Title Battles Intensify as MXGP Charges Toward Darwin

With 17 rounds down, the 2025 MXGP championship continues to deliver surprises. Lucas Coenen has carried his 2024 MX2 form right into the premier class, while Romain Febvre, who placed fifth in MXGP last year, has emerged as the man to beat. Coenen’s mid-season run of three straight wins was answered by Febvre’s flawless weekend in Sweden, and Arnhem added yet more twists in the sand.

COENEN’S MID-SEASON RUN MEETS FEBVRE’S RESPONSE

While Coenen dominated in Finland, the Czech Republic and Belgium, Febvre flipped the script in Sweden by claiming qualifying and both motos for the season’s only perfect 60-point weekend.

At the KymiRing, Coenen was untouchable, sweeping both motos in Round 13. In Loket, a challenging surface after rain didn’t stop him from winning overall, with Febvre limiting the gap with a moto win and Coldenhoff rounding out third. Lommel then saw Coenen complete his hat-trick, mastering the deep sand as Vlaanderen impressed with another podium and Rubén Fernández struggled down the order.

Febvre struck back in Uddevalla with an emphatic performance, ending Coenen’s streak and reasserting his red plate status. Arnhem followed with Dutchman Jeffrey Herlings thrilling home-crowd fans with a flawless 1-1 GP win ahead of Coldenhoff, while Febvre again banked important points in third.

Tim Gajser also made his return in Sweden after shoulder surgery from a crash in Switzerland earlier this year, though he sat out Arnhem as his recovery continues.

CONSISTENCY KEEPS LÄNGENFELDER AHEAD IN MX2

While Kay de Wolf has shown blistering speed with multiple race wins, the tide has turned in favour of Simon Längenfelder thanks to his steady run of podium finishes. The German rider has delivered consistent podium finishes at every round, keeping himself firmly in control of the red plate despite pressure from his rivals.

In Finland, de Wolf claimed his second win of the season in commanding fashion, ahead of Andrea Adamo and Sacha Coenen, while Längenfelder stayed out of trouble and maintained his championship control with solid results.

Loket saw Längenfelder again deliver consistent finishes in Round 14, to keep a grip on the red plate. At Lommel, de Wolf asserted himself again with a dominant 1–1 performance to sweep the GP, showing he’s still a pace-setter in the deep sand.

Adamo also began to show standout form, winning a moto in Sweden and topping qualifying at Arnhem, signaling a late-season charge to keep the MX2 title fight alive.

WMX REKINDLES FIRE IN ARNHEM

Daniela Guillén’s victory in Germany back in June kept the pressure firmly on defending champion Lotte van Drunen, leaving the WMX title race wide open as the series arrived in Arnhem.

The Dutch round marked the return of the women’s championship, and it didn’t disappoint. Racing on soft, technical sand, Guillén once again rose to the occasion, taking the overall win and showing that the fight for the crown is far from settled.

Van Drunen couldn’t quite deliver victory in front of her home crowd but secured second overall to stay in the hunt, with fellow Dutch rider Shana van der Vlist completing the podium in third. The battle now moves to Turkey this weekend, where Guillén and van Drunen will continue their rivalry on the hard-pack of Afyonkarahisar, the same circuit where van Drunen claimed victory in 2024 to cement her run to the title.

FINAL STRETCH WITH DARWIN ON THE HORIZON

The championship battle is on a knifes-edge across all classes, with momentum swinging through Europe and only two rounds left before the gates drop in Australia for the first time in more than two decades.

Turkey promises another fierce clash with riders jostling to set the tone for the final trilogy of the season, before the series heads to China, where a brand-new track in Shanghai makes its debut. Fresh ground always brings surprises, and with Darwin also hosting a new custom-built circuit for Australia’s long-awaited return to the MXGP calendar, the penultimate and final rounds of the 2025 championship promise to shake up the title fight.

With just over two weeks to go, the anticipation is palpable as the world’s best prepare to descend on Darwin for one of the most significant events on the Australian motorsport calendar.