Rider Reflections: 2026 MXGP of South Africa
Read what a host of MXGP riders had to say about their weekend at the 2026 MXGP of South Africa.
MXGP
Lucas Coenen: “Tracks like these are really nice to ride, but the starts are key: if you almost make the holeshot, then you are nearly home. I still had to fight to keep the gaps, but I won all three motos, so I’m happy with that. I could control any pressure. You can’t do better than 1-1-1, so a perfect weekend. We executed well, and I’m pumped right now. We’ll go to the U.S. and enjoy a weekend off in the sand, and then we’ll try again in England.”
Jeffrey Herlings: "You can’t win every time. I gave it a go, but after I had a big moment, I think I used up all my luck, so I just decided that second overall was good enough. My footpeg hit the ramp of the jump, and I don’t know how I saved it, but somehow I’m able to talk about it, so it’s all good. I think this was one of the best tracks we’ve ridden this year, but it was still very, very difficult to pass on, and that makes the start so important, and fifth place round the corner just isn’t good enough."
Romain Febvre: "I felt fast all weekend - the speed was there and also the starts - and had hoped for better, but I hurt my knee on the first lap of race one and had a lot of pain for most of the moto. I took a good start again in the second race and was managing Jeffrey behind me for more than twenty minutes. I am getting there step-by-step, closer to the front two every week, and the three of us are gone from the pack. I could always hold their race pace, and I have been working on my one-lap speed these last few weeks."
Calvin Vlaanderen: “Such a nice weekend at home, it's just so nice to have my first Grand Prix in South Africa and to have a good result. The pressure I had with my family and friends and my fans cheering for me was huge: I had to execute, and I've tried to block out the noise and focus on my riding, doing what I know I had to do. I did it and I'm proud of myself and happy with the momentum we've had in the last couple of weekends. We are maintaining it and we keep getting better, the confidence is coming back. Now we keep fighting.”
Tim Gajser: “Another tough Grand Prix. The track was really nice, but it was just very difficult to make passes. I got stuck behind riders in both races and was trying to come through from behind, but it wasn’t easy to find the right lines and move forward. Overall, I gave it everything I had, like always, and now it's onto the next GP.”
Ruben Fernandez: "I’m glad to be able to leave South Africa having finished all three motos in the points. It was certainly a difficult weekend, but overall it was a good experience to come down here and race in South Africa. I would have liked to have done better today, but I wasn’t feeling so great after yesterday, so now I have a weekend off to get better and get myself healthy for Great Britain."
Maxime Renaux: “I’m struggling a lot at the moment. I’m doing my best, but things just aren’t coming as naturally as they usually do. We need to find a solution quickly, but the problem is that the Grands Prix are coming one after another, so it’s difficult to fully recover. I’m giving everything I have, but I just feel like there’s nothing left in the tank. I tried my best to recover for this weekend, but I still can’t find my usual level. We’ll keep trying and hopefully find a way forward.”
Image: KTM
