GARCIA DOUBLES UP IN MONTEVARCHI AS TIBURCIO AND FUERI GET THEIR FIRST EMX250 PODIUM

The EMX250 Championship rolled into Tuscany for Round 7, the MXGP of Italy, with the demanding Miravalle circuit of Montevarchi baking under a scorching weekend of sunshine that pushed riders and machinery to their limits.

When the two races had run their course, it was Francisco Garcia from Venum BUD Racing Kawasaki who once again stood tallest. The championship leader swept both races to take a commanding overall victory, his fourth of the season, ahead of Bernardo Tiburcio and Alexis Fueri. For Tiburcio it was a maiden EMX250 podium on his Yamaha especially for all Brazilian motocross, while Fueri’s third place delivered a first podium of the year for himself and a first for his team MRT Racing Team Beta, getting their first podium of the season, and on top of that on home soil.

EMX250 Start Italy 2026

On Race 1, the championship leader, Francisco Garcia took to the inside off the line and ran fractionally wide on exit, handing the holeshot to Frenchman Alexis Fueri on the MRT Racing Team Beta. It did not last. Fueri, still working his way back from a shoulder injury, left the door open through the opening lap and Garcia powered his Venum BUD Racing Kawasaki into a lead he would never surrender.

Behind them the race came alive. Bernardo Tiburcio was the man on the charge on his Yamaha, the Brazilian carving past Gabriel SS24 KTM Factory Juniors’s Gyan Doensen for fifth on lap 3 of 15 before setting his sights on the front-runners. The two Cat Moto Bauerschmidt KTMs of Mads Fredsoe and Liam Owens worked their way past a fading Fueri, and on lap five Owens swept around the outside of his own teammate to claim second. Tiburcio was not finished, slicing past Fredsoe to grab third on lap 7, a position he would hold to the flag for the second time this season.

At home, Simone Mancini produced a strong late surge on the Beddini Racing Ducati Factory MX2, picking off Fueri and then Fredsoe in the closing laps to take fourth. Fredsoe settled for fifth in the end. Doensen, running a solid sixth, dropped out on lap 14 and was out of the race, handing the place to Venum BUD Racing Kawasaki’s Jake Cannon, whose ride was arguably the performance of the race after the Australian crashed on the opening lap and fought all the way back through the field.

At the front there was no drama. Garcia took the chequered flag for his tenth win of 2026, with Owens second and Tiburcio third. Fueri salvaged seventh, ahead of home favourite Francesco Bellei on his Cat Moto Bauerschmidt KTM, with Maddii Racing Team Honda’s Nicolò Alvisi ninth and Fly Over Competition’s Niccolo Mannini rounding out the top ten, while SixtySeven Racing-Team’s Nicolai Skovbjerg recovered from his own opening-lap trouble to take sixteenth.

In Race 2, a flatter and more heavily watered Miravalle awaited, and the order was scrambled the moment the gate dropped. Alexis Fueri grabbed the holeshot with RFME Spain National Team’s Manuel Carreras tucked in behind, but over the first crest it was Racestore KTM Racing Team’s Andrea Roberti who surged through to lead the opening laps, shadowed by the two MRT Racing Team Beta machines of Brando Rispoli and Fueri. Rispoli took his chance out of turn six to move into second and then to the front, leading from lap 4 of 15.

The race lost its Race 1 runner-up early. Owens caught the rear of another rider over a jump and went down hard on the shoulder, ending his afternoon and any hope of back-to-back podiums. Up front, Garcia was on the charge. The championship leader carved past Roberti and Fueri into second. By lap5 he was getting to Rispoli and forced the issue down the inside to make the pass for the lead stick on lap 7. From there he was gone, pulling clear and setting the fastest lap of the race on his way to a 2.4-second win.

Behind him Tiburcio was again the man riding through the order, the Brazilian disposing of Fueri for third before hunting down Rispoli and taking a couple of attempts to make second his own by lap13. Tiburcio even tried a late charge on Garcia but ‘el Carbonero’ managed to gap to keep his lead intact. Rispoli held on for a strong third on the Beta, with his teammate Fueri fourth ahead of a surprising Roberti, Carreras sixth, improving round after round his form and Francesco Bellei seventh. Nicolò Alvisi, Niccolo Mannini and Gyan Doensen completed the top ten.

The result leaves Garcia in commanding control of the title race. The Spaniard now holds a 78-point cushion at the top of the standings, with Jake Cannon his nearest challenger in second and Nicolai Skovbjerg a further 29 points back in third. The chase resumes next weekend in Portugal for Round 8.

