New Finnish adventures for Honda HRC duo, as Gajser rides again
Ruben Fernandez and Valerio Lata head to the new KymiRing circuit near Kouvola, Finland this weekend for the 13th round of the 2025 MXGP World Championship, excited to get back in action after a couple of weekends off.
This was the first time in 2025 that there were two weekends off in a row, so the riders and team members have been catching up on a much-needed break, just to recuperate from the gruelling schedule and recharge their batteries for the last eight rounds of the series.
And for the second time this year, it will be a brand-new venue for the riders to perform on, with the motor-racing complex of the KymiRing stepping up to the plate. The track itself has been made within the boundaries of the road-racing circuit and initial reports have suggested it will be a sandy terrain, which is sure to really test the skills of the Honda HRC duo.
For Fernandez, although it was a shame to have a break after his excellent fourth overall in Great Britain, it was also good timing so he can properly recover from the crash he suffered in Germany and allow himself a bit of a break from the demands of world championship level racing. Now though, he is raring to go and try and fight for the podium spots once more and close the gap to third place in the standings, which is currently just 28 points.
This break was also good for Lata who was on the nasty end of another riders’ mistake at Matterley Basin and had to fight through the pain in both motos to score any points. The 19 days since those motos have been utilised to full effect, with physio and rest a high priority so that the youngster will be ready for this round in Finland. Thankfully, things have gone well and with it being a new track for everyone, it gives the #18 a chance to rediscover the form that he was showing before these past couple of unlucky events.
There has also been good news for injured teammate Tim Gajser, who received some positive news from his medical team about his return to action. After receiving the news, Gajser has since ridden his Honda CRF450R for the first time and the session went really well. Of course, there is still some work before the #243 will be back at the races but this was a big step for the five-time world champion.
Things aren’t so bright for the fourth member of Honda HRC, Ferruccio Zanchi, who injured himself in Germany and has been on the sidelines since. After the last set of check-ups, it has now been determined that surgery is necessary on his knee, which means the Italian will miss the remainder of the 2025 MX2 campaign. It is a bitter blow for the #73, who showed such promise early on in the season with a moto win and podium in Cozar, Spain, but who now must focus on recovery so that he’ll be ready for 2026.
TIMETABLE
SATURDAY: 09:30 EMX125 Free Practice, 10:00 EMX250 Free Practice, 10:30 MX2 Free Practice, 11:00 MXGP Free Practice, 11:30 Onboard Camera, 12:20 EMX125 Qualifying Practice, 13:00 EMX250 Qualifying Practice, 13:40 MX2 Time Practice, 14:15 MXGP Time Practice, 15:00 EMX125 Race 1, 15:45 EMX250 Race 1, 16:35 MX2 Qualifying Race, 17:25 MXGP Qualifying Race.
SUNDAY: 09:40 EMX125 Race 2, 10:25 MX2 Warm-up, 10:45 MXGP Warm-up, 11:30 EMX250 Race 2, 13:15 MX2 Race 1, 14:15 MXGP Race 1, 16:10 MX2 Race 2, 17:10 MXGP Race 2.
Ruben Fernandez 70
It was good to have a couple off weekends off to just recharge the batteries and recover from all the bumps and bruises that you pick up over the course of the season. I had a good event in Matterley Basin, which was nice to take into the break, so now I’m feeling good and excited to go to a new track. I have heard it is sandy, which isn’t my favourite, but I will approach it with a strong belief and positive attitude and try and close the gap to third place in the championship.
Tim Gajser 243
I won’t be lining up in Finland, but I wanted to let people know that I am on the road to recovery and it is going well. My doctors have told me that the progress with the shoulder is excellent, and I was just able to ride this week, and it went great, so that is a big milestone and now we can really start to work towards my return. I haven’t enjoyed missing all these races, so I definitely appreciate all the support I have received from my fans and look forward to seeing you all in the near future.
Valerio Lata 18
It’s been a strange last couple of rounds after Germany, where I came so close to getting on the podium. I’ve felt good, I knew I had the speed, but things have just not gone my way. I’m hoping that all that bad luck is behind me now though, and I am focused on doing well in Finland. No one has ridden this track before so it’ll new to everyone and I’m hoping to be able to take advantage of the even playing field.
Ferruccio Zanchi 73
I am very disappointed how this season has ended already, and I won’t get another chance to compete in 2025 world championships. I had a good beginning of the season and although it hadn’t gone as well in the middle period, I really felt like it would come good and I would work my way into consistent battles for the podium spots. I’d like to thank the team and all the fans for their support and now the focus is getting healthy again. It will be a long road, but I am confident that I can get back to where I belong and that is fighting at the front of the MX2 class.
