Herlings sweeps China as McLellan keeps MX2 title fight alive

2026 MXGP World Championship
Round 18 – MXGP of China
Shanghai International Off-Road Circuit

Jeffrey Herlings carried his title-winning form into Shanghai with another clean sweep at the MXGP of China, while Camden McLellan kept the MX2 championship contest alive for the Australian finale.

Fresh from securing his sixth world title at the previous round in Türkiye, Herlings won qualifying and both Sunday motos. Romain Febvre and Tom Vialle repeated their podium appearances from Afyonkarahisar, this time with Febvre taking second ahead of Vialle.

McLellan’s 1–2 results secured the MX2 Grand Prix ahead of Triumph team-mate Guillem Farres, whose second-moto victory leaves him 48 points clear with 60 available in Darwin. Liam Everts completed the podium, while Australian Byron Dennis finished seventh overall.

MXGP

Herlings arrived in China with the championship already secured, but there was little sign of the Honda HRC PETRONAS rider easing off. He recovered from a Saturday practice fall to beat Febvre by 3.007 seconds in qualifying, with Vialle third and Jan Pancar fourth.

Tim Gajser was absent after ending his season to recover from a rib injury sustained at the Dutch round and aggravated in Türkiye. Yamaha confirmed that the Slovenian would also miss Australia following a specialist assessment.

Herlings holds off Vialle before Febvre takes second

Vialle claimed the opening moto’s holeshot, but Herlings moved ahead during the first lap and the Honda pair established themselves at the front, with Febvre third.

Vialle kept his team-mate under pressure through the middle of the race. Herlings’ advantage fell from 3.571 seconds after three laps to just 0.601 seconds at the end of lap eight, before the newly crowned champion began to edge away again.

Febvre closed on Vialle and took second on lap 14. He emerged 4.055 seconds behind Herlings, who stretched that margin to 8.333 seconds by the finish. Vialle crossed the line another 3.903 seconds back in third.

Pancar worked forward from seventh on the opening lap to finish fourth, ahead of Pauls Jonass and Calvin Vlaanderen. Jeremy Seewer slipped from fourth to seventh on lap 11, with Jago Geerts taking eighth.

Andrea Adamo’s second-lap fall dropped him from fifth to tenth and left him recovering to ninth. New Zealander Dylan Walsh completed the top ten, while Herlings recorded the fastest lap with a 1:43.709.

Febvre takes the fight to Herlings

Herlings claimed the second-moto holeshot and again led Vialle and Febvre through the opening lap. Febvre needed until lap eight to get past Vialle, by which stage Herlings was 4.865 seconds clear.

The gap briefly grew beyond five seconds before Febvre began to reel in the leader. With Herlings reporting fogging goggles in the humidity, the Kawasaki rider reduced the deficit to 2.896 seconds on lap 13 and 1.188 seconds at the end of lap 17.

Febvre remained just 1.196 seconds behind as they began the final lap, but a cross-rutted jump sent him sideways and ended his last chance to attack. Herlings took the flag 5.641 seconds clear to complete another double.

Vialle finished third, 41.944 seconds behind Herlings, after a physically difficult day. A warm-up crash had left him with a bitten tongue and a sore neck, and he struggled to maintain his early pace through the latter stages of the motos.

Vlaanderen held fourth ahead of Jonass, while Adamo recovered from being delayed by Pancar’s early fall to finish sixth. Pancar came back from tenth on the opening lap to seventh, followed by Seewer, Geerts and Walsh.

Seven straight Grand Prix wins for Herlings

Herlings’ seventh consecutive Grand Prix victory was his 12th of the season. Including Saturday’s qualifying win, he collected another 60 points and extended his run to 20 consecutive victories across qualifying races and Sunday motos.

Honda also credited him with 38 consecutive session wins, a sequence covering practice, qualifying and racing. His Shanghai sweep was his sixth straight maximum-points weekend.

Febvre’s 2–2 finishes delivered 44 Grand Prix points and his tenth podium of the season, with Vialle’s 3–3 results worth 40 points and a fourth consecutive overall podium.

Vlaanderen’s 6–4 scorecard put the Ducati rider fourth overall on 33 points. Jonass and Pancar both scored 32, with Jonass taking fifth through his stronger second moto. Adamo similarly beat Seewer to seventh overall after both finished on 27 points.

