Daniel Sanders (Photo © ASO/DPPI )
Daniel Sanders of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing clinched his last win of 2025 in the Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal and his first of the 2026 season at the exact same place.
The reigning world champion and Tosha Schareina of the Monster Energy Honda HRC steamrolled the opposition and hogged the six RallyGP stages on offer. The Spaniard pushed him all the way to the finish, but the Australian ultimately prevailed by 1′56″.
Adrien Van Beveren rounded out the podium astride his own Honda (+8′25″), drawing a line under the crash that had ended his race here in 2025.
The movers and shakers of the Dakar struggled on the Portuguese tracks. Luciano Benavides (+27′47″) and Ricky Brabec (+41′28″) had to settle for sixth and eighth in the RallyGP standings, with the top Hero MotoSports man, Ross Branch (+25′38″), splitting the two.
This has a substantial impact on the championship: the Argentinian retained the lead, but Schareina, Sanders and Brabec are all within 10 points of him.
KTM head the manufacturers’ standings ahead of Honda and Hero.
Bruno Santos of the Frutas Patrícia Pilar put in a monster performance in Rally2, winning three of the six specials on his way to home victory.
The Honda factory rider Martim Ventura and his Kove counterpart Neels Theric rounded out the podium, with the Frenchman landing the Chinese marque its first W2RC podium finish. Santos also deserves credit for finishing fifth in the FIM overall ranking against the RallyGP machinery.
The championship leader, Toni Mulec of BAS World KTM, came home fifth in Rally2 and remains perched at the summit, but Ventura has trimmed the gap to just 5 points. The Portuguese rider helped propel Monster Energy Honda HRC to the apex of the team standings.
Gonçalo Amaral of Wingmotor joined Sanders in the select club of double winners at this event, repeating his Rally3 triumph from 2024. He opened the 2026 season at the top of the Rally3 standings, mirroring the achievement of Antanas Kanopkinas of CFMoto Thunder Racing in the quad race. The Lithuanian finally added his name to the annals of the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal after coming up one place short in 2024 and 2025.
Bezzecchi storms to victory ahead of Martin, Diggia defeats Marc Marquez
Aprilia make history and take a 1-2 at the MotoGP in Brazil as the #49 gets some Sunday revenge on the reigning Champion.
Marco Bezzecchi is back on top as the Aprilia Racing rider took a stunning fourth Grand Prix win in a row in Brazil, and for the first time in Aprilia’s history.
To add to the headlines for the Noale factory, teammate Jorge Martin takes second place to back up his awesome return to the rostrum on Saturday. Completing the podium, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) defeated Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) on their rematch after the Sprint showdown, the #49 turning the tables in style.
After a poorer start on Saturday, Bezzecchi nailed it on Sunday to take the holeshot, with Di Giannantonio slotting into second from pole and Marc Marquez holding third. Martin was fourth, with one big mover off the line proving Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) as he went from P9 to P5.
Onto Lap 2, Marc Marquez took over in second, and not long after that, Acosta found a way past Martin. At the front though, Bezzecchi had the hammer down, with the gap starting to go out as the laps ticked on.
On Lap 6, a big move came in from Di Giannantonio – a big lunge, and with a big effect on more than just his own position. The #49 steamed up the inside of Marc Marquez and both went wide – with Martin needing no second invitation to pick their pockets. The Aprilia swept past both into second place, around 2 seconds off his teammate’s lead. Diggia ultimately remained where he was but with a different bike ahead, and Marc Marquez was shuffled down into fourth.
The fight in the group behind was getting close too. Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) was past Acosta into fifth, and by over half distance Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) had joined the party too.
Up at the front, Bez was holding station and Martin cut some tenths off his lead before he seemed to settle into second. The fight for third was about to reignite though – a Sprint re-run.
With five to go, Marc Marquez sliced up the inside of Diggia at Turn 6 – brutal but clean – and the #93 was back into third. But he retained a yellow shadow and next lap around out of Turn 11, Marc Marquez was deep – and the #49 shot straight through the open door. The battle rolled on, but on take two, the number 93 had no reply.
Bezzecchi crossed the line to win a stunning fourth Grand Prix in a row and with that takes the Championship lead. It’s the first time he or Aprilia have won four in a row – and Aprilia also lead the constructors. Martin followed up his emotional Saturday rostrum with a Grand Prix podium in second on Sunday, making it a 1-2 for Aprilia in the race and the rider standings.
Di Giannantonio held onto his sweet revenge on Sunday, taking third for his first Grand Prix podium of the year, with Marc Marquez relegated to fourth. Ogura got past Alex Marquez and held him off, with Acosta forced to settle for seventh. With that he moves down to third in the championship. Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) took eighth on his return, ahead of Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) and Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) in tenth. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) crashed out, as did Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol).
