245; 7. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Honda), +0:26.651; 8. Ben Watson (GBR, Beta), +0:35.986; 9. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KTM), +1:00.165; 10. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Yamaha), +1:03.011
MXGP - Grand Prix Race 2 - Top 10 Classification: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), 34:44.682; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:00.613; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:43.241; 4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:47.170; 5. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Fantic), +0:53.536; 6. Isak Gifting (SWE, Yamaha), +0:57.808; 7. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +1:01.363; 8. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Honda), +1:02.549; 9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Ducati), +1:06.215; 10. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +1:10.134;
MXGP Overall - Top 10 Classification: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 43 points; 2. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 42 p.; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 38 p.; 4. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, FAN), 36 p.; 5. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 27 p.; 6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 25 p.; 7. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 25 p.; 8. Isak Gifting (SWE, YAM), 24 p.; 9. Ben Watson (GBR, BET), 22 p.; 10. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 21 p
MXGP - World Championship - Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 215 points; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 181 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 156 p.; 4. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 141 p.; 5. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 125 p.; 6. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 114 p.; 7. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 110 p.; 8. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, FAN), 104 p.; 9. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KAW), 86 p.; 10. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, DUC), 84 p
MXGP - Manufacturers Classification: 1. Honda, 215 points; 2. Kawasaki, 187 p.; 3. Yamaha, 170 p.; 4. Fantic, 159 p.; 5. KTM, 155 p.; 6. Ducati, 112 p.; 7. Beta, 64 p.; 8. Husqvarna, 22 p
Sacha Coenen was top of the timesheets in the morning Warm-Up for MX2, as he had been in every session across the weekend, with the Venrooy KTM Racing machine of Cas Valk showing his sand skills in second!
The diminutive Belgian fired his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine into the lead for his third Fox Holeshot Award of the year, with De Wolf and a rapid McLellan giving chase, as the South African swept past Adamo on the opening lap. Rick Elzinga had started well, gaining momentum for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 in his recovery from a pre-season elbow injury. However, Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s incoming red plate holder Liam Everts moved past the Dutchman on the third lap, swiftly followed by Saturday’s Qualifying Race winner Simon Laengenfelder. The German on the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine pushed forward impressively, determined to stay in touch with Everts and De Wolf in the Championship chase.
Further down the pack, David Braceras showed his training at Lommel with JM Honda Racing to come home in tenth position, as Karlis Reisulis took ninth for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2, and Valk held steady in eighth. Elzinga settled for an eventual seventh behind Everts.
It took until lap thirteen for a patient De Wolf to make a decisive move on Coenen through the difficult wave section, launching into them with a massive leap and keeping his momentum to the jump at the end! The Belgian did try to retaliate, but then landed awkwardly from a big jump and got spat over the bars! Yet again he bounced to his feet, and salvaged fifth position behind Adamo in fourth and a determined Laengenfelder in third. McLellan, loving the venue where he took his first career podium last year, now took his career best race finish of second, even catching De Wolf to make the Champ push on the final lap, winning with a margin of just 1.809 seconds at the finish line!
The leading four in the series were still mighty close going into race two, just 13 points separating them all, but it was Laengenfelder who led by two points from De Wolf, who was one ahead of Everts, who was ten ahead of Adamo!
The Italian raised a roar from the spectators by responding with a clear Holeshot, helped by the fact that Coenen and Laengenfelder clashed handlebars down the start straight to immediately put themselves on the back foot! Valk was second initially ahead of WZ-Racing KTM’s Quentin Prugnieres, although De Wolf and Everts moved around the Frenchman heading into turn four.
McLellan had messed up the first turn and was towards the back, but was soon charging through. De Wolf moved quickly past his fellow Dutchman Valk to take second, and took his time to catch up to Adamo. He took the lead from the 2023 Champion on lap four with a brilliant move around the outside, and his way looked clear. Everts had moved up to third, but the charge from McLellan and a rapid Coenen caught up to the previous Championship leader, forcing him back to fifth, where he would stay til the finish. He was at least able to gain a point on Laengenfelder, who could only get back up to sixth.
Prugnieres would drop to eighth to claim tenth overall, just ahead of Honda HRC’s Ferruccio Zanchi who took tenth in race two. Valk, in a week where he was in ill health, ended the day ninth overall with 8-11 finishes, while Reisulis got ninth twice to claim eighth overall. Elzinga was seventh, twice in that position and the top Japanese bike on the day. Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2’s Thibault Benistant suffered a terrible day in the sand, finishing 15th overall with 14-17 results.
