Honda rider Jeffrey Herlings claimed his tenth win of the season at the MXGP of the Netherlands in Arnhem on Sunday, August 23, 2026. Meanwhile, Yamaha’s Tim Gajser lost a podium finish after crashing late in the second moto, allowing Kay de Wolf to secure second overall.
Jeffrey Herlings extended his dominant run in the FIM Motocross World Championship by securing his fifth grand prix victory at the Dutch MXGP in Arnhem. The 31-year-old Dutch rider overcame early challenges in the deep sand to sweep both motos, bringing his career total to 122 grand prix victories as reported by Siol.net. Herlings now sits firmly atop the standings with 795 points, holding a 143-point lead over second-place Romain Febvre with three rounds remaining in the 2026 season according to Rtvslo.
First Moto Battles and Herlings’ Engine Scare
Tom Vialle opened the day by grabbing the holeshot on his Honda at the start of the first moto, followed closely by local contenders Kay de Wolf on a Husqvarna and Herlings noted Siol.net. Herlings experienced a brief stumble in the opening turns that allowed De Wolf and Vialle to contest the early lead noted Šport TV. However, the younger Dutch rider soon found himself locked in a fierce duel with his veteran compatriot. Herlings made the decisive pass on lap 14, seizing control of the race detailed Šport TV.
Further back, Yamaha’s Tim Gajser executed a clean start from the gate and spent much of the moto battling Vialle. The four-time world champion overtook the French rider in the 22nd minute to claim third place reported Siol.net, finishing more than 40 seconds behind the leaders according to Siol.net‘s race breakdown. Herlings crossed the finish line three seconds ahead of De Wolf, Siol.net noted, despite encountering a late-race engine block in the final lap that forced him to strike his motorcycle several times to keep it moving.
Late Crash Costs Tim Gajser a Podium Finish in Moto Two
The second moto followed a similar script at the front, with Herlings leading from start to finish reported Siol.net. Gajser settled into fourth place early on and once again fought his way past Vialle in the 22nd minute to claim the third position noted Siol.net. The Slovenian rider looked poised to secure his fifth podium of the season until disaster struck with three laps remaining according to Siol.net.
Tim Gajser stated via Rtvslo that he was riding very comfortably in third place and that his starts were also decent, adding that in the second moto it took him a few laps to catch his rhythm, and once he overtook Vialle, he felt good before making a mistake out of nowhere on the waves and suffering a nasty crash.
The heavy crash dropped Gajser down to eighth place in the second moto reported Rtvslo, pushing him off the overall podium and into fourth place for the grand prix noted Siol.net. Ruben Fernandez also slipped past Gajser in the closing stages noted Šport TV, cementing an eighth-place moto finish stated Rtvslo. De Wolf also suffered a fall in the final lap noted Siol.net, but his substantial lead over the rest of the pack allowed him to retain second place in both the moto and the overall standings reported Siol.net.
Overall Standings and Turkey Championship Implications
With a clean sweep of 50 points in Arnhem noted Siol.net, Herlings stands on the brink of capturing his sixth world title—and his third in the premier MXGP class reported Rtvslo. He can mathematically clinch the championship at the next round in Turkey if he maintains a lead of more than 120 points over his closest rival stated Rtvslo.
| Rider | Manufacturer | Points (Arnhem) | Season Standing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeffrey Herlings | Honda | 50 | 795 (1st) |
| Kay de Wolf | Husqvarna | 44 | — |
| Tom Vialle | Honda | 38 | 496 (7th) |
| Tim Gajser | Yamaha | 33 | 611 (3rd) |
| Jan Pancar | KTM | 10 | 239 (13th) |
Jan Pancar, the second Slovenian competitor in the MXGP class, finished 18th in the first moto and improved to 14th in the second moto, securing 17th overall on the weekend reported Rtvslo. Glenn Coldenhoff, a regular front-runner who is competing in the Brazilian championship this season, made a one-off appearance in his 253rd world championship start noted Siol.net, taking seventh in the first moto and fourth in the second to finish fifth overall reported Siol.net.
The series now pauses for a weekend before heading to Turkey for the next round of the 2026 championship reported Rtvslo.
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