Walsh’s pair of tenth places secured tenth overall and 22 Sunday points. Added to his qualifying point, that made a 23-point weekend.

Herlings leaves China on 915 championship points, with Febvre on 752 and Gajser on 659. Febvre has secured the runner-up position, while Gajser is assured of third despite missing the final two rounds.

The battle immediately behind them remains close. Vialle arrived 14 points behind Adamo and leaves one point ahead, 593 to 592, after gaining 15 points across the weekend.

MX2

The MX2 class delivered two close finishes and another Triumph one-two overall, but McLellan’s Grand Prix victory ensured Farres would have to wait until Australia to settle the riders’ championship.

Farres had strengthened his position on Saturday by winning qualifying ahead of Sacha Coenen and McLellan. That increased his advantage over his team-mate from 50 to 52 points before Sunday’s racing.

McLellan charges through to win Race One

Simon Längenfelder led the opening 15 laps, with Coenen, Farres, McLellan and Everts following in an unchanged top five through the first ten laps.

Coenen, still recovering from illness, then lost three positions over two laps. Farres and McLellan moved ahead on lap 11, with Everts following on lap 12.

McLellan continued his charge, passing Farres for second on lap 14 and moving ahead of Längenfelder on lap 16. Farres fell during that same lap, allowing Everts into third and costing the championship leader valuable points.

The leading three remained tightly grouped to the finish. McLellan won by 1.575 seconds from Längenfelder, with Everts only another 0.407 seconds behind. All three finished within 1.982 seconds.

Farres recovered to fourth, 16.578 seconds behind the winner, ahead of Coenen and Kay Karssemakers. Janis Reisulis came through to seventh after an opening-lap crash, with Dennis eighth.

McLellan also set the fastest lap, a 1:46.761, as his sixth moto win of the season reduced Farres’ championship advantage to 45 points.

Farres responds as Coenen crashes out

Längenfelder took the second-moto holeshot, but Farres was ahead before the end of the opening lap. Coenen’s race ended almost immediately when he crashed in the wave section, leaving the KTM rider classified 17th.

Everts moved ahead of Längenfelder for second on lap seven, setting the race’s fastest lap at 1:47.232. McLellan, who had completed the opening lap fifth, also passed the German to take third.

Längenfelder later explained that stomach pain had affected him from the first lap. He continued to lose ground and crossed the line ninth, before being promoted to eighth in the final classification.

Everts kept Farres within reach, but a small mistake in a left-hander on lap 15 allowed McLellan into second. The South African then closed to within a second of his team-mate, reaching the end of the penultimate lap just 0.857 seconds behind.

Farres held on to win by 1.038 seconds, with Everts another 0.941 seconds back in third. Once again, fewer than two seconds covered the first three.

Janis Reisulis finished fourth ahead of Karssemakers, Karlis Reisulis and Dennis. Maxime Grau crossed the line eighth but received a two-position penalty for failing post-race noise control, placing him tenth behind Längenfelder and Ferruccio Zanchi.

Triumph title contest heads to Australia

McLellan’s 47 points secured his fourth Grand Prix victory of the season, ahead of Farres on 43 and Everts on 40. Farres’ response in Race Two was his 14th moto win of the campaign.

Everts extended his podium streak to four rounds, following second places in Sweden and the Netherlands with thirds in Türkiye and China. Längenfelder finished fourth overall in Shanghai, ahead of Janis Reisulis and Karssemakers.

Janis Reisulis is now assured of sixth in the championship in his rookie season, while brother Karlis, eighth overall in China, has secured seventh. Karssemakers’ 6–5 results lifted him into the championship top ten, one point ahead of Mathis Valin.

Zanchi marked his return after missing eight rounds with 10–9 finishes for ninth overall. The Ducati rider scored 23 points across Sunday’s motos.

Farres heads to Darwin on 859 points, 48 ahead of McLellan’s 811. Coenen remains third on 775, seven clear of Längenfelder, with Everts another 26 points back in fifth.

With 60 points available at the finale, only Farres and McLellan can take the riders’ title. Triumph is therefore assured of that championship, although the manufacturers’ contest remains open.

