Scorching Ferragosto in Sweden: Herlings dominant in MXGP, MX2 shake-up

Saturday, 15 August 2026 at 18:13

Herlings untouchable in MXGP qualifying at Uddevalla. In MX2 Laengenfelder shines, Farres crashes and retires. Report, standings and tomorrow’s race times.

A scorching Ferragosto packed with twists for the Motocross World Championship, at least halfway through. In MXGP we note the major absence of Lucas Coenen due to injury, and at the same time a fired‑up Jeffrey Herlings who truly seems to have no rivals, as shown by his clear triumph in this Saturday’s qualifying at Uddevalla. In MX2, the reigning champion Simon Laengenfelder shines, but there’s also a shock: a crash and retirement for championship leader Guillem Farres! Expect him to come out more determined than ever tomorrow to claw it back...

One last point to highlight: we told you about the thin starting gates for the South African GP (26 riders in 450 and 21 in 250), and things aren’t much better in Sweden. The two European classes pad the numbers, but looking only at the World Championship fields we’re talking about 22 riders in MX2 and 28 in MXGP. Below are Sunday’s times and live coverage on Rai; here’s how day one of the Swedish GP went.

"Flying Vikings," a tribute to a legend

The home hero had to come up with something special for this mid‑August round at Uddevalla. Isak Gifting (JK Racing Yamaha) unveiled the colors he’ll run for this MXGP event: a special celebratory livery and gear inspired by the legend of Swedish motocross Håkan Carlqvist, “Carla,” who passed away at the young age of 63 in 2017 due to a severe brain hemorrhage. In addition to his 250 and 500 titles, his pit stop in his final 500cc race—and final race ever—in 1988 is the stuff of legend: with such a big lead he found the time to duck into the pits, down a beer, set off again nonchalantly, and win! A double tribute from Gifting since, beyond Swedish history, it recalls a key chapter in Yamaha’s great history in the championship.

MXGP Qualifying

The lightning start comes from the two Hondas, especially Tom Vialle ahead of Jeffrey Herlings, though the Dutch ace needs only a moment to take the lead. Reigning champion Romain Febvre dives right into the fray as does Tim Gajser, looking for a solid step forward with Yamaha. The Slovenian indeed gives chase to the Honda star, closing to within a few tenths before his rival stretches the gap again. A couple of dicey moments for Gajser let Febvre reel him back in. But nothing changes there or at the front: Jeffrey Herlings is irresistible—there’s simply no contest in this Swedish qualifying race—controlling it with authority and a margin over Tim Gajser, who sends some encouraging signals, and Romain Febvre, a steady force in the championship.

MX2 Qualifying

The twist arrives after just one lap: championship leader Guillem Farres is down after a heavy crash and forced to retire! Up front the KTMs soon take charge, notably Sacha Coenen over the reigning champion Simon Laengenfelder, both determined to capitalize on the Triumph rider’s early exit. Coenen’s aggression, however, lasts only a few laps: first the reigning MX2 world champion and teammate arrives, then he’s passed by Liam Everts, Camden McLellan, Janis Reisulis... That’s the finishing order, with the class titleholder taking his fourth win of the season, the third in a row, in this Saturday qualifying race.