Sweden 2026 - Rider Comments
Championship of the world are not easy to win, just ask legends of the sport like Marniqu Bervoets or Sylvain Geboers. Two riders, who are nearly as good as legends like Stefan Everts, Joel Robert, Joel Smets or Torsten Hallmen, but never got a world title.
Bavo Swijgers image
Even for Jeffrey Herlings, a sixth world title has eluded him since 2021, but he fought on, losing championships to Tim Gajser, Jorge Prado and Romain Febvre. Injuries often played a part, but in 2026, we all have our fingers crosses for "The Bullet" as he races towards that all important sixth world title. He is the story of the competitors in Sweden last weekend.
Jeffrey Herlings: I am very happy to win every session, every race and to just keep this momentum going at what was a difficult track. My starts definitely helped this weekend, being right up there on a track that isn’t easy to pass on. Even in the last moto, I was able to recover and get into the top three after a bad jump and I made a couple of quick passes to get into the lead. We’ve worked really hard this year and I think these results show that myself and the bike and the whole team are in a really good place.
Sacha Coenen: “I’m back where I belong. I’m really happy. It’s a great feeling to come back from injury and to win again. We put in a lot of hard work to get here. Really happy with the riding and dealt with the pressure. I don’t have many more words right now.”
Romain Febvre: "I had good speed all weekend but I touched with another rider in the first turn of moto one and that spoilt my start; I was just behind Adamo all race but I couldn't find any spot to pass until two laps to go. I was pleased when I almost holeshot race two and could take the lead, but I was riding a little too careful on the first lap and Jeffrey could pass me. Tim was on my rear wheel in the first few laps but I could build a gap over him and I tried to stay with Jeffrey; I could ride my own pace and was only a few seconds behind him when they showed the red flag."
Tim Gajser: “In the first race I didn’t have the best start and wanted to push a little too hard early on. I made a few mistakes and crashed, which cost me a lot of positions. In the second moto I had a better start and my riding was pretty good, although I made a few mistakes again. But this time I was right up there at the front. I made things a little more difficult for myself with that crash in the first race, but I want to thank the team because they continue to work hard and constantly strive to improve. We’ll go again next weekend.”
Liam Everts: “It was a little frustrating because I felt like I had really good pace all weekend. We were second in qualifying and then went 2-2 in the races, and in both motos I was able to catch back up to Sacha and stay quite close to him. I just couldn’t find a way around. He was riding really good and wasn’t making any mistakes, so hats off to him. Of course I would have liked to win, but I’m really happy with my riding and with the progress we made this weekend. I think we nailed a lot of things and it feels like a good step in the right direction. We came a little bit short this time, but second overall and being back on the podium is definitely positive.”
Camden McLellan: “Yeah, it was two tough races today. Starts were not bad at all, especially by my standards. It’s a tough track to make a difference and a tough track to pass, and it showed in the first race. I spent most of the moto behind Janis Reisulis, who’s a very good defensive rider, and passed him for third near the end. Second race, I was pretty far back but came through well on the first lap, but near the end backmarkers held me up. Overall, I’m pretty happy with how the weekend’s gone and as always, thanks to the team.”
Guillem Farres: “It was actually a great Sunday for me. I knew today was going to be a challenge after my crash yesterday, and I’m really happy with how the team and I managed everything. We made it happen and especially in the second race, I was having a lot of fun coming back through the field. Physically, I’m not feeling too bad, and I’m sure I’ll be fine for next weekend.”
Tom Vialle: We did some changes after yesterday, and that really improved the way I could ride in both the races. The first race was a little bit frustrating because I just couldn’t pass the rider in second place, but still, third is a good result. Then in race two I got the holeshot, but ran a little wide and let some guys through. I had to pass some people and got back into fourth place which was good for the podium. I feel like I back to good fitness and on the bike as well, so I hope I can keep this going until the end of the championship.
Rubén Fernández: A good weekend with some tough racing. My starts didn’t allow me to challenge with the podium guys, but I feel like my riding was really good for the rest of the motos. I fought through the pack in race one and then in race two I made a couple of passes and hard to withstand a lot of pressure, so I’m happy with the riding. On another day I could easily have snuck onto the podium but the standard is really high right now and if I want to join those guys I need to start with them.
Andrea Adamo: “Not the best, not the worst. For sure it could have been better. I made a good start in the first moto and was 4th all the way until a small mistake meant Romain got me. I know he was fast but there was only one-and-a-half laps to go and I could have been a bit smarter with some decisions. 5th was OK. Second moto I started really good again but I went a bit too wide and lost some positions. I found my way back to 7th and couldn’t do much more. This track could be much better…but it was hard for everybody. We need to improve in a couple of spots but we’ll get there. Arnhem coming up. I’m feeling good in the sand lately so let’s look forward.”
