Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 team’s Rick Elzinga has secured a season-best result of fifth overall at the MXGP of Australia. Competing at a circuit brand-new to the series calendar inside the Hidden Valley Raceway venue near Darwin, Elzinga finished eighth in the opening race before securing a fine third in Race Two. Karlis Reisulis also signed off the year with a strong seventh-place finish.
The 20th and final round of the 2025 FIM MX2 Motocross World Championship took the team to Australia. It was the first time that the country had held a Grand Prix since 2001, and there was an air of excitement before the gates dropped for the first race of the day.
Elzinga didn’t enjoy the best of starts in Race One, but by the end of the race he’d worked his way up to eighth at the finish with the rider in sixth not too far ahead. The Dutchman enjoyed a much better start in the second race as heavy rain began to fall from lap two onwards. Through the challenging conditions, Elzinga persevered to secure a season-best result of third aboard his Yamaha YZ250FM and finished fifth overall, just one point from the podium. Despite missing three rounds due to injury, the 22-year-old ended the season 13th in the championship.
The MXGP of Australia was also a positive one for Reisulis. After placing 10th in the opening race of the day, he bounced back to claim fourth in Race Two for a season-best race result. On the day, Reisulis secured seventh overall and moved up to 11th in the final standings.
Thibault Benistant, who was absent from the final two rounds of the season due to injury, placed seventh in the series.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team also travelled to Australia for the final round of their campaign. The trio of riders – Calvin Vlaanderen, Maxime Renaux, and Jago Geerts – were focused on delivering strong results to end the season, however crashes for Renaux and Geerts in Race One ruled them out of contention, while the second race was cancelled due to the adverse weather.
In the sole MXGP race, Vlaanderen finished sixth to secure sixth overall on the day. The 29-year-old has delivered a solid season, picking up three overall podium results during the summer aboard his Yamaha YZ450FM. In the hotly contested premier class, Vlaanderen placed sixth in the series to equal his career-best championship finish.
Renaux ended the year in seventh, with the highlight of his season being his stunning victory at round one of the campaign in Argentina. Geerts concluded his year in 12th, despite missing multiple rounds due to injury, with his Qualifying Race win in Spain marking his best performance of 2025.
In two weeks’ time, Reisulis, Vlaanderen, and Renaux will represent their respective countries at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations. The 2025 edition will take place in the USA at Ironman Raceway, Indiana, over the weekend of October 4-5.
Rick Elzinga
5th MXGP of Australia, 33-points
13th MX2 Championship Standings, 338-points
“My riding was really good this weekend and I really liked the track. My start in the first race wasn’t the best and by the end I got up to eighth, and sixth wasn’t too far ahead. I was close to the top guys at the finish so I was happy with that. My start in Race Two was much better, and then it rained so heavily. I’ve never seen rain like that before in my life! There was water everywhere and it was just crazy. I finished third, so I was really happy with that and I just missed the overall podium. So it’s been a strong end to the season for me.”
Karlis Reisulis
7th MXGP of Australia, 29-points
11th MX2 Championship Standings, 356-points
“The last round of the season was really good. Although my start and riding in Race One weren’t the best. In the second race it started raining on lap two and then from there I struggled to see but I just kept going. I had no idea where I was, so to finish fourth in that race and seventh overall is a good way to end the season.”
Calvin Vlaanderen
6th MXGP of Australia, 15-points
6th MXGP Championship Standings, 582-points
“It’s a shame the season ended early with Race Two cancelled. In the first one I had a good start but I lacked a little bit of speed early on. When I found my rhythm, my riding was good and I managed to move up to sixth, but after this the guys in front were too far ahead. So, I finished sixth in the race and also sixth in the championship.”
Jago Geerts
12th MXGP Championship Standings, 300-points
“Not the best day. I had a really good start in Race One but got pushed back to 11th. I started picking up the pace and I was catching Pauls Jonass, but then I hit a big braking bump and it pitched the bike sideways and I crashed. I was badly winded for quite some time and my race was over. Looking back on the season, I made some progress towards the end so it was a shame to end the season the way it did.”
Maxime Renaux
7th MXGP Championship Standings, 527-points
“Tough day. Unfortunately, my first race was over quite soon as I collided with another rider through the waves. In the crash, my bike was really damaged, so it was impossible to continue. Then the second race was cancelled. The focus is now on the Motocross of Nations and the goal is to make the best of it and end the season with a positive result.”
Posted on September 21, 2025 by Michael Le Pard
