MXGP stars line up for Rd 1 of the 2026 Dutch MX Nationals

MXGP Factory Teams in Oss preparing for the FIM World Championship 

We attended round 1 of the Dutch MX Nationals, supporting our sponsored MX2 class rider - Remy van Alebeek - who was competing on his Yamaha YZ 250 two stroke. We were lucky enough to have access to parc fermé and get close to some top MXGP Factory riders, including Honda's Jeffrey Herlings, Kawasaki's Romain Febvre and Yamaha's Glenn Coldenhoff. A handful of top pro MXGP riders were competing in the MX1 class - after round 1 of the 2026 MXGP FIM World Championship in Argentina - and in preparation for round 2 in Spain. Below we summarise some of the Factory riders results and show pictures plus details of their Factory bikes. We also give details about Remy van Alebeek's race day and YZ 250 bike.

Jeffrey Herlings #84 - Honda HRC Petronas MXGP Team - CRF450R

Since switching from KTM - where he spent the best part of 20 years - to Honda, before the 2026 MXGP season, Herlings carried on from where he left off. At Rd 1 of the 2026 MXGP FIM World Championship in Argentina, he won it with a 1-1! Coming to the first round of the Dutch MX Nationals a week later, in preparation for MXGP Rd 2 in Spain one week later, Herlings continued his form on the CRF450R. He topped MX1 qualification and then went on to win MX1 race 1, from Romain Febvre, who was not too far behind in P2. Incidentally, MX1 race 2 was cancelled due to a red flag in the previous MX2 race, which did not restart, due to the fading light, giving Honda HRC's Herlings the Rd 1 MX1 win. Jeffrey Herlings' 2026 MXGP bike is based on a factory version of the Honda CRF450R, developed by Honda HRC and features a heavily modified 450cc single-cylinder engine. The bike is hand-built, with titanium valves, a high-compression piston, custom ECU mapping, traction control strategies, and a factory HRC exhaust system. The chassis uses a works aluminium frame with tuned flex characteristics, adjustable engine mounts, and sand-specific linkage geometry. Suspension is a key element, with full factory KYB components (A-kit forks and works shock) set up for deep sand performance and high-speed stability.

Romain Febvre #11 - Kawasaki Racing Team - KX450-SR

Romain Febvre produced the second fastest time in qualification and ran close to Jeffrey Herlings the whole of MX1 race 1, crossing the line in P2. Febvre's 2026 MXGP race bike is based on the factory-spec Kawasaki KX450-SR, featuring a hand-built 450cc engine from Kawasaki with titanium valves, a high-compression piston, refined crank mass, a works exhaust system, and advanced ECU mapping with traction control. The KX 450 uses a factory aluminium frame with tuned flex characteristics, adjustable engine mounts, and track-specific linkage geometry for optimized balance. It is equipped with full KYB factory suspension, including A-kit forks and a works shock, set up for precise front-end feel and stability in braking bumps and ruts - giving it a more all-round GP setup, rather than a sand-focused one. Additional components include factory hubs with DID rims, upgraded Nissin brakes with an oversized front disc, and advanced electronics such as launch control, multiple engine maps, traction control, and full data logging with factory telemetry support.

Glenn Coldenhoff #259 - GCR Team - Yamaha YZ450F

Glenn Coldenhoff, racing as essentially a privateer at Rd 1 of the Dutch MX Nationals, grabbed P3 in MX1, race 1. In 2026, Coldenhoff is competing primarily in the Brazilian Motocross Championship with Yamaha C6 Bank IMS Racing, while also running a secondary European programme through his own team - GCR, competing in events like the Dutch Masters and selected international races, plus possible MXGP wildcard entires. His main race bike is a factory-supported Yamaha YZ450F in full race specification, featuring a highly tuned 450cc DOHC engine with factory ECU mapping, launch and traction control, race internals, and a titanium exhaust, alongside an aluminium frame, KYB factory suspension, upgraded brakes, and lightweight race components. Compared to standard high-end 450cc machines, like the Fantic XXF 450, his setup is more advanced, with exclusive factory parts and tuning. After finishing third in MXGP in 2025, he stepped away from a full-time factory campaign, making 2026 a kind of hybrid season, combining international racing with a self-managed effort.

Andrea Adamo #80 - Red Bull KTM Factory Racing - 450 SX-F

For 2026, Andrea Adamo made the jump up from the MX2 class to the MXGP Class in the FIM World Motocross Championship. He was just outside the top 5 at the Dutch MX Nationals in Oss, placing P6 after race 1. Adamo's Red Bull KTM factory 450 SX-F features a highly tuned 450cc SOHC engine with custom ECU mapping, launch and traction control, race internals, and a full titanium exhaust, combined with a chrome-moly steel frame, WP Factory Cone Valve suspension with Trax shock and factory-tuned chassis components. It is further equipped with Brembo brakes, lightweight race parts, titanium hardware, upgraded cooling, and rider-specific ergonomics. As the 2023 MX2 World Champion, Adamo rides the same top-tier factory machinery as KTM’s leading MXGP contenders, tailored to his style.

Lotte van Drunen #401 - De Baets Yamaha AIT Racing - YZ250F

Lotte van Drunen is a 2-time and reigning Women's FIM World Motocross Champion and was at rd 1 of the Dutch MX Nationals in Oss, competing in the MX2 class as the only woman! She placed P19 out of 40 male riders in race 1, before race 2 was cancelled, showing she can easily mix it with the boys. This helps her preparation for the 2026 WMX World Championship which starts in France on 23-24 May 2026. Van Drunen races a GYTR race-spec Yamaha YZ250F - the same platform that carried her to back-to-back WMX world titles - built as a full factory-level 250cc with extensive upgrades. Her bike features a highly tuned 250cc DOHC engine with GYTR kit parts, custom ECU mapping, launch control, optimised fuelling and fully adjustable KYB factory suspension with race-tuned chassis components. It is further equipped with upgraded brakes, lightweight wheels, titanium hardware, improved cooling, and rider-specific ergonomics, making it a top-tier factory machine significantly refined beyond the standard production mode.

Remy van Alebeek #164 - Privateer - Yamaha YZ 250

Remy van Alebeek is one of our supported Dutch MX riders. He competes on a 2 stroke in the Dutch MX Nationals and we caught up with him at Rd 1 of the 2026 motocross season in Oss. Van Alebeek qualified well but had suspension issues as he was making his way through the MX2 class field, which comprised a mix of 2 strokes and 4 strokes, unfortunately leading to a DNF. He will likely compete on his YZ 250 in the EMX250 class in Loket 2026 so we look forward to seeing how he gets on there. Remy runs quite a few of our parts, including, rear brake pedal & gear lever, forged front brake & clutch levers, front sprockets, rear sprockets, plus some small anodised hard parts like master cylinder covers and stem nuts on his practice & race bikes. Here is a video of Remy warming up his YZ250 two stroke at Oss 2026.

Is There More Video Footage From The Dutch MX Nationals At Oss?

We have a video showing the MX1 class paddock, close-ups of the riders in Parc Fermé, qualification and racing footage on our AS3 Performance YouTube channel, along with behind-the-scenes video footage of the MX2 class, 125cc class and 85cc class! Loads more short videos from the Dutch MX Nationals can be found on our Instagram, Facebook and TikTok channels.