Janis Reisulis Charges to Fifth in Sardegna with Karlis Reisulis Placing Eighth

Published Apr 12, 2026 by Michael Le Pard

 

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team’s Janis Reisulis and Karlis Reisulis have maintained their solid start to the 2026 FIM MX2 Motocross World Championship, with the brothers placing fifth and eighth overall, respectively, at round four of the series.

 

Racing at the notoriously deep sand track of Riola Sardo in Sardegna, the teammates embraced the tough conditions. The weekend started particularly well for J. Reisulis, who placed third in the MX2 Qualifying Race while K. Reisulis crashed out of fifth.

 

1. Reisulis carried his impressive speed into the Grand Prix races and in the opening race of the day he started up front in fifth. On lap six, he worked his way around Julius Mikula, and then Liam Everts a couple of laps later to move into third. For the remainder of the race, J. Reisulis battled with Everts but ultimately lost out on a top-three finish to his more experienced rival. Nevertheless, finishing fourth matched his season-best result.

 

In Race Two, the Latvian started inside the top 10; however, a small fall just a handful of corners into the race cost him dearly. Forced to rely on his fitness and impressive sand-riding skills, the Yamaha YZ250FM rider clawed his way back to ninth at the finish for fifth overall. Leaving round four, J. Reisulis remains sixth in the MX2 World Championship standings.

 

Despite feeling a little detuned after his crash on Saturday, K. Reisulis bounced back in style, delivering improved results across the two races on Sunday. Following his 11th-place finish in Race One, the 20-year-old started 10th in Race Two and immediately made passes on his way towards the front of the field. In an exciting conclusion to the race, he withstood pressure from Mathis Valin behind him, then moved into fifth at the expense of Guillem Farres, who fell on the penultimate lap. Placing fifth marked a strong ride for the elder Reisulis, who secured eighth on the day and moves up to eighth in the series standings.

 

Competing in her third Grand Prix of the season, defending WMX World Champion Lotte van Drunen posted two point-scoring rides with 18th-place finishes in both races. Using the longer races to build her bike fitness, the De Baets Yamaha Supported MX Team rider enjoyed the tough conditions in Sardegna with the experience set to prove invaluable when the WMX World Championship begins in May.

 

With one of the toughest Grands Prix of the season now complete, the team returns to action next weekend in Italy. The MXGP of Trentino marks round five of the current campaign.

 

 

Janis Reisulis

5th MXGP of Sardegna, 30-points

6th MX2 Championship Standings, 143-points

“Overall, it was quite a positive weekend for me. I felt really good on the bike from the start and had strong speed throughout, which showed with the pole position in Time Practice and a solid result in the Qualifying Race. Sunday was also positive. In the first moto I rode well and managed things as planned, but in the second race I pushed a bit too hard early on, had a crash, and it was difficult to come back from that. Even so, there are a lot of positives to take away, and we know where we need to improve. I really appreciate the work from the whole team, and I’m confident we’ll keep building from here.”

 

Karlis Reisulis

8th MXGP of Sardegna, 26-points

8th MX2 Championship Standings, 114-points

“Overall, I think it was a positive weekend. The first moto wasn’t the easiest, as I was still dealing with a small injury from yesterday, but I did my best to fight through it. The second moto was much better though. The track was really tough with a lot of ruts and braking bumps, but I managed to work my way up to sixth and then into fifth in the final laps. To finish fifth in these conditions is something to build on, so I’m happy with the progress and I’m looking forward to the next round.”