Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team’s Janis Reisulis has secured fifth overall at the penultimate round of the FIM MX2 Motocross World Championship in China. Delivering improving results of seventh and fourth over the Grand Prix races, the Latvian claimed his eighth top-five finish of the season. Brother and teammate Karlis was also in action, placing eighth overall.
Track conditions were perfect all weekend long at the purpose-built circuit in Shanghai, which offered multiple racing lines and several man-made features. The two teammates adapted quickly to the race track, as well as the warm and humid weather, to secure their strong results aboard their Yamaha YZ250FM machines.
From outside the top 10 in the opening race of the day after a small crash, J. Reisulis made a series of passes through the early stages and moved into seventh by mid-race. From there, he gave chase to Kay Karssemakers in sixth, but he was unable to find a way by and advance any further.
In Race Two, J. Reisulis took advantage of his excellent start and ran in fourth early on. He slipped to fifth for a few laps before regrouping and moving back up to fourth. By this time, the top three were just out of reach and, with the leading riders posting very similar lap times, the 18-year-old was forced to settle for fourth. Nevertheless, it was a solid ride that resulted in his fifth-place overall finish and the MX2 class rookie has now secured sixth in the MX2 World Championship standings.
K. Reisulis also delivered improving results in China. After placing 11th in the opening race, he enjoyed a strong showing in Race Two to finish sixth for eighth overall. Much like his teammate, K. Reisulis has also secured his final championship position ahead of the last round, with the Latvian guaranteed seventh in the series – a career-best finish for the talented rider.
One week from now, the MX2 World Championship concludes in Darwin, Australia, where the two teammates will be focused on securing strong results to round out the 2026 season.
Click here for all the results from the MXGP of China.
Janis Reisulis
5th MXGP of China, 32-points
6th MX2 Championship Standings, 644-points
“Top five overall in the end, so I’m happy with that. My riding was strong here and I managed everything quite well. A top-five result is what I’m normally aiming for, so it’s good to achieve that. In the second moto, I was fighting with the top guys for around 20 minutes, but towards the end it became really difficult for me to maintain the pace. Overall, though, it was a good day and I learned a lot, which is the most important thing. In Race One, I crashed on the first lap, so I had to come through from the back. I tried to make passes quite aggressively, but I was also struggling with some arm pump. A big thanks to the whole team for their hard work and for giving me a great bike. Now we’ll look ahead to the final round.”
Karlis Reisulis
8th MXGP of China, 25-points
7th MX2 Championship Standings, 528-points
“Yeah, not the best day. I really struggled in the first moto, but the second moto was much better. I got a really good start and then pretty much held the same position for the whole race. I was trying to find a little more pace and stay with the group ahead, but I just couldn’t quite make it happen. It wasn’t really anything to do with the track, it was more about myself and how I was feeling. Anyway, we’ll keep moving forward and look ahead to the final round of the year.”
Photocredits – Full Spectrum Media