Byron Dennis seventh overall

Dennis followed his fifth overall in the EMX250 finale in Türkiye with seventh overall in Shanghai’s MX2 Grand Prix, recording 8–7 finishes aboard his KTM.

The Australian held seventh through the opening six laps of Race One before Janis Reisulis moved ahead. In Race Two, Dennis advanced from eighth to seventh on lap 12 as Längenfelder slipped back, securing that position on track before the penalty changed the order behind him.

Dennis collected 27 Grand Prix points, plus two from ninth in qualifying, for a 29-point weekend ahead of the Australian round.

Next round

The championship concludes at Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway with the MXGP of Australia presented by Sitzler, held across September 18–20.

Farres takes a commanding MX2 advantage into the finale, but McLellan has kept the title contest alive. In MXGP, Herlings has one more opportunity to extend his winning streak, while Vialle and Adamo arrive separated by a single point in the fight for fourth.

 MXGP Qualifying Race Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	J. Herlings	Hon	24m12.465
2	R. Febvre	Kaw	+0m03.007
3	T. Vialle	Hon	+0m22.433
4	J. Pancar	KTM	+0m37.266
5	A. Adamo	KTM	+0m40.834
6	C. Vlaanderen	Duc	+0m43.280
7	J. Geerts	Bet	+0m44.482
8	J. Seewer	KTM	+0m46.709
9	P. Jonass	Kaw	+0m48.671
10	D. Walsh	KTM	+1m32.329
11	I. Monticelli	Yam	+1m47.020
12	B. Hsu	Jhl	+1 lap
13	R. Wu	Yam	+2 laps
14	Y. Li	Jhl	+2 laps

MXGP Race One Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	J. Herlings	Hon	35m14.056
2	R. Febvre	Kaw	+0m08.333
3	T. Vialle	Hon	+0m12.236
4	J. Pancar	KTM	+0m54.302
5	P. Jonass	Kaw	+0m57.142
6	C. Vlaanderen	Duc	+1m01.128
7	J. Seewer	KTM	+1m03.868
8	J. Geerts	Bet	+1m23.353
9	A. Adamo	KTM	+1m47.688
10	D. Walsh	KTM	+1m49.387
11	B. Hsu	Jhl	+1 lap
12	I. Monticelli	Yam	+1 lap
13	R. Wu	Yam	+3 laps
14	Y. Li	Jhl	+3 laps

MXGP Race Two Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	J. Herlings	Hon	35m15.685
2	R. Febvre	Kaw	+0m05.641
3	T. Vialle	Hon	+0m41.944
4	C. Vlaanderen	Duc	+0m46.190
5	P. Jonass	Kaw	+0m49.575
6	A. Adamo	KTM	+1m08.991
7	J. Pancar	KTM	+1m10.738
8	J. Seewer	KTM	+1m14.623
9	J. Geerts	Bet	+1m22.305
10	D. Walsh	KTM	+1 lap
11	I. Monticelli	Yam	+1 lap
12	B. Hsu	Jhl	+2 laps
13	Y. Li	Jhl	+3 laps
14	R. Wu	Yam	+3 laps

MXGP Round Points

Pos	Rider	Bike	Points
1	J. Herlings	Hon	50
2	R. Febvre	Kaw	44
3	T. Vialle	Hon	40
4	C. Vlaanderen	Duc	33
5	P. Jonass	Kaw	32
6	J. Pancar	KTM	32
7	A. Adamo	KTM	27
8	J. Seewer	KTM	27
9	J. Geerts	Bet	25
10	D. Walsh	KTM	22
11	I. Monticelli	Yam	19
12	B. Hsu	Jhl	19
13	Y. Li	Jhl	15
14	R. Wu	Yam	15

