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Red Bull KTM continue MXGP dominance with Chinese Grand Prix success for Herlings and Coenen

MXGP moved from Turkey to China for the penultimate round of 20 in 2025. The long oriental trip was memorable for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing: Jeffrey Herlings went 1-1 with the KTM 450 SX-F and Sacha Coenen triumphed with the KTM 250 SX-F as Red Bull KTM filled the MX2 podium. The team have title shots in both categories as the calendar winds to a conclusion.

  • Jeffrey Herlings pushes up to 112 career victories with his third MXGP Grand Prix win in succession and his third ‘1-1’ of the season
  • Lucas Coenen toils in the sapping Chinese climate and a second moto crash means 9-14 for the Belgian for P12 overall in MXGP
  • P1 for Sacha Coenen for the second time in 2025 as the Belgian wins the first moto and strives to a P4 run in the second
  • A strong charge by Andrea Adamo earns the Italian P1 in the second moto and runner-up overall for the day. Simon Laengenfelder finishes 3rd in China and holds the red plate into the season closer
  • MXGP will plough onto Australia and for the first grand prix in the country since 2001. The series will head to the northern territory of Darwin to close the 2025 campaign

The third MXGP of China took the championship into a new track but in a familiar region of Shanghai. The Shanghai International off-road circuit was laid out in the Fengxian district and provided a mix between hardpack and ruts with loamy terrain that was considerably rougher for the second motos of the race schedule. Teams and riders also had to deal with high heat and humidity.

Jeffrey Herlings, who turned 31 on the eve of the GP, won a damp Qualification Heat on Saturday, meaning Pole Position and 10 championship points for the fourth time in 2025 (the second highest total in the class behind Lucas Coenen). His Belgian teammate rode to 7th place. In MX2 Red Bull KTM went 1-2 with Sacha Coenen earning another holeshot and then rushing to victory ahead of Simon Laengenfelder. Andrea Adamo was 8th.

Sunday brought sunny skies but the harsh temperatures meant the races were oppressive and demanding. Herlings was able to power to the lead in the last minutes of the opening MXGP moto. The Dutchman has now taken the checkered flag at least once in the last three grands prix. Coenen, struggling physically, was further back and crossed the line in P8. Herlings was strong from the start of the second race. He defended P1 from Tim Gajser all the way to the flag, the difference only 0.6 at the conclusion. Win #112 of his career is also the fifth of the year and the sixth podium (four in a row). Coenen made a promising start but then a fall into the second corner meant he had to restart from last and reached P14 for P12 overall: only the second time he has missed the top three from the last fourteen rounds.

The MX2 class was won by Sacha Coenen with 1-3 and for his second overall success of the term. The Belgian comfortably controlled the first moto and fronted a ranking that had all three Red Bull KTM riders in the top four: Laengenfelder in P3 and Adamo in P4. For Coenen the win underlined his recent bright form and was the second race in a row he has managed to set the pace. Laengenfelder had the holeshot and the lead from the outset of the second moto with Coenen and Adamo in P2 and P3 and all three trying to conserve energy. Coenen made a mistake and crashed, allowed Adamo to rise to P2 and the Italian proved to be more resilient throughout the full race distance as he hunted and overtook his German teammate on the last lap. The race win was Andrea’s eighth of the year and ensured all three Red Bull KTM riders filled the podium for the first time in 2025. Adamo, 2nd overall in China, now has 12 trophies, Laengenfelder, 3rd, has 11 and Coenen 9.

The 2025 championships will go all the way. Coenen has 882 points in the MXGP class and trails Romain Febvre by 47 with only 60 points remaining. Herlings holds 5th in the standings and can still push up to 4th (17 points is the difference). MX2 is incredibly tight. Laengenfelder heads defending champ Kay de Wolf by 16 points with Adamo secure in 3rd. Coenen has 4th locked.

