MXGP Rumours/Silly season

If Herlings contract is officially over as per KTM announcing it, how come he’s still riding a Red Bull KTM & not a Honda? That’s if the videos he’s posting of him training are recent. 

As far as I know, Herlings will be clear to ride the CRF from january 1st (2026). 

Triumph launch tonight in Hinckley.  

It works just like an employment contract (basically it is).
If you leave, you have a month of notice period and that period started Dec 1st if the contract expires Jan 1st.

Never thought of it like that, makes sense now. 

Yeah... Pancar and Gifting being proofs that you can have career year and be semi-consistent podium thread but that does not guarantee you salary-paying factory seat... yeah MXGP field is strong, fair & healthy.

I get your point. But in Giftings case he seemed to have the choice, either stay with JK or go to Factory Yamaha and he liked the JK package more? And as for Pancar, i would hope that KTM is supporting his own effort in a much bigger way.

But Pancar is the perfect example of the drought of good support teams in the GPs. We used to have teams like Standing Construct that were as close to a factory level team as you could get and the Pancars of the world would get those spots. Now all those are either gone or have become the "factory" teams. So left is just 8-10 factory rides and almost no good support teams for people like Gifting and Pancar.

Nice video that features the whole Ducati team. However, it's Renaux on his Yam that looks the fastest to me...

I think there are a couple of reasons.

First of all to me it looks like both riders have understand it quite well that with moving up to a factory ride comes a lot of extra pressure and expectations, so if they dont improve much salary wise you are better of taking the ride at a support team like Jk where a top 10 is considered a succes.

Then in the case of Pancar, he actually has a pretty good setup right now. He has had KTM factory support in the past few years and has a big sponsor pumping in serious money in his team. Not something to just give up for a bad deal at another team.

And finally, Gifting and Pancar managed to score exactly 1 top 3 finish in two years of MXGP. Yes Gifting came close to winning and scored a couple of 4th place finishes, i know. But i can see why factory teams are not exactly throwing big cash at both of them.  

New headerpipe for Yamaha? Maxime looking fast compared to the duc guys.

Maxime has the speed to battle with the top guys but every year injuries, if only he can stay injury free😖

Duc suspension looked a bit ”bouncy”…? Deep in the travel, quick rebound… I might be wrong of course.

That's for the sound regulations I guess (a bit like KTM). 

Yam looks planted, the Ducatis look wallowy..

Bona looking good on the Ducati this early! 

I've heard that they struggle big time with frame and suspension and how the power/hp goes through those both components. 

You mean actually? Or during the 2025 MXGP season?

FIM Grand Prix Teamoverzicht 2026:
– Team Red Bull-KTM-DeCarli
Sacha Coenen (MX2)
Lucas Coenen (MXGP)

- Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Simon Langenfelder (MX2)
Andrea Adamo (MXGP)

- Van Venrooij Racing-KTM
Mattia Guadagnini ? (MXGP)
Noel Zanocz (MX2)
Aron Katona (EMX250)

- Gabriels-SS24-KTM
Gyan Doensen (EMX250)
Oriol Oliver (MXGP)

- KTM Factory Rookies
Moritz Ernecker (EMX125)
Ricardo Bauer (EMX125)

- WZ Racing Team-KTM
Maxime Grau (MX2)

- Kosak KTM Racing
Roan van de Moosdijk (MXGP)
Valentin Kees (EMX250)

- Racestore-KTM-SM Action
Andrea Roberto (EMX250)

- Osicka MX Team
Marcel Staufer (MXGP)
Vaclav Janout (EMX250)

- Kullen 1502 KTM Racing Team
August Frisk (EMX250)

- Team Sarholz-KTM
Tom Koch (MXGP)
Lyonel Reichl (EMX250)

- KEMEA-Monster Energy-Yamaha Racing Team
Tim Gajser (MXGP)
Maxime Renaux (MXGP)

- Hutten Metaal Monster Energy-Yamaha Racing Team
Janis Reišulis (MX2)
Kārlis Albert Reišulis (MX2)

- Team VHR-Yamaha
Mauno Faure (EMX250)
Jarne Bervoets (EMX250)
 
– MJC Yamaha Team
Sleny Goyer (EMX125)
Levi Townley (EMX125)

– JK Racing-Yamaha
Isak Gifting (MXGP)
Jekabs Kubulins (EMX250)
Drew Stock (EMX125)
Nellie Fransson (WMX)
Manuel Iacopi (?)