Holgado fends off Muñoz for Brazil victory honours
Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) secured a hard-earned victory at the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Grand Prix of Brazil as a two-way battle for the win unfolded between the new title race leader and second place finisher Daniel Muñoz (Italtrans Racing Team). Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) completed the rostrum after the Thai GP winner passed Alex Escrig (KLINT Factory Team) on the final lap to collect 16 points in Goiania.
Having earned a debut front row a few hours prior, Escrig grabbed the holeshot, with Muñoz also off to a flyer from P11 to P2 on Lap 1. Polesitter Holgado was third, while David Alonso (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) dropped to P7 from second on the grid.
On Lap 2, Muñoz led with a nice move up the inside of Escrig at Turn 6, and then at the beginning of Lap 3, Holgado carved his way up to P2. And half a lap later, the #96 passed Muñoz to lead for the first time in Brazil.
At the end of Lap 6, the top five – Holgado, Muñoz, Escrig, Alonso and Gonzalez – were over a second clear of the chasing pack, and on Lap 10, Gonzalez repassed Alonso into P4 with the duo now 1.4s away from Escrig’s rear tyre. Work to do for the championship leader and Colombian.
Instead of going forward, Alonso dropped into the clutches of Izan Guevara (BLUCRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2), and soon enough, the Thai GP podium finisher and Tony Arbolino (REDS Fantic Racing) demoted the #80 to P7. And up front, the other Aspar bike was not dropping Muñoz and Escrig. The trio were split by 1.2s with 11 laps left, as Gonzalez struggled to reel the top three in – the #18 was 2.2s away from the podium scrap.
With five laps to go, it was Holgado vs Muñoz for Brazilian GP victory. 0.3s split the Spaniards, with Gonzalez reeling in Escrig for P3 too. And in the fight for the 25 points, Muñoz struck with two and a half laps to go. Now, what did Holgado have in response?
Well, it was a rapid response. Holgado powered back past down the 0.9km long start/finish straight, and then began to gap the #17. Heading onto the last lap, Holgado held a 0.7s lead, with Escrig and Gonzalez locked together in the bronze medal chase. And at Turn 4, Gonzalez moved up the inside of the slightly wide Escrig to pinch P3 on the final lap.
Holgado, after a Muñoz-style wake-up call, pulled the pin to clinch his first Moto2 win of the year, as Muñoz settled for a brilliant P2 ahead of Gonzalez, who did break Escrig’s heart in the closing stages – but a P4 for the latter is still a personal best Moto2 result.
Alonso held off the challenge of Guevara and Arbolino for P5 to get points on the board in 2026; that trio closed out the top seven, with Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Celestino Vietti (HDR SpeedRS Team), and Ivan Ortola (QJMOTOR – PONT GRUP – MSI) the top 10 finishers.
Quiles resists Morelli for victory, Pratama stuns with P3
A sensational fightback from Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) saw the 18-year-old take victory in Goiania, after an early red flag stoppage became a five-lap dash for glory. He was kept honest by teammate Marco Morelli who had to settle for second but with it, achieved a first-ever Moto3 podium, whilst there was big history made in P3: Veda Pratama (Honda Team Asia) took his first-ever podium and thus Indonesia’s first in any class of Grand Prix racing. Heading into the round as Championship leader, David Almansa (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) crashed out from the lead on Lap 14 before the red flag, and was ineligible to restart.
On the first start, polesitter Joel Esteban (LEVELUP-MTA) grabbed the holeshot but by the halfway point on Lap 1, it was an Argentine 1-2 as Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Morelli took over at the front. Quiles had worked his way up to P2 and Championship leader Almansa moved into the top five from 14th on the grid, before Lap 7 saw Esteban crash out of the top three and on Lap 13 Almansa suffered a shock crash from the lead. Not long after that, Scott Ogden (CIP – Green Power) took a tumble and clearing his bike saw the red flags come out. Everything was reset – and Almansa was ok, but not allowed to take the restart.
At lights out for the five-lap dash, Quiles reasserted his authority and grabbed the holeshot as Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) and Guido Pini (Dynavolt Intact GP) all battled hard behind.
It was all chopping and changing, but Quiles was out front – as he had been with even more margin on the first start. But onto the last lap, Morelli had the hammer down in second and, going into the last sector, was right with Quiles. Still, there was nothing that was going to stop the #28 from taking victory in Goiania, with Quiles first over the line for the GP win and the Championship lead in one.
Morelli made it an Aspar 1-2, and history was made on their tail: Pratama, who already impressed in Buriram, took his first podium in Grand Prix racing and the first ever for Indonesia. To do so he held off Carpe and Pini, with rookie Rico Salmela (Red Bull KTM Tech3) in a mighty sixth. Perrone, Fernandez, Casey O’Gorman (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Hakim Danish (AEON Credit – MT Helmets – MSI) rounded out the top ten.