Francisco Garcia: “It’s really difficult on this kind of track to make a big difference, so I’m happy to win here too. I’m pleased because I feel strong on every type of ground, in the sand, on the hard pack, in the mud. I’ve got 11 wins from 14 races now, I think, so I’m very happy. It was my grandmother’s birthday yesterday, so felicidades, te quiero, this one is for her.”

Bernardo Tiburcio: “Amazing. It was a very good race today, I had a good start and a good rhythm, and I’m very, very happy. Thank you to all the Brazilian fans, let’s go!”

Alexis Fueri: “It feels so good to be on the box. I’m not completely happy with my riding today. Yesterday was good, but we had some clutch problems on the bike. Today I got the holeshot and my pace was strong at the beginning, but I’m struggling with my shoulder, so I couldn’t move on the bike the way I want, and I got a bit arm-pumped on the hard pack. It wasn’t my best riding, but we’re on the box, and at home, so I’m happy for Beta and for all the team.”

1. Bernardo Tiburcio; 2. Alexis Fueri

EMX250 – Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Francisco Garcia (ESP, Kawasaki), 29:14.731; 2. Liam Owens (AUS, KTM), +0:06.538; 3. Bernardo Tiburcio (BRA, Yamaha), +0:11.239; 4. Simone Mancini (ITA, Ducati), +0:21.265; 5. Mads Fredsoe (DEN, KTM), +0:31.442; 6. Jake Cannon (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:33.063; 7. Alexis Fueri (FRA, Beta), +0:35.661; 8. Francesco Bellei (ITA, KTM), +0:37.560; 9. Nicolò Alvisi (ITA, Honda), +0:40.381; 10. Niccolo Mannini (ITA, Triumph), +0:42.393

EMX250 – Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Francisco Garcia (ESP, Kawasaki), 29:49.644; 2. Bernardo Tiburcio (BRA, Yamaha), +0:02.371; 3. Brando Rispoli (ITA, Beta), +0:07.585; 4. Alexis Fueri (FRA, Beta), +0:13.213; 5. Andrea Roberti (ITA, KTM), +0:14.912; 6. Manuel Carreras (ESP, GASGAS), +0:17.920; 7. Francesco Bellei (ITA, KTM), +0:24.234; 8. Nicolò Alvisi (ITA, Honda), +0:36.669; 9. Niccolo Mannini (ITA, Triumph), +0:39.892; 10. Gyan Doensen (NED, KTM), +0:41.842

EMX250 Overall – Top 10 Classification: 1. Francisco Garcia (ESP, KAW), 50 points; 2. Bernardo Tiburcio (BRA, YAM), 42 p.; 3. Alexis Fueri (FRA, BET), 32 p.; 4. Francesco Bellei (ITA, KTM), 27 p.; 5. Manuel Carreras (ESP, GAS), 25 p.; 6. Nicolò Alvisi (ITA, HON), 25 p.; 7. Jake Cannon (AUS, KAW), 25 p.; 8. Simone Mancini (ITA, DUC), 25 p.; 9. Niccolo Mannini (ITA, TRI), 23 p.; 10. Liam Owens (AUS, KTM), 22 p.

EMX250 Championship – Top 10 Classification: 1. Francisco Garcia (ESP, KAW), 302 points; 2. Jake Cannon (AUS, KAW), 224 p.; 3. Nicolai Skovbjerg (DEN, HUS), 195 p.; 4. Gyan Doensen (NED, KTM), 183 p.; 5. Mads Fredsoe (DEN, KTM), 153 p.; 6. Liam Owens (AUS, KTM), 152 p.; 7. Nicolò Alvisi (ITA, HON), 147 p.; 8. Bernardo Tiburcio (BRA, YAM), 142 p.; 9. Tom Brunet (FRA, YAM), 109 p.; 10. Jekabs Kubulins (LAT, YAM), 108 p.

EMX250 Manufacturers – Top 10 Classification: 1. Kawasaki, 333 points; 2. KTM, 277 p.; 3. Yamaha, 214 p.; 4. Husqvarna, 201 p.; 5. Honda, 148 p.; 6. Beta, 125 p.; 7. Triumph, 115 p.; 8. Ducati, 87 p.; 9. GASGAS, 83 p.; 10. Fantic, 11 p.; 11. TM, 10 p.

EMX250 Podium Italy 2026