Suddenly, De Wolf fell by Pit lane, and Adamo held an eight second lead at the end of lap ten! With McLellan and Coenen powering to third and fourth in the race, De Wolf set about his own amazing pace to reel in Adamo. The Italian resisted with true grit on a surface which is not his favourite, but with a determined effort De Wolf roared up the inside to retake the lead with less than half a lap remaining!
The move dropped Adamo to third overall behind McLellan, who celebrated his and Triumph’s best ever overall GP result, but De Wolf’s tenth career GP victory sticks him back into the Championship lead by eight points from Laengenfelder!
With Everts just two behind, and Adamo a further four back, the hard pack experts have some friendly tracks on the horizon, so this Championship fight is still wide open, especially as the likes of Coenen, Benistant, and McLellan can get involved at any moment!
The stage moves to the beautiful setting of northern Italy for the Monster Energy MXGP of Trentino in just seven days’ time, and anything could happen around those chalky slopes, especially with a wildcard appearance from Antonio Cairoli for Aruba.it Ducati Factory MX Team to work up the crowd! Do not miss that one!
Kay de Wolf: "That last lap was crazy. Andrea (Adamo) missed the table and I almost landed on him — our heart rates were sky high! But I went inside on the final corner, hoped for the best, and took the win. Going 1-1 today after a tough one in Saint-Jean d’Angely is amazing. I struggled in France with last gate picks. But we bounced back big this weekend, got the red plate back, and now I'm just going to enjoy the triple header and do my best."
Camden McLellan: "I don’t know what it is about Riola, but I love it. Last year I got my first podium here and now again. Honestly, if I’d had better starts, I think I could’ve won both races. I was half happy, half frustrated, but I had fun. After Saint-Jean d’Angely I went home angry — I knew I belonged up front. That motivation really came out this weekend. I told myself if I leave without a podium, it’s not a successful weekend, so I’m happy I delivered. Maybe I need to stay angry all year!"
Andrea Adamo: "It was a super positive weekend for me — 4-4-2, really consistent. In the first race I tried to follow Camden (McLellan) but made a small mistake and lost ground. In the second race, I got the holeshot — finally! Because it’s hard with Sacha (Coenen)! Leading was tough, and when Kay (de Wolf) passed me in that final corner it was crazy. I saw his shadow and thought I blocked him, but he found the inside. It was a great battle. Saint-Jean d’Angely gave me confidence, but I knew Riola would be harder for me. It’s not my strong point in the sand, but I fought hard and made a big step from last year. I gave everything I had in that last race."
Main Photo: Kay de Wolf
Bottom Photos: 1. Camden McLellan; 2. Andrea Adamo
MX2 - Grand Prix Race 1 - Top 10 Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 35:07.830; 2. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:01.809; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:08.105; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:10.914; 5. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:29.939; 6. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:30.995; 7. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:50.718; 8. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), +0:51.758; 9. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +1:12.555; 10. David Braceras (ESP, Honda), +1:13.136;
MX2 - Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: . Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 34:51.084; 2. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:03.601; 3. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:07.124; 4. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:11.509; 5. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:22.341; 6. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:25.973; 7. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:29.478; 8. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KTM), +0:53.423; 9. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +1:02.548; 10. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +1:07.145
MX2 Overall – Top 10 Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 50 points; 2. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 42 p.; 3. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 35 p.; 5. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 34 p.; 6. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 31 p.; 7. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 28 p.; 8. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 24 p.; 9. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), 23 p.; 10. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KTM), 21 p.
MX2 - World Championship Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 185 points; 2. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 177 p.; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 175 p.; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 171 p.; 5. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 143 p.; 6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 128 p.; 7. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 118 p.; 8. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), 115 p.; 9. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, HON), 97 p.; 10. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 84 p.
MX2 - Manufacturers Classification: 1. Husqvarna, 213 points; 2. KTM, 213 p.; 3. Yamaha, 149 p.; 4. Triumph, 132 p.; 5. Honda, 125 p.; 6. TM, 51 p.; 7. Kawasaki, 46 p
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: Sunny/Cloudy
Crowd Attendance: 15,100
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