The FIM Motocross World Championship is entering the final stage of the season. Following the opening round in Argentina, the series continued with nine Grands Prix across Europe. At the beginning of the summer, the entire paddock travelled to Africa before returning to Europe for the final European rounds of the championship. Now, only three rounds of the World Championship remain, taking place across two continents in the space of just three weeks. Turkey will host the first stop of the season’s final stage. One week later, the championship will move to China, before the 2026 season concludes with the Australian Grand Prix.
Dutch sand gives way to hardpack in Afyon
The upcoming MXGP of Türkiye will take the world’s best motocross riders to Afyonkarahisar on the first weekend of September, with the action taking place at the Afyon Motor Sports Center. The 1,725-metre hardpack circuit is one of the longer tracks on the calendar and will provide a major change of conditions after the extremely demanding sand of Arnhem.
Although the World Championship is now heading towards the Asian side of Türkiye, Afyonkarahisar will also host the final round of the EMX250 European Championship. Unfortunately, Václav Janout will not line up for Osička MX Team in the class.
He is still recovering from painful back injuries sustained in his crash in the Netherlands. Despite battling through the pain to line up in Arnhem, his current condition means he is unable to continue his racing programme. He will therefore miss the final round of this year’s EMX250 series.
Mikula returns to the MX2 grid after injury
Julius Mikula, meanwhile, will be back on the MX2 grid. He also left the final European round with an injury, having damaged a small bone in the palm of his right hand towards the end of Race 1, just before the chequered flag.
The weekend break between Arnhem and Türkiye has given Mikula valuable time to recover. The Czech rider has made the most of the break and will return to the MX2 grid in Afyonkarahisar.
Three races across two continents in three weeks
The final stage of the season will be extremely demanding for the riders, but the same intense period awaits the entire team. The final three Grands Prix mean not only three consecutive race weekends, but also long intercontinental journeys.
After each event, the team will also have to prepare and pack all of its equipment for air transport. Three Grands Prix in three weeks therefore represent a huge challenge not only on the sporting side, but also in terms of organisation and logistics.
Julius Mikula still has an opportunity to fight for more points and move up the MX2 World Championship standings. Osička MX Team is therefore heading into the final stage of the season with a clear goal – to finish the World Championship on the strongest possible note.
Photocredit – Daniele Barreca