MXGP Championship Standings

Pos	Rider	Bike	Points
1	J. Herlings	Hon	915
2	R. Febvre	Kaw	752
3	T. Gajser	Yam	659
4	T. Vialle	Hon	593
5	A. Adamo	KTM	592
6	L. Coenen	KTM	566
7	R. Fernandez	Hon	523
8	M. Renaux	Yam	449
9	K. de Wolf	Hus	428
10	P. Jonass	Kaw	400
11	C. Vlaanderen	Duc	334
12	J. Pancar	KTM	307
13	K. Horgmo	Hon	303
14	J. Geerts	Bet	222
15	A. Forato	Fan	221
16	O. Oliver	KTM	187
17	B. Watson	Tri	151
18	B. Van doninck	Fan	146
19	J. Seewer	KTM	140
20	R. Van De Moosdijk	KTM	117
21	I. Gifting	Yam	88
22	R. Elzinga	KTM	88
23	A. Bonacorsi	Duc	80
24	M. Guadagnini	KTM	69
25	J. Talviku	Fan	62
26	M. Spies	KTM	57
27	K. Brumann	Hus	54
28	T. Benistant	Hon	40
29	G. Coldenhoff	Yam	39
30	I. Monticelli	Yam	29
31	T. Koch	KTM	29
32	A. Sterry	KTM	29
33	D. Walsh	KTM	23
34	B. Hsu	Jhl	22
35	N. Ludwig	KTM	16
36	R. Pape	Yam	16
37	R. Wu	Yam	15
38	Y. Li	Jhl	15
39	T. Hammal	Kaw	10
40	C. Nickel	Hon	10
41	Y. Selek	Gas	10
42	E. Lopes	Hon	7
43	A. Östlund	Tri	7
44	N. Lapucci	Hon	6
45	J. Butron	KTM	5
46	J. Haavisto	KTM	5
47	C. Durow	KTM	5
48	J. Poli	Kaw	5
49	S. Smith	Yam	4
50	M. Kokins	Gas	4
51	L. van Berkel	Hon	4
52	B. Paturel	Yam	3
53	T. Purdon	Kaw	3
54	C. Soubeyras	Hon	3
55	J. Teresak	KTM	3
56	A. Tonus	Yam	2
57	M. Malan	Yam	2
58	V. Alonso	Duc	2
59	B. Blanken	KTM	2
60	J. Proctor	Yam	2
61	E. Kahro	KTM	2
62	O. Martensson	Kaw	2
63	A. Valentin	Tri	1
64	F. Olsson	Hon	1
65	B. Krajewski	Yam	1
66	T. Grimshaw	Hon	1

MX2

MX2 Qualifying Race Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	G. Farres	Tri	24m46.352
2	S. Coenen	KTM	+0m00.583
3	C. McLellan	Tri	+0m01.104
4	S. Längenfelder	KTM	+0m05.167
5	L. Everts	Hus	+0m07.092
6	J. Reisulis	Yam	+0m13.341
7	K. Karssemakers	Kaw	+0m29.114
8	J. Mikula	KTM	+0m31.473
9	B. Dennis	KTM	+0m33.178
10	K. Reisulis	Yam	+1m00.953
11	M. Grau	Hon	+1m05.771
12	M. Carreras	Gas	+1m25.468
13	B. Gyles	KTM	+1 lap
14	J. Yang	Yam	+2 laps
15	L. Wang	Hon	+3 laps
16	I. Medina	Jhl	+9 laps
17	F. Zanchi	Duc	+12 laps

MX2 Race One Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	C. McLellan	Tri	34m10.515
2	S. Längenfelder	KTM	+0m01.575
3	L. Everts	Hus	+0m01.982
4	G. Farres	Tri	+0m16.578
5	S. Coenen	KTM	+0m20.696
6	K. Karssemakers	Kaw	+0m27.271
7	J. Reisulis	Yam	+0m28.402
8	B. Dennis	KTM	+0m58.746
9	M. Grau	Hon	+1m07.035
10	F. Zanchi	Duc	+1m12.143
11	K. Reisulis	Yam	+1m18.342
12	J. Mikula	KTM	+1m38.265
13	M. Carreras	Gas	+1 lap
14	B. Gyles	KTM	+2 laps
15	I. Medina	Jhl	+2 laps
16	J. Yang	Yam	+3 laps

MX2 Race Two Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	TIme/Gap
1	G. Farres	Tri	34m19.096
2	C. McLellan	Tri	+0m01.038
3	L. Everts	Hus	+0m01.979
4	J. Reisulis	Yam	+0m22.688
5	K. Karssemakers	Kaw	+0m33.503
6	K. Reisulis	Yam	+0m50.684
7	B. Dennis	KTM	+0m57.121
8	S. Längenfelder	KTM	+1m07.788
9	F. Zanchi	Duc	+1m09.599
10	M. Grau	Hon	+1m05.403
11	M. Carreras	Gas	+1 lap
12	B. Gyles	KTM	+1 lap
13	J. Yang	Yam	+2 laps
14	I. Medina	Jhl	+2 laps
15	J. Mikula	KTM	+3 laps
16	L. Wang	Hon	+12 laps
17	S. Coenen	KTM	+18 laps