The MXGP finale will take place at another new venue. The Hidden Valley Motorsports Complex in Darwin houses a purpose-built track and stages the first Australian GP in a quarter of a century. Round 20 gets fast next weekend.

Jeffrey Herlings, 1st and 1st for 1st overall in MXGP: “So hot. I was cooking. So humid. The speed was not a problem…just the heat. I managed to pull it off. Another 1-1 and I’m hoping it’s going to be a bit cooler in Australia. I had just one day to adapt here and now we’ll have more time for the final round. I want to give it up to the Red Bull KTM team for this win. I’ll try and do my best again next week.”

Lucas Coenen, 9th and 14th for 12th overall in MXGP: “If I can sum up the weekend in one line then it would be: no power in the body and tired. I don’t know what happened. That’s all. The weekend in China here is done and we have one more to go – as well as the Nations – so I just need to try and be ready and look forward to the last GP.”

Sacha Coenen, 1st and 3rd for 1st overall in MX2: “A difficult weekend for everybody but my riding was good…apart from a stupid mistake in the second moto. I was cruising and just lost the front. I picked-up and kept going though and I’m really happy to win and happy because we worked for this.”

Andrea Adamo, 4th and 1st for 2nd overall in MX2: “Two pretty good motos. I didn’t have a good start in the first and it was difficult to come back, even if my speed was alright and I was one of the fastest on track at the end, so I know I’m fit. I was confident then for the second moto. A better start and I made my race. Sacha was fast and good but I took the chance to pass him. I hammered the lap-times and set a pace so I could see Simon. I put him under pressure and could win the moto. Super.”

Simon Laengenfelder, 3rd and 2nd for 3rd overall in MX2: “Finally a good start in the second race and it meant I could stay away from problems. When the track was more technical, I was feeling quite good and it was only at the end that Andrea was faster. Still, a good weekend and now we go into the last round. I made the [championship] gap a bit bigger going to Australia. You never know what will happen but I’m going for it. I hope it will be less humid!”

 

Results MXGP China 2025

 

1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 1-1

2. Tim Gajser (SLO), Honda, 2-2

3. Ruben Fernandez (ESP), Honda, 5-3

4. Romain Febvre (FRA), Kawasaki, 4-4

5. Maxime Renaux (FRA) Yamaha 3-6

12. Lucas Coenen (BEL), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 9-14

 

Standings MXGP 2025 after 19 of 20 rounds

 

1. Romain Febvre (FRA), Kawasaki, 929 points

2. Lucas Coenen (BEL), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 882

3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED), Fantic, 665

4. Ruben Fernandez (ESP), Honda, 599

5. Jeffrey Herlings (NED), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 582

 

Results MX2 China 2025

 

1. Sacha Coenen (BEL) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 1-3

2. Andrea Adamo (ITA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 4-1

3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 3-2

4. Kay de Wolf (NED), Husqvarna, 2-4

5. Camden McLellan (RSA) Triumph, 7-5

6. Liam Everts (BEL) Husqvarna, 6-7

 

Standings MX2 2025 after 19 of 20 rounds

 