Marcus Pereira de Freitas
This was the first big break we’ve had this year and I think everyone has enjoyed some time away from the races. Now though, we have to focus again on making sure everything is good for Finland and we are back at the highest level for this 13th round of the series, which is at a new venue. Ruben and Valerio are both much closer to 100% fitness than they were in Great Britain, so that’s positive and we’re excited to see the track and work with them to get them back near the podium spots. Tim also had some excellent news this week from the doctors, and now that he’s ridden his bike again, we’re excited for him to work towards returning to the GPs. However, Ferro won’t be racing again this year and that is very sad for him because it is never good when a young ride has to miss such a long period of time.
Rider standings
Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Points | Team | Constructor |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Febvre Romain | 3 | FRA | 584 | Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP | Kawasaki |
2 | Coenen Lucas | 96 | BEL | 552 | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM |
3 | Coldenhoff Glenn | 259 | NDL | 411 | Fantic Factory Racing MXGP | Fantic |
4 | Fernandez Ruben | 70 | SPA | 383 | Honda HRC - MXGP | Honda |
5 | Renaux Maxime | 959 | FRA | 347 | Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team | Yamaha |
6 | Herlings Jeffrey | 84 | NDL | 325 | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM |
7 | Vlaanderen Calvin | 10 | NDL | 319 | Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team | Yamaha |
8 | Bonacorsi Andrea | 132 | ITA | 312 | Fantic Factory Racing MXGP | Fantic |
9 | Gajser Tim | 243 | SLO | 305 | Honda HRC - MXGP | Honda |
10 | Seewer Jeremy | 91 | SWI | 274 | Ducati Factory MX Team | Ducati |
11 | Horgmo Kevin | 24 | NOR | 229 | Honda SR Motoblouz | Honda |
12 | Watson Ben | 919 | GBR | 197 | MRT Racing Team Beta | Beta |
13 | Pancar Jan | 253 | SLO | 192 | TEM JP253 KTM Racing Team | KTM |
14 | Geerts Jago | 93 | BEL | 184 | Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team | Yamaha |
15 | Bogers Brian | 189 | NDL | 173 | Fantic Factory Racing MXGP | Fantic |
16 | Jonass Pauls | 41 | LAT | 162 | Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP | Kawasaki |
17 | Gifting Isak | 517 | SWE | 149 | JK Racing Yamaha Active | Yamaha |
18 | Guadagnini Mattia | 101 | ITA | 142 | Ducati Factory MX Team | Ducati |
19 | van de Moosdijk Roan | 34 | NDL | 113 | KTM Kozak Team | KTM |
20 | van Doninck Brent | BEL | 74 | |||
21 | Guillod Valentin | 92 | SWI | 72 | Wildcard Rider | Yamaha |
22 | Sterry Adam | 811 | GBR | 67 | KTM Kozak Team | KTM |
23 | Koch Tom | 226 | GER | 57 | MRT Racing Team Beta | Beta |
24 | Brumann Kevin | 87 | SWI | 50 | Wildcard Rider | Husqvarna |
25 | Forato Alberto | 303 | ITA | 44 | Honda SR Motoblouz | Honda |
26 | Stauffer Marcel | 411 | AUT | 38 | Wildcard Rider | KTM |
27 | Cairoli Antonio | 222 | ITA | 37 | Ducati Factory MX Team | Ducati |
28 | Spies Maximillian | GER | 36 | |||
29 | Gilbert Josh | GBR | 27 | |||
30 | Tondel Cornelius | 17 | NOR | 20 | JWR Honda Racing | Honda |
31 | Ludwig Noah | GER | 19 | |||
32 | Lupino Alessandro | 177 | ITA | 9 | Ducati Factory MX Team | Ducati |
33 | Boisrame Mathys | FRA | 9 | |||
34 | Tonus Arnaud | 4 | SWI | 8 | Wildcard Rider | Yamaha |
35 | Monticelli Ivo | ITA | 6 | |||
36 | Nickel Cato | GER | 6 | |||
37 | Aparecido dos Santos Fabio | BRA | 5 | |||
38 | Guyon Tom | 49 | FRA | 5 | Wildcard Rider | Triumph |
39 | Talviku Jorgen-Matthias | 261 | EST | 4 | Wildcard Rider | Yamaha |
40 | Carpenter James | GBR | 3 | |||
41 | Pape Romain | 53 | FRA | 3 | Wildcard Rider | Yamaha |
42 | Alonso Victor | 196 | SPA | 2 | Wildcard Rider | Honda |
43 | Evans Mitch | 43 | AUS | 1 | Wildcard Rider | Honda |
44 | Adamson John | 212 | GBR | 1 | Wildcard Rider | Honda |
45 | Haavisto Jere | FIN | 1 | |||
46 | Scheu Mark | GER | 1 | |||
47 | Pumpurs Mairis | 610 | LAT | 0 | Wildcard Rider | Husqvarna |
48 | Valentin Ander | SPA | 0 | |||
49 | Purdon Tristan | RSA | 0 |