- De Baets MX Team-Yamaha
Lotte van Drunen (WMX)
Cole McCullough (EMX250)
Dex Kooiker (EMX125)
Torre Van Mechgelen (EMX125)

- Yamaha 115 M78 Team
Bernardo Tiburcio (EMX250)

- SDM Corse-Fantic Factory
Bertram Thorius (EMX125)
Gennaro Utech (EMX125)

- Fantic Factory-JM Racing
Alberto Forato (MXGP)
Brent Van doninck (MXGP)

- AIT Racing Team-Fantic
? (EMX125)
? (EMX125)
Vencislav Toshev (EMX250)

– Kawasaki Racing Team-IceOne Racing
Romain Febvre (MXGP)
Pauls Jonass (MXGP)
Mathis Valin (MX2)

– BikeIt-Dixon Racing Team
Kay Karssemakers (MX2)
? (EMX250)

– BUD Racing-Kawasaki
Francisco Garcia ? (MX2)
Jake Cannon ? (EMX250)

– Team HRC-Gariboldi Racing 
Jeffrey Herlings (MXGP)
Tom Vialle (MXGP)
Ruben Fernandez (MXGP)
Valerio Lata (MX2)

- Team Honda SR-Motoblouz-Motul
Kevin Horgmo (MXGP)
Thibault Benistant (MXGP)

- JWR Honda Racing
? (MXGP)
Hugo Forsgren ? (EMX250)

- Honda Maddii Racing
Marc Antoine Rossi (MX2)
Elias Escandell (EMX250)
Nicolo Alvisi (EMX250)
Niccolo Mannini (EMX250)

- MX Academy-Meuwissen Motorsport Powered by Honda 
Nico Greutmann (MXGP)
Emile De Baere (EMX250)
Jordan van Wyk (EMX250)
Laura Raunkjer (WMX)

- Millionaire Racing Team-Honda
Nicolas Lapucci (MXGP)
? (MXGP)

- Aruba.it - Ducati MX
Jeremy Seewer (MXGP)
Andrea Bonacorsi (MXGP)
Calvin Vlaanderen (MXGP)

- Beddini Racing-Ducati
Ferruccio Zanchi (MX2)
Simone Mancini (EMX250)

- RODEO MX Racing-Ducati 
Edvards Bidzans (MXGP)

- Leerkes MX by Star Twin Motors
Nick Leerkes (MXGP)

– Nestaan MX-Husqvarna Racing
Kay de Wolf (MXGP)
Liam Everts (MX2)

- MX-Handel Husqvarna Racing Team
Kevin Brumann (MXGP)
Nicolai Skovbjerg (EMX250)
Sebastiaan Leok ? (MXGP)

- Team Motovation Motorsport
Dean Gregoire (EMX250)
Dani Heitink (EMX250)

- Cat Moto-Bauerschmidt-Husqvarna
Liam Owens (EMX250)
Mads Fredsoe (EMX250)
Francesco Bellei (EMX250)
Roan Tolsma (EMX250)

- Diana MX Team-Husqvarna
? (EMX250)
? (EMX250)

– Marchetti Racing-Beta Factory
Rick Elzinga (MXGP) 
Jago Geerts (MXGP)
Akexis Fueri (EMX250)

- Monster Energy Triumph Factory Racing
Camden McLellan (MX2)
Guillem Farres (MX2)

- SixtySeven Racing-Husqvarna
Arvid Luning ? (MXGP)
Scott Smulders (MX2)
Jaymian Ramakers (EMX250)

- Team JP253
Jan Pancar (MXGP)

- HTS KTM
? (MXGP)
? (MX2)

- Leoparden Racing
Leopold Ambjornsson (MXGP)

- BTS Racing-KTM
Jens Walvoort ? (MX2)
? (MX2)

- Chambers Racing
Adam Sterry (MXGP)
Ollie Colmer (MX2)
Hayden Statt (EMX125)

- KTM GST Berlin Racing
Peter König (MXGP)

