2026 World Championship kicks off: new Bariloche track, top stars raring to go, and the weekend schedule

A new circuit for the start of the 2026 Motocross World Championship: favorites, absentees, riders to watch, and the TV schedule.

Romain Febvre is the man to beat in MXGP, Simon Laengenfelder starts as the benchmark in MX2. The 2026 Motocross World Championship kicks off in the coming days and the starting point will be South America, with a major novelty. The history between the knobby-tire championship and Argentina is not short, but the Bariloche MX Race Track will be a brand-new venue, 85 km south of the previous reference, the Villa La Angostura circuit, which last year hosted an MX event in sweltering conditions. This area further south of the equator promises a milder climate, seemingly on an always-fast track with elevation changes. A first for everyone that could immediately shake things up and spring a few surprises. Live coverage is primarily guaranteed on the official website mxgp-tv.com (subscription), and the weekend will also be available on Discovery+ and HBO Max.

Today’s news from Infront Moto Racing is that the Italian brand will continue as a partner of the Motocross World Championship. It’s the continuation of a collaboration spanning several decades, bringing development and validation of tires that are not prototypes, but production products available to riders all over the world. In 2025, riders equipped with SCORPION MX32 soft and mid-soft tires (the latter debuting just last year) took victory in 16 of the 20 Grands Prix, with 30 race wins out of 39 contested, plus 17 pole positions. Pirelli boasts 83 world titles from 1980 to today, signed by legendary MX icons like our own Tony Cairoli, Stefan Everts, André Malherbe, up to the more recent Jeffrey Herlings, reigning MXGP champion Romain Febvre, Tim Gajser, and Jorge Prado.

The 2025 champion, once again fiercely loyal to Kawasaki this year, is the “old-timer” tasked with holding off younger, more aggressive rivals. At 34, with his second MXGP crown earned 10 years after the first, Romain Febvre is more fired up than ever and ready for the renewed world challenge. The big news, however, is Tim Gajser, a longtime Honda rider who has switched to Yamaha, and Jeffrey Herlings, a longtime KTM rider who is with Honda this year. Two standard-bearers for their former brands who have chosen to embark on a brand-new challenge, with notable signals already arriving from the winter “warm-up races,” particularly from Gajser with his triumph in the Internazionali d’Italia. Two aces seeking redemption after a 2025 that proved more complicated than expected, which saw them finish well off the world podium...

But let’s not forget others, like runner-up Lucas Coenen, on a strong upward trajectory and hunting for another step forward, aiming for the big prize, or Ruben Fernandez (Honda HRC Petronas), fresh off a triumphant weekend in the Spanish championship, as well as Calvin Vlaanderen, tasked with taking Ducati to the top. KTM has another ace in Tom Vialle, a two-time world champion back from his U.S. adventure, and there’s also Kay De Wolf, the 2024 MX2 world champion and a Husqvarna rookie to watch. Italy chapter: keep an eye on Andrea Bonacorsi, also a new addition in Red, and Andrea Adamo, still with KTM but promoted to MXGP full-time, not to mention the Veneto duo Alberto Forato and the Fantic brand, and also Mattia Guadagnini, who has moved to Van Venrooy KTM this year. The list is long—here are all the names.

It’s important to note right away a key absence for Italian colors: Ferruccio Zanchi, Beddini Ducati’s spearhead, suffered an injury in training last week. The new Desmo250 MX will make its world debut with Simone Mancini, a European Championship rider getting his first world-level opportunity. At the top is Simon Laengenfelder, a KTM ace buoyed by his renewal through 2027 and more than ready to defend the title. Keep an eye on Yamaha’s Reisulis brothers, both Karlis and the fiery rookie Janis, as both were standout protagonists last weekend in the Spanish class championship. Sacha Coenen (along with his brother, fresh off a multi-year deal with KTM) will certainly be no less—expectations are sky-high.

We’ll also see how Camden McLellan fares with Triumph, the British brand aiming to improve on the 5th place achieved in 2025 by the South African himself. Liam Everts, Husqvarna’s spearhead, finally starts a season fully fit after beginning the last two years while recovering from physical issues. Watch out as well for Mathis Valin, Kawasaki’s reference rider, who sent interesting signals during the pre-season races, and we’ll see how Cas Valk does with TM Moto CRD Motosport. For Italy, hopes at this GP are pinned on Valerio Lata, Honda HRC Petronas rider, determined to be much more of a championship protagonist. Here too, the list of potential frontrunners is quite long—here are all the names.

Saturday, March 7
19:25 MX2 Qualifying Race
20:10 MXGP Qualifying Race

Sunday, March 8
16:15 MX2 Race 1
17:15 MXGP Race 1
18:10 MX2 Race 2
19:10 MXGP Race 2