MJC Yamaha Official EMX125 team’s Jarne Bervoets has kicked off the 2025 EMX125 campaign with a stunning overall victory aboard his GYTR-kitted YZ125 in Cozar, Spain. Across two incredibly challenging races due to persistent rain, Bervoets delivered a consistent 3-2 result to secure the win and leave Spain with the early series lead. Teammate Dani Heitink narrowly missed the overall podium with fifth overall, while Levi Townley, in his EMX125 debut, placed 15th.
After missing most of the 2024 EMX125 campaign through injury, Bervoets was back to full fitness following a solid off-season and eager to impress at round one. With a strong start in the first race of the year, Bervoets ran fifth before climbing to third by mid-race. From there, the Belgian chased down Niccolo Mannini in second but was unable to find a way by his rival and crossed the finish line in third.
Heavy rain before and during race two on Sunday presented even tougher conditions for the EMX125 class and once again Bervoets started up front. Able to avoid any chaos through the early laps, he moved into second behind the Yamaha-mounted, and eventual race winner, Jekabs Kubulins, on lap four. By keeping a cool head and maintaining a strong pace as the laps wound down, Bervoets finished as runner-up to secure his impressive debut overall victory. A perfect result for the youngster who celebrates his 16th birthday today.
Heitink also impressed in Spain. Unable to match his fast-starting teammates, the Dutch racer was forced to work hard in both races on his way to placing a fine fifth overall. For Townley, a holeshot in race one and 11th place finish was the highlight for the rookie, who ultimately placed 15th overall.
Mano Faure was also in action in Spain, and he pulled the holeshot in race two, however the testing conditions meant he missed out on scoring points. He’ll aim to bounce back next weekend in France for the first of his two home rounds this year.
The 2025 EMX250 series also began its new term in Spain. The season-opener was marked by the performance of 2023 YZ125 BLU CRU FIM Europe Cup winner Adrien Petit, who powered his YZ250 two-stroke to a dominant race two win and the overall victory. The talented young Frenchman will now run the prestigious championship leader red plates heading into round two on home soil at Saint Jean d’Angely, France, next weekend.
The talented VHR VRT Yamaha Official EMX250 team duo of Janis Reisulis and Ivano van Erp also impressed at round one with Reisulis storming to victory in the opening race of the season. For race two, which took place on a rain-lashed circuit, Reisulis wasn’t quite able to match his race one start and placed 12th in the race for a strong fourth overall. Van Erp was consistent throughout the weekend with eighth in qualifying, ninth in race one, and 10th in race two for eighth overall.
Both the EMX125 and EMX250 campaigns resume next weekend in France alongside the MXGP of Europe. With Petit and Bervoets both leading their respective series, the championship leader red plates will both be run on Yamaha machinery for the first time since 2023.
Click here for the EMX125 and EMX250 results from the MXGP of Castilla la Mancha.
