Preview and schedule for Johannesburg: Will Längenfelder make it onto the podium?

For the first time in 18 years, a World Championship round is taking place in South Africa again. The 11th round of the 2026 Motocross World Championship will also be the sixth Grand Prix held in South Africa. The first World Championship round in the 250cc class took place in Corobrik in 1985, won by the Frenchman Jacky Vimond. This was followed in 2004 by the first of three races in Sun City. In 2008, the World Championship visited Nelspruit, 350 km east of Johannesburg.

High-altitude conditions at 1,800 metres

The track is situated at an altitude of 1,800 metres, which means a loss of performance for both rider and machine. The ground is expected to be slightly softer than it was in Montevarchi a week ago.

Weather forecast

South Africa is in the southern hemisphere. It is currently winter. Compared with the recent races in Europe, daytime temperatures will remain below 20 degrees under clear skies and sunshine. At night, temperatures will drop to 3 degrees above zero.

Time zone and schedule

South Africa is in the UTC+2 time zone and is normally one hour ahead of Central European Time. However, as it is winter in South Africa and there is no daylight saving time even during the summer, no time adjustment is necessary. However, there will be no support class races taking place in Johannesburg. Consequently, Saturday’s schedule is different from usual. The qualifying races will start as early as 15:15. On Sunday, the races will start at 12 noon.

Situation at the top of the standings

Although World Championship leader Lucas Coenen had to concede the Grand Prix victory in Agueda to his closest rival Jeffrey Herlings (Honda), the Belgian was able to extend his lead in Portugal to 57 points. This may seem illogical, but the reason is his better result in the qualifying race in Agueda, and the qualifying race does not count towards the Grand Prix standings. 26 riders will line up on the start grid for the MXGP.

MXGP World Championship standings after round 10 of 19:

1. Lucas Coenen (B), KTM, 506

2. Jeffrey Herlings (NL), Honda, 449 (-57)

3. Romain Febvre (F), Kawasaki, 394 (-112)

4. Tim Gajser (SLO), Yamaha, 371 (-135)

Auch für Calvin Vlaanderen ist Südafrika ein Heim-Grand-Prix

Foto: Thoralf Abgarjan

MX2: Simon Längenfelder needs another podium finish

In the MX2 World Championship, championship leader Sacha Coenen lost a lot of points in Portugal. Spanish Triumph works rider Guillem Farres is on a mission to take the championship lead and picked up the maximum 60 championship points in Agueda. For defending champion Simon Längenfelder (KTM), the decisive phase is now upon him to turn things round and get back into the title race. A 62-point gap to the top can still be closed in the second half of the season if he starts now and focuses on his strengths: consistency at a high level. This does not necessarily require victories, but regular podium finishes. If he manages another Grand Prix podium in South Africa, he’ll be on the right track. Twenty-one riders have entered the MX2 class.

MX2 World Championship standings after round 10 of 19:

1. Sacha Coenen (B), KTM, 477

2. Guillem Farres (E), Triumph, 450 (-27)

3. Simon Längenfelder (D), KTM, 415 (-62)

4. Camden Mc Lellan (ZA), Triumph, 413 (-64)

5. Liam Everts (B), Husqvarna, 397 (-80)

Here’s how to follow the races*):

Saturday, 4 July 2026

Sunday, 5 July 2026