JANIS REISULIS SEALED THE EMX250 TITLE IN TURKIYE WHILE GARCIA GOES 1-1 TO WIN OVERALL

The high-altitude track of Afyon set the stage for the grand finale of the 2025 FIM EUROPE EMX250 European Championship, a decisive weekend where the title was within reach for Team VHR VRT Yamaha Official’s Janis Reisulis.

Coming into the last round with a nearly insurmountable 38-point advantage over JM Honda Racing’s Noel Zanocz, the Latvian only needed to keep his composure to seal the crown. With the pressure on and the season-long fight reaching its climax, the Turkish round was the final step to the championship title.

Main Photo: 2025 EMX250 Champion Janis Reisulis

Top Photo: EMX250 Start Afyon

The final round of the EMX250 burst into life under the high-altitude skies of Afyon, where riders and teams were forced to adapt quickly in search of the perfect setup. Race 1 saw a superb start as Gabriel SS24 KTM Factory’s Max Werner launched out of the gate to claim the holeshot, with championship leader Reisulis right behind and Zanocz also in the mix. Spanish talent Francisco García from Venum BUD Racing Kawasaki wasted no time in joining the front group, moving into third before capitalising on a mistake from Werner to surge past into the lead woth a quick doubl overhead.

From there, García never looked back, pulling clear to take a commanding victory and his second race win of the season. Reisulis kept his composure in second place, a result that proved enough to secure him the 2025 EMX250 European Championship title, sparking early celebrations in the Latvian camp. Behind them, F4E GASGAS Junior Racing Team’s Elias Escandell charged through the field to claim third, while Cat Moto Bauerschmidt Husqvarna’s Liam Owens and Adria Monné completed the top five.

The battles further down the order provided plenty of drama as Jake Cannon and Cat Moto Bauerschmidt Husqvarna‘s Mads Fredsoe tangled while fighting for fourth, dropping both riders outside the top ten before recovering to finish seventh and eighth respectively. Werner, after his early holeshot, eventually faded to eleventh place

With García on top in Race 1 and Reisulis crowned champion, the fight for the remaining podium spots in the championship standings was not going to be too intense as Garcia needed to score at least 20 points and Zanocz 0 to get to the second step on the championship podium, but the last round win and pride was still very much on before the very last race here in Türkiye.

The curtain came down on the Race 2 in Afyon. Newly crowned champion Reisulis, after race 1 looked eager to end the season in style, powering to the holeshot ahead of Race 1 winner García, with Owens and Escandell close behind. The Latvian quickly established a small gap in the early stages while García slotted into second and began to size up the leader. In the meantime, this wasn’t the dream start for Zanocz as he got buried in 9^th position in the opening lap.

Behind them, Owens rode strongly in third as he eyed back-to-back podiums, while Escandell shadowed him in fourth with Monné and Cannon in pursuit. The battle for the podium positions came alive around the halfway stage when Monné had a big moment and dropped down the order but regrouped quickly. Escandell then suffered a costly fall, landing awkwardly and ultimately forced to retire, which handed Owens the advantage in the fight for third overall.

Out front, the momentum shifted on lap 10 of 14 as García found a way past Reisulis to take control of the race. The Spaniard showed impressive pace, fending off a late charge from the champion to secure a perfect 1-1 score and his third overall victory of the season. Reisulis settled for second while Owens claimed third both in the race and on the overall podium, marking a strong end to his campaign. Cannon crossed the line in fourth, just ahead of KTM Sarholz Racing Team’s Lyonel Reichl and Monné.

Janis Reisulis: “I would say the season was very long, I had my ups and downs, but in the end I put everything together and managed to take the gold, which is the best outcome. The second race was actually not so bad for me, just some arm pump, but Francesco was riding really good. I tried to put up a fight but I ran out of time. Overall, it’s been a good season and thanks to my opponents, they really helped me improve for next year in MX2. Most of all, thanks to my team and everybody for the season.”

Top Photo: Francisco Garcia

Bottom Photos: 1. Janis Reisulis; 2. Liam Owens

EMX250 – Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Francisco Garcia (ESP, Kawasaki), 29:27.191; 2. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:06.365; 3. Elias Escandell (ESP, GASGAS), +0:17.679; 4. Liam Owens (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:24.560; 5. Adria Monne (ESP, GASGAS), +0:30.033; 6. Lyonel Reichl (LIE, Husqvarna), +0:32.211; 7. Jake Cannon (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:33.233; 8. Mads Fredsoe (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:39.162; 9. Nico Greutmann (SUI, Husqvarna), +0:41.567; 10. Noel Zanocz (HUN, Honda), +0:49.293

EMX250 – Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Francisco Garcia (ESP, Kawasaki), 29:26.079; 2. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:02.439; 3. Liam Owens (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:24.211; 4. Jake Cannon (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:39.859; 5. Lyonel Reichl (LIE, Husqvarna), +0:49.936; 6. Adria Monne (ESP, GASGAS), +0:54.085; 7. Mads Fredsoe (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:57.996; 8. Nico Greutmann (SUI, Husqvarna), +1:11.145; 9. Noel Zanocz (HUN, Honda), +1:31.666; 10. Salvador Perez (ESP, GASGAS), +1:44.984;

EMX250 Overall – Top 10: 1. Francisco Garcia (ESP, KAW), 50 points; 2. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 44 p.; 3. Liam Owens (AUS, HUS), 38 p.; 4. Jake Cannon (AUS, KAW), 32 p.; 5. Lyonel Reichl (LIE, HUS), 31 p.; 6. Adria Monne (ESP, GAS), 31 p.; 7. Mads Fredsoe (DEN, HUS), 27 p.; 8. Nico Greutmann (SUI, HUS), 25 p.; 9. Elias Escandell (ESP, GAS), 24 p.; 10. Noel Zanocz (HUN, HON), 23 p.;

EMX250 Championship – Top 10 Classification: 1. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 522 points; 2. Noel Zanocz (HUN, HON), 463 p.; 3. Francisco Garcia (ESP, KAW), 457 p.; 4. Nico Greutmann (SUI, HUS), 296 p.; 5. Liam Owens (AUS, HUS), 286 p.; 6. Gyan Doensen (NED, KTM), 266 p.; 7. Nicolai Skovbjerg (DEN, YAM), 251 p.; 8. Jake Cannon (AUS, KAW), 229 p.; 9. Mads Fredsoe (DEN, HUS), 206 p.; 10. Lyonel Reichl (LIE, HUS), 201 p.;

EMX250 Manufacturers – Top 10 Classification: 1. Yamaha, 572 points; 2. Kawasaki, 499 p.; 3. Honda, 474 p.; 4. Husqvarna, 444 p.; 5. KTM, 427 p.; 6. GASGAS, 271 p.; 7. Fantic, 223 p.; 8. Triumph, 147 p.; 9. Beta, 26 p.;

With Francisco García’s impressive double win, he sealed the bronze medal in the final championship standings in his first year while Janis Reisulis’ consistent season-long form delivered him the EMX250 title with a commanding margin of 59 points over Noel Zanocz who finishes second in his rookie season. Reisulis delivered an outstanding season, always looking in control and proving himself a true champion with maturity and dominance well beyond his years, a statement performance as he now prepares to take the next step into MX2.

The Turkish round capped off a memorable EMX250 season filled with breakthrough victories, title-defining moments and the emergence of new stars set to challenge on the Grand Prix stage in the future.