Honda HRC PETRONAS’ Jeffrey Herlings gave it everything he had to try and overcome the leader, but wasn’t able to make the necessary pass in either moto, coming up just short to go two-two for second overall at the MXGP of South Africa.
The revamped Terra Topia circuit in Johannesburg hosted the first GP in the country for 18 years, and the track was definitely one of the top venues that the riders have faced so far in 2026, but due to the speed and similar abilities of the top guys, making moves was difficult and as such, despite setting the fastest lap of the race, Herlings wasn’t able to win race one. Race two was much like the first, with Herlings unable to make any headway once moving into second place. It was a shame for the Dutchman after winning the previous two GPs, but there are still eight rounds remaining of this 2026 campaign to add to his win total.
Tom Vialle had an up and down weekend, but can definitely take some positives back to Europe after taking another holeshot, and running the pace of the top three in both of the races. A crash whilst in third, meant he was unable to finish race one, while the holeshot in race two again showed his starting prowess and the power of the Honda CRF450RW, despite being at nearly 1500m altitude. He did end up in sixth place, but that is an improvement on the previous rounds and he is getting back to speed and fitness that saw him win the MXGP of Switzerland earlier in the year.
It was a bruising affair for Ruben Fernandez, who fought hard in all three races over the weekend, to go seven-eight for sixth overall. He definitely would have liked to enjoy the event more, but it was still impressive to see the Spaniard battling hard for the duration, keeping some excellent riders behind him. With a weekend off, Fernandez will use the time wisely to rest and recuperate and prepare himself as best as possible for the challenge of Foxhills which is the ‘new’ host of the MXGP of Great Britain.
For Valerio Lata, it was another tough weekend in the MX2 class, as he struggled to match the pace of the top 250cc riders. The Italian never really got to see how the front-runners attacked the track as he didn’t get good starts, and with passing at a premium he had to settle for finishes around the top 10.
After three races in a row, the team now have a weekend off to prepare for eight rounds in 10 weekends, as the 2026 World Motocross Championships really ramps up the intensity for this final third of the season.
Rubén Fernández 70
Honda HRC PETRONAS
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.
Tom Vialle 16
Honda HRC PETRONAS
Obviously disappointing to make that mistake in race one when I was in third place, so that meant I couldn’t finish the moto. However, I think I bounced back well in race two to grab the holeshot and lead for a little bit and then run the pace of the top three. I dropped a couple of spots near the end, but I still think it was a positive step for me and it makes me excited for the rest of the season.
Jeffrey Herlings 84
Honda HRC PETRONAS
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.
Honda HRC PETRONAS
Marcus Pereira de Freitas –
Good weekend, and one that we are glad to have completed with all the riders fit and healthy to head back to Europe in one piece. There were a couple of moments that could have been a lot worse, but there was also moments which could have gone better so we just have to be happy with how it went. Jeffrey was strong and perhaps could have won, but second is still good, and Tom showed a good recovery in the second moto while Ruben fought all weekend long. Now we have a weekend off, before a bunch of GPs in a short period of time so we will prepare ourselves as best we can.
@shotbybavo
