Honda HRC PETRONAS’ Jeffrey Herlings made it back-to-back victories, after a hard-fought victory at the MXGP of Portugal. A second-place finish in race one meant he needed to win race two to take his fifth GP win of the season, and that’s exactly what he was able to achieve after a thrilling duel at the sun-drenched Agueda circuit.
In both races the #84 had to come through the field, but where as race one took him the majority of the moto, in race two he made a few quick passes on the first lap so that he was able slip in behind the leader straight away. From then on, he stalked his prey, finding the right moment to pass and make sure he wasn’t immediately countered. He ended up executing that manoeuvre perfectly, before pulling away to seal the GP overall. This was his fifth win in 10 rounds, which is extra impressive considering it is his first year on with the Honda HRC PETRONAS team.
Behind him, was Ruben Fernandez who gave everything he had to try and join the podium celebrations, but came up agonisingly short at what is his adopted ‘home’ GP. The Spaniard has a house in Portugal, racing here throughout his career, and is a massive fan-favourite at this Agueda circuit, but his five-five meant his finished fifth overall. It was a shame for him as he was unable to repeat his third overall from 2025, but he still had a great time with all his fans and will keep pushing hard to step back up on the box this year.
Tom Vialle got yet another holeshot and in both races, there were three Honda CRF450RWs in the top five. Unfortunately, the Frenchman struggled to keep the pace as he didn’t feel completely comfortable on this tricky Agueda terrain. Valerio Lata also struggled in his two MX2 motos, and with South Africa coming up next weekend, they don’t have long to fix things, but everyone in the team will do their upmost to make sure that this new GP goes better for the pair.
MX2 Race 1
- Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), 35:01.379; 2. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:04.641; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:07.761; 4. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:08.652; 5. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:09.423; 6. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:33.661; 7. Julius Mikula (CZE, KTM), +0:40.674; 8. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +0:54.120; 9. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Ducati), +0:57.102; 10. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +1:05.493;
MX2 Race 2
- Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), 35:00.046; 2. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:11.717; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:30.984; 4. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:34.502; 5. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:45.394; 6. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:50.426; 7. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:52.293; 8. Kay Karssemakers (NED, Kawasaki), +1:20.236; 9. Julius Mikula (CZE, KTM), +1:25.086; 10. Jens Walvoort (NED, KTM), +1:56.275;… 20. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), -9 lap(s);
MX2 GP Overall
- Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 50 points; 2. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 40 p.; 3. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 37 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 36 p.; 5. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 35 p.; 6. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 34 p.; 7. Julius Mikula (CZE, KTM), 26 p.; 8. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 25 p.; 9. Kay Karssemakers (NED, KAW), 21 p.; 10. Jens Walvoort (NED, KTM), 21 p.;.. 14. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 14 p.;
MX2 Championship
- Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 477 points; 2. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 445 p.; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 415 p.; 4. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 413 p.; 5. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 397 p.; 6. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 355 p.; 7. Mathis Valin (FRA, KAW), 352 p.; 8. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 273 p.; 9. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 256 p.; 10. Kay Karssemakers (NED, KAW), 205 p.;
Rubén Fernández 70
Honda HRC PETRONAS
I think five-five for fifth is a fair reflection on my speed for this weekend, although it is frustrating to not be able to battle for those podium spots at my home GP. Those guys are riding to a very high standard and I tried my best to stick with them as long as possible. Still, I had a great time with all the fans here and it was very cool hearing them cheer me on around the track. I said beforehand that this is my favourite GP and meeting everyone and just enjoying the occasion confirms what I thought. Thanks to everyone who came out!
Tom Vialle 16
Honda HRC PETRONAS
I think it was obvious that my speed and my starts were on point today, including the holeshot in race two. Unfortunately we need to work together a bit and make sure that I am able to maintain that pace throughout the whole race. That aspect is disappointing and it is something we will work hard to fix for the future rounds because I truly believe I can challenge with those top guys.
Jeffrey Herlings 84
Honda HRC PETRONAS
It was a good weekend, winning GP number 117. I think myself and Lucas were about the same speed throughout the weekend, just the small margins in timed practice and the qualifying race and then these two motos. I got stuck a bit behind some guys in race one and couldn’t close the gap, but in race two I was able to get into second place after one lap so I could push and challenge for the win. I knew I needed to find the right spot to make the pass and it was as safe as I could make it, making sure Lucas couldn’t get me back. I just want to keep this going and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in South Africa.
Valerio Lata 18
Honda HRC PETRONAS
Not a great weekend and now I really have to put my head down and work hard to get myself out of this hole. I didn’t have the best first moto, and then in the second race I tweaked my knee again, which I hurt in Italy, so I pulled off as a precaution. We have South Africa coming right up, so I don’t have much time to turn things around but I will definitely try.
Marcus Pereira de Freitas –
Honda HRC PETRONAS
Another strong second moto performance from Jeffrey gave him the overall win and makes the journey down to South Africa a bit more positive. He worked extremely hard for that win, making a tough pass for the lead and never looking back from there. We have now done 10 rounds and Jeffrey has won five so it is an excellent return and we hope for more in this second half of the season. For Ruben, he fought his heart out to get on the box and although he came up just short, it was good to see him showing speed all moto long and having his best weekend points haul so far. Tom showed his starting prowess once again, but we have to work with him so that’s he’s comfortable running that pace for the whole moto. I trust everyone to get it right though and I’m sure South Africa will go better. It was certainly great to see all three riders up front in the early laps of both races, so hopefully we will see even more of that!
_@shotbybavo_