1. Simon Laengenfelder (GER), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 884 points

2. Kay de Wolf (NED), Husqvarna, 868

3. Andrea Adamo (ITA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 817

4. Sacha Coenen (BEL) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 756

5. Camden McLellan (RSA), Triumph, 612

7. Liam Everts (BEL), Husqvarna 606

KTM NEWS

JORGE PRADO LEADS 450SMX STANDINGS AFTER COLUMBUS PLAYOFF PODIUM

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A weather-affected opening race of the 2026 SMX World Championship Playoffs at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus saw Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado earn a hard-fought third position on the overall podium, with that result elevating him into the 450SMX points lead. Following a pair of dry on-track sessions during Friday practice, heavy rain in the region interrupted proceedings early on this morning, as the track crew worked tirelessly to prepare the circuit for the afternoon’s race schedule at SMX Playoff 1. When the gates dropped for 450SMX Moto 1, Prado powered his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to the holeshot, holding the lead through the opening moments of the race. The Spaniard prioritized consistency in the mud, successfully navigating the conditions to secure a third-place result. The four-time world champion executed another strong start in Moto 2, battling for the final podium position during the race, and eventually crossed the line in P4. That saw him claim third overall for the round, taking charge of the 450SMX red plate entering Los Angeles next weekend. Jorge Prado: "I mean, I really don’t know what to say! Like I said after Moto 1, my worst races came in the mud this year, and now I finish up here on the box, which is amazing for me. It’s a big improvement, so I am super-happy, and proud of my progress, and the work from the whole team – if you look back a year ago to where I am now, it’s a huge difference. Now we are leading the SMX series and I can’t be more happy than this." Also up front off the start of Moto 1, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Aaron Plessinger crashed soon afterward, but displayed strong pace aboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION as he fought his way through the field to 10th place. Sixth in Moto 2 marked a convincing outing for ‘The Cowboy’ in his home state of Ohio, taking seventh overall and climbing to eighth in the 450SMX standings. Aaron Plessinger: "I feel like Columbus was a pretty big missed opportunity for me, since we had lots of rain and lots of mud, which is usually my cup of tea. We got off to a really good start in Moto 1, but then Jorge [Prado] slid and kind of jumped into my wheel, but no blame on him – it was a racing incident. I ended up going down, and then it was a struggle from that point on, getting up to ninth and then going down again. Moto 2, I got off to a horrible start and went to the inside of turn one, which worked out, and then ended up battling Joey [Savatgy] for fifth pretty much the whole time. I just feel like I should've been better all around – there were a lot of moments that I should've capitalized on. We'll focus on Los Angeles now and look for a stronger round." The retiring Eli Tomac raced to 15-13 results in 450SMX across the shortened double-race format aboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION in SMX Playoff 1, with his sights now shifting toward next weekend’s second round of the post-season, where double points will be on offer. He's currently ninth in the championship, with only two race weekends remaining in his decorated career. Eli Tomac: "It was a long day in Columbus. The conditions were tough, and I had a hard time getting going today when it counted, but the positive is that we were able to salvage some points, and it was an enjoyable weekend outside of the weather today. I'm looking forward to LA next week and fighting back toward the front in these next two races coming up." Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 250SMX contender Julien Beaumer crashed out of a top-five position on the opening lap of Moto 1, before mounting a comeback ride in challenging conditions to finish 16th on his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION. Another difficult outing in race two saw Beaumer finish 18th, placing him 10th in the standings heading into Playoff 2. Julien Beaumer: “It was a terrible day for me in the mud. We got a lot of rain – I felt great yesterday in the dry – but today was rough. It is what it is, we have double and triple points at the next two, so I need to execute across the next two rounds in what are hopefully some better conditions, and give myself a chance.” Next Race: September 19 – Los Angeles, California Results 450SMX Class – SMX Playoff 1 1. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) 2. Ken Roczen (Suzuki) 3. Jorge Prado (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 7. Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 11. Malcolm Stewart (Husqvarna) 14. Eli Tomac (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 16. RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna) Standings 450SMX Class 2026 after Playoff 1 1. Jorge Prado, 42 points 2. Haiden Deegan, 40 3. Cooper Webb, 38 8. Aaron Plessinger, 22 9. Eli Tomac, 22 12. RJ Hampshire, 19 14. Malcolm Stewart, 16 Results 250SMX Class – SMX Playoff 1 1. Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki) 2. Daxton Bennick (Husqvarna) 3. Ryder DiFrancesco (Husqvarna) 18. Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) Standings 250SMX Class 2026 after Playoff 1 1. Levi Kitchen, 47 points 2. Ryder DiFrancesco, 42 3. Cole Davies, 37 4. Daxton Bennick, 34 10. Julien Beaumer, 21