Maxime Renaux: “I had a really bad start in every race this weekend. That’s asking for trouble on a track like this. Pretty much everyone has the same speed here, which makes it very difficult to overtake. Obviously, I’m disappointed, but I have to accept it and move on. I also hurt my rib on Saturday. I felt it on Sunday, although my general health is getting better. It’s simply frustrating that I’m currently struggling to get good starts.”
Kay de Wolf: “I actually feel like I learned a lot this weekend. I didn’t have the best start to the weekend, but I showed some really good riding, so I’m actually very happy with my performance overall. The results don’t really show how much we learned or how well we rode, but it was definitely a positive weekend. Fitness-wise, I felt a lot better as well, which is another big positive. Now the focus moves straight to the sand at Arnhem in five days’ time, so I’m really looking forward to my home GP.”
Simon Laengenfelder: “Difficult weekend. I had a really good Quali race, great start, and won it. I was quite methodical and had good line choice. Sunday was different. Both starts were not the best and I just tried to find my way to the front and do something. I lacked speed although I enjoyed the track and thought I rode well; but the lap-times said differently. 5-5 is not what I am aiming for. We’ll continue working and try to do our best in the sand.”
Valerio Lata: The first race was almost over before it begun as I got caught up in an incident on the third corner. I was last when I remounted so had to try and come through the field as best I could. I got up to 11th which wasn’t too bad, but I obviously would have liked to have done better. I actually think my riding might have been better in this race than race two, as I ended up eighth. I just couldn’t get any momentum and that’s where I’m at. Hopefully I can do better in the sand of Arnhem next weekend.
Andrea Bonacorsi: “It was a good Grand Prix, with a positive Saturday, which saw me qualifying 9th. Unfortunately in race one a crash on the second lap cost me positions, and on a less than selective track, recovering was almost impossible. In race two we made some changes, and thanks to the work of the entire team, I managed to make some passes and finish 8th. It's a shame for the red flag, which stopped my comeback.”
Calvin Vlaanderen: “It was a tough weekend, and it wasn't what I was hoping for. Unfortunately, the crash at the start of the second moto completely compromised our result. Now we're focused on coming back and finishing the season strong.”
Simone Mancini: “It was a solid weekend. I took the pole position in my group and I'm happy with my speed in practice. I started from the back of the pack in both motos, which didn't help me, but now we're looking ahead to the remaining races on the calendar and focusing on those.”
Pauls Jonass: "I have to be satisfied with my first moto today; it was good to show after my injury that I still believe in my ability to race at the front. I don't feel I used too much energy in that first race - it's actually easier to race second than when you are battling for seventh - but I just didn't have the intensity in my riding in the second moto. I was just too cautious; I started riding too careful and when you're not pushing on a track like this the bike starts to find every bump and is kicking everywhere. Still, fourth overall is my best result of the season. It was a pity that the crash in Foxhills came when it did as I felt really strong going there; I'm obviously not back to that level again yet and I need to be careful not to overdo things in training but I am looking forward with confidence to continue this improvement in the next races."
Kay Karssemakers: "Being a Dutchman I was brought up riding in sand but I was really enjoying the track this weekend; it flows so well and I could find a good rhythm. The results were obviously not what I hoped for but I showed I have the speed and am closing towards a top-five finish. Perhaps next week in my home GP!"
Francisco Garcia: "This weekend was not so easy. I couldn't ride for three weeks so I had no expectations; I just came here to score some points but I had two such good starts and just rode my own race after taking the lead already on the first lap both motos. It was difficult to stay fully-focused for the entire race but today was a little better than yesterday. I will discuss it with my trainer but I think I may take a break this week for my body to recover; we go to Arnhem with a good gap in the points so I will try to clinch the title next weekend."
Jake Cannon: "I could turn it around today but I'm still a little frustrated with myself because I've been making a lot of mistakes during the last few rounds and it's been beating me up. I've been working a lot on my starts the last few weeks and it paid off today so I'm really happy with that but my first few laps were not the best again; I found my rhythm again later in the race to come back to second so let's hope I can carry that into next weekend."
Janis Reisulis: It was a difficult day and the results feel a little bit disappointing, even though they weren’t too bad. I think my pace was quite good, especially in the first moto. In the second one, I struggled a little more and couldn’t push as hard as I would have liked. Overall, though, it was a good weekend and fifth overall today isn’t so bad. A big thanks to the whole Yamaha team for all the work they put in. I really appreciate it.
Karlis Reisulis: I hurt my leg when I crashed in timed practice yesterday and over the weekend I had three crashes in total. The last one left me feeling quite sore, too. In the first moto, I had a decent start considering my gate pick and was around eighth, but then I got taken out by two riders and had to fight my way back from there. My start in the second moto was okay and I was in quite a good position before I went off the track. I rejoined, made some passes, and eventually finished seventh. Overall, considering how the weekend started, I’m happy that the second moto was better. I’m now looking forward to next weekend and getting back in the sand.






