Janis Reisulis has brought his first full season in the MX2 World Championship to a strong conclusion. The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team rider finished third overall at the season finale in Australia. With fourth place in the opening race and third in the second race, the Latvian secured his third Grand Prix podium of the season. His brother and teammate Karlis Reisulis finished ninth overall.
The Australian MXGP in Darwin marked the final round of the 2026 World Championship season. Conditions on the hard-packed track were considerably better than during the 2025 edition.
Janis Reisulis showed from the start of the weekend that he had strong pace. In the qualifying race, he led for more than half of the race, giving him additional confidence heading into Sunday’s two Grand Prix races.
Shortly after the start gate dropped in the opening race, Reisulis made contact with another rider. Despite the incident, he managed to remain near the front of the field. The former EMX250 champion then ran the entire race in fourth position. With a comfortable gap over the riders behind him, he eventually crossed the finish line in fourth.
In the second race, Reisulis made an excellent start and claimed his third holeshot of the season. The Latvian then led the field and managed to maintain the lead until halfway through the race. A couple of small mistakes, however, saw him lose two positions. Reisulis recovered well and eventually crossed the finish line in third.
With fourth and third-place finishes, he scored 38 points and finished third overall. It marked his third Grand Prix podium of the season.
The Australian round also brought his impressive rookie season in the MX2 class to an end. Reisulis was the highest-placed rookie of 2026 and finished sixth in the World Championship standings with 691 points.
Karlis Reisulis was also in action at the Australian season finale. The Yamaha rider enjoyed a consistent weekend, finishing ninth in both races. This also placed him ninth overall, earning him 24 World Championship points.
Karlis produced several strong performances throughout the season. His highlight was a third-place overall finish at the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic. In addition, he finished inside the top five in the overall classification at four Grands Prix.
With 555 points, Karlis ultimately finished seventh in the MX2 World Championship, achieving his best final championship position to date.
Janis Reisulis: “Yes, it was a very solid day and I’m really happy. In the second race, I got the holeshot and that made things a lot easier compared to the first race. In the first one, I didn’t have a great start and I didn’t feel completely comfortable. I also struggled quite a bit with the heat, but I still managed to finish fourth.”
“In the second race, I made a couple of mistakes while I was leading, but overall I think it was very solid to finish the season with third overall and another podium. I’m really happy with that. A huge thank you to the team, because without them I couldn’t have done this. Also, lots of love to my family for everything they have done for me throughout my career and especially this year. Now it’s time for the Motocross of Nations in two weeks.”
Karlis Reisulis: “It was a difficult final race for me. There were some things I was happy with, but I didn’t really feel like myself and mentally I found it a little difficult. Overall, there were definitely some highlights this season, but I don’t think I was consistent enough.”
“If I had been able to put together more consistent results throughout the Grands Prix, I think the season could have been even better. Still, I finished seventh in the championship. Now that the season is over, it’s time to reset and get ready for 2027.”
For the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team, the World Championship season has now come to an end and the team will return to Europe.
Janis and Karlis Reisulis, however, still have an important event ahead of them. In two weeks, the brothers will represent Team Latvia at the Motocross of Nations, which will take place on October 3 and 4 in Ernée, France.
Photocredits – Full Spectrum Media