MX2 Round

Pos	Rider	Bike	Points
1	C. McLellan	Tri	47
2	G. Farres	Tri	43
3	L. Everts	Hus	40
4	S. Längenfelder	KTM	35
5	J. Reisulis	Yam	32
6	K. Karssemakers	Kaw	31
7	B. Dennis	KTM	27
8	K. Reisulis	Yam	25
9	F. Zanchi	Duc	23
10	M. Grau	Hon	23
11	S. Coenen	KTM	20
12	M. Carreras	Gas	18
13	B. Gyles	KTM	16
14	J. Mikula	KTM	15
15	J. Yang	Yam	13
16	I. Medina	Jhl	13
17	L. Wang	Hon	5

MX2 Championship Standings

Pos	Rider	Bike	Points
1	G. Farres	Tri	859
2	C. McLellan	Tri	811
3	S. Coenen	KTM	775
4	S. Längenfelder	KTM	768
5	L. Everts	Hus	742
6	J. Reisulis	Yam	644
7	K. Reisulis	Yam	528
8	V. Lata	Hon	414
9	J. Mikula	KTM	401
10	K. Karssemakers	Kaw	353
11	M. Valin	Kaw	352
12	M. Grau	Hon	325
13	N. Zanocz	KTM	237
14	J. Walvoort	KTM	168
15	F. Zanchi	Duc	149
16	S. Smulders	Hus	138
17	A. Rossi	KTM	112
18	C. Valk	Tm	87
19	O. Colmer	KTM	79
20	P. Gundersen	Hus	70
21	A. Gaspari	KTM	51
22	A. Callemo	Hus	45
23	G. Doensen	KTM	40
24	V. Kees	KTM	38
25	B. Mustoe	Gas	37
26	N. Korsbeck	Tri	37
27	R. Bicalho	KTM	35
28	B. Dennis	KTM	29
29	S. Mancini	Duc	27
30	F. Garcia	Kaw	25
31	H. Forsgren	Hon	25
32	L. Ruffini	Hus	23
33	W. Askew	Tri	20
34	A. Monne	Gas	20
35	J. Voelker	KTM	19
36	M. Carreras	Gas	18
37	B. Garib	Hon	18
38	F. Bellei	KTM	18
39	T. Lodi	Kaw	17
40	M. Bennati	Tri	17
41	B. Gyles	KTM	16
42	T. Cox	KTM	14
43	R. Schudel	KTM	14
44	J. Yang	Yam	13
45	I. Medina	Jhl	13
46	N. Ludwig	KTM	12
47	J. Cannon	Kaw	12
48	J. van Wyk	Hon	12
49	V. Vazquez	Gas	11
50	J. Brookes	Hon	10
51	C. Padilla	Gas	10
52	N. Skovbjerg	Hus	10
53	J. Bal	Hus	9
54	J. Peklaj	Hus	9
55	D. Braceras	Tri	8
56	R. Rocher	Gas	8
57	F. Quirno Costa	Hon	8
58	S. Oechslin	KTM	8
59	S. Sools	KTM	8
60	C. Richmond	Hon	8
61	L. Van Drunen	Yam	8
62	A. Traversini	KTM	7
63	J. Garcia	Fan	7
64	T. Durow	KTM	6
65	M. Rojas	KTM	6
66	L. Wang	Hon	5
67	A. Henley	Yam	5
68	A. Bratschi	KTM	5
69	M. Ashton	Yam	5
70	S. Sundman	Tri	5
71	T. Oechslin	KTM	4
72	J. Krug	Tri	4
73	L. Grundy	Hus	4
74	R. Stuardo	Fan	4
75	B. Almagor	KTM	4
76	P. Rathousky	KTM	4
77	D. Van Mechgelen	KTM	3
78	J. Morera	Kaw	3
79	T. Johnson	Yam	2
80	M. Torrado	Gas	2
81	D. Zdunek	KTM	1

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