- Young Motion Powered by Resa Racing
? (MX2)
? (MX2)
? (MX2) 

- Lexa MX Racing Team
? (MXGP)
? (MXGP)
David Braceras ? (MX2)

- Team Steels Dr Jack-CRD Motorsport-TM Racing
Cas Valk (MX2)
Andrea Uccellini ? (EMX125)

- Team Seven Motorsports-TM Racing
Douwe Van Mechgelen (EMX250)
Francesco Quintili (EMX125)

- DvS Junior Racing Team-TM Racing
Lynn Valk (WMX)
? (EMX125)

- MCV Motorsport-TM-ABF Italia
Riccardo Pini (EMX125)
Cristia Amali (EMX125)
Tommaso D’Amico (EMX125)

- RFME-GasGas-Mequitec Racing
Adrià Monné (EMX250)
Manuel López Carrera (EMX250)
Pau Caudet (EMX125)
Jordi Alba (EMX125)
Daniela Guillen (WMX)

- FMX4Ever Team-GasGas
Ian Ampoorter (EMX250)
? (EMX250)

- DMX Celestini Motorsport-Fantic
? (EMX125)
? (EMX125)

- Ghidinelli Racing-KTM
? (EMX250)
? (EMX250)

- Dreams Racing-KTM
David Cracco (EMX125)
Luca Colonnelli (EMX125)
Raffaele Frappa (EMX125)

- Carmen KTM Racing
Vítězslav Marek ? (EMX250)

- Team CTM Motorhomes/Priem MX
Thybe Ceulemans (EMX250)
Seth Priem (EMX125)

- KTM Scandinavia
Dante Lantz (EMX125)

- Team 737 Performance-KTM-D'Stock41
Rafael Mennillo (EMX125)
Léo Diss-Fenard (EMX125)
Eliot Buysschaert (EMX125)
Mathys Boisrame (France)

- Team TMX Competition
Liam Bruneau (EMX125)
Enzo Herzogenrath (EMX125)

- Husqvarna-Max Bart Motorsport
Cesar Paine Diaz (EMX250)
Lorenzo Aglietti (EMX250)

- Mandrile Racing Team
Francesco Assini (EMX125)
Andrea Martelli (EMX125)
Omar Guerra (EMX125)

Door: Steven van Kempen/KEMCO

Vítězslav Marek at CERMEN racing KTM is with questionmark... he will race with the team but he might retire due to health issues from broken pelvis on formation lap in 2023 at last ADAC 125 race. That's intel i got at the end of september when he was heading for his third corrective surgery related to that injury... at 18 yo... if the third surgery does not allow him to be painfree he will hang the boots and ride czech nationals here and there... i recall czech mxon manager at 2022 deciding between mikula and marek for mx2 spot... choosing mikula because he said that marek will get plenty more opportunities to represent the country in the future...

I see that Julius Mikula is not mentioned anywhere, regular top15 mx2 guy, fringe top10 when mudfest arrives, gets no decent ride at 19 yo...

During the 2025 MXGP season, on some tracks the bike was more than a hand full. 

OK. I've heard the same things. And I've also heard that Factory Connection already helped them (suspensions issues) during the 2025 MXGP championship...

But both riders did well at the start of the season. I still think their drop off in performance was because of the team changing and the old team not willing to invest in developing the bike any more.

Isnt Mikula signed by Osicka?

Haven't seen it anywhere. He was released by tm like 2 months ago so there should be no hold up for signing if they intended to work together again.

Dirt Store Triumph will be running Ben Watson in European MXGP's and Billy Askew in EMX250.

This is such a strange part of these European contracts.  KTM is still paying to support his training, bikes, practice mechanic, etc. (I presume anyway), on a brand he is not racing for any more.  Meanwhile, he is missing the valuable testing time on the Honda.  Season starts in only 2 months!  Seems like the US contract model makes alot more sense timing wise....

European contracts run mostly till: October 31 or December 31. Herlings and Gasjer their contract run till December...

Two new updates released this morning

- MXGP will head to South Africa in July

- Van Erp will ride the MX2 GP’s for the Dutch KTM team Dakcentrale Nederland VOSS KTM. Brian Bogers will be the team coördinator