09-03-2026	MXGP News
A solid start of the World Championship for Fantic Factory Racing MXGP in Argentina

MXGP is back in action, and Brent Van doninck opened the 2026 FIM Motocross World Championship with a twelfth-place overall finish, while his Fantic Factory Racing MXGP teammate Alberto Forato experienced a more challenging weekend.

The MXGP of Argentina kicked off what is set to become a stellar MXGP season. Lining up alongside no fewer than 14 (!) former GP winners, Brent Van doninck and Alberto Forato came home 12th and 18th overall on their first World Championship outing aboard the Fantic XXF 450.

For Fantic, the much-anticipated season opener marked the beginning of a new journey with the new team structure led by Jacky Martens. The results – and even more so the information gathered – provide a solid base to keep building as the team looks ahead to a long season.

Brent Van doninck opted for a calm approach, taking his time to adapt to the brand-new racetrack in Bariloche, and finished 15th in Saturday’s qualifying race, despite a start that was not yet ideal. Ninth in Sunday morning’s warm-up – a session that saw both Fantic Factory Racing MXGP riders inside the top 10 – Van doninck ran close to the top 10 in the two races as well, finishing 13th and 11th, for 12th overall.

Alberto Forato, who had already impressed with second place at the Internazionali d’Italia for his Fantic debut earlier this year, did not have luck on his side in Argentina. Eleventh and twelfth in the practice sessions, he was hit by roost right at the start of the qualifying race and struggled with visibility throughout, which meant he had to settle for 17th gate pick.

In Sunday’s races, “Alby” went down twice right after the start, remounting at the back of the field. Despite damaging his front brake in the crash, he still managed to pick up a point with a 20th-place finish in the opening race. In race 2, he came back to 15th, securing 18th overall – a result that does not reflect his potential, but he will have plenty of opportunities to bounce back soon.

The MXGP paddock now moves back to Europe for the Grand Prix of Andaluc?a in Almonte, scheduled for 21-22 March.

Brent Van doninck:
“A solid start to the season – nothing too special, but two solid races with good points and, most importantly, no crashes, because it was a pretty eventful weekend for many riders. Personally, I am happy, we definitely have something to build on. I know I always need the first races to find my rhythm a bit. We will keep working and improving race by race, and I am looking forward to the process.”

Alberto Forato:
“It was a pretty unlucky weekend, but I am healthy, and I guess that is a big positive. Actually, on Saturday I felt pretty good, until the qualifying race, when something hit my left eye and I couldn’t see properly from that eye for the entire race – it was a very tough one. In race 1, I went down right at the first corner. My handlebar was bent and I had no front brake, but I continued and finished twentieth. Before the second race, my starting blocks went missing, so we borrowed one that obviously wasn’t my usual size. Behind the gate, I lost my balance and my finger slipped. I thought I was going to hit the gate, but it went down instead. I slowed down immediately, thinking they would stop us, but the red flag came out after a couple of laps. At the restart, I got through the first corner pretty well, but then I was involved in another crash. My bike got stuck under two others, and I lost a lot of time there. Restarting last once again, I finished fifteenth. This is definitely not the way I wanted to start my season, but that is how it goes sometimes. Now we have to focus on the next race. We will try to be better in Spain and, hopefully, we will be luckier next time around.”

 

Online: Stefan Uhlmann