A podium finish for Fueri at Montevarchi, Freeman crowned E3 champion at Fafe, and a star-studded line-up at the TrialGP in Camerino.
Three disciplines in the spotlight. Extreme weather conditions. Results that carry weight in the world championship standings. From the first-ever European podium in the EMX250, to defending the overall lead in the EnduroGP, and an Italian TrialGP dominated by the heat and the talent of our riders, Betamotor’s weekend was a genuine, full-throttle spectacle. Here is the full round-up of a weekend lived strictly ‘at full throttle’.
After a twenty-year wait, the historic “Miravalle” circuit in Montevarchi reopened its doors to major international motocross, hosting the Italian Grand Prix, the ninth round of the World Championship. In the premier MXGP class, Jago Geerts (Beta RX450) demonstrated a marked improvement in his riding. After finishing 14th in qualifying, the Belgian fought tooth and nail to finish 12th in Race 1 and 15th in Race 2, securing 14th position overall for the day and climbing back up to 16th in the championship standings.
“We had a good weekend at Montevarchi. My feel for the track was excellent and I was right on the heels of the top ten all weekend. We’re heading in the right direction,” commented Geerts.
The biggest thrills, however, came from the EMX250 European Championship. Alexis Fueri (Beta RX250 2T), despite not yet being at his best following the shoulder injury he sustained in Latvia, had a weekend to remember. With a 7th place on Saturday and a sensational 4th place on Sunday, the Frenchman claimed the third step of the overall podium, securing Beta’s first podium finish in the category. There was also a thrilling comeback for Brando Rispoli: after an unlucky Race 1 (21st), he got off to a flying start on Sunday, taking the lead on the third lap and guiding the race for several laps before finishing with a fantastic third position in the race (11th overall).
“Getting on the podium after my injury was an incredibly emotional moment. I hadn’t expected to recover so quickly. I’m really happy for Beta and for the team,” said Fueri. Rispoli added: “On Sunday I took the lead but dropped the pace towards the end, still finishing third. A great result after a difficult start.”
The team is now preparing for the trip to Agueda for the Portuguese Grand Prix.
The EnduroGP circus remained in Fafe for the fifth round of the 2026 World Championship, tackling a gruelling 50 km course featuring a highly technical Extreme Test, a dusty Enduro Test and a blisteringly fast Cross Test on hard ground.
In a race dominated by heat and dust, Brad Freeman managed the situation with great maturity with the championship in mind. After finishing 4th on Day 1 in the E3 class, the Briton responded on Sunday with a valuable 3rd place in class (7th overall in EnduroGP), a crucial result that allows him to retain the lead in the E3 world championship standings.
“It was quite a challenging weekend. On Saturday I struggled to find the right rhythm, but on Sunday we managed to take a step forward. The positive thing is that we’re leaving Portugal whilst retaining the E3 lead,” analysed Freeman.
It was a more lacklustre weekend, however, for Nathan Watson, who failed to find the right feel for the Portuguese special stages, finishing with two 6th places in the closely contested E2 class. A special mention goes to Beta thanks to the exceptional performances of the Moto Espinha team in the national category: Xoel Fernandez dominated Day 1, whilst Lucas Espinha took the first position on Day 2, securing a splendid Beta one-two at the top of the national standings.
The World Championship now takes a break ahead of the sixth round at Saint-Agrève, in France, in mid-July.
Scorching temperatures and dry, extremely slippery sections greeted the riders at the TrialGP in Camerino, in front of an extraordinary crowd (over 1,000 spectators on Sunday).
Matteo Grattarola drew on all his experience: on Saturday he came close to victory, finishing in 2nd place (a mistake on section 12 proved costly), whilst on Sunday he managed his energy levels well to secure 6th place, consolidating his position on the third step of the overall championship standings.
“A very positive weekend; I’m really pleased. On Saturday I rode very well and the bike was performing brilliantly. Now we need to work hard for the next round in England,” said Grattarola.
His brother Harry Hemingway was less fortunate, hampered over the weekend by mistakes that saw him finish 7th and 8th. “Overall, it was a better weekend on the bike and I can’t wait for the home race next month,” said the rider. In the same class, Jaime Busto secured two third-place finishes on the day. George Hemingway showed great consistency and progress in Trial2: accustomed to English mud, he adapted masterfully to the slippery rocky terrain of Camerino, securing 3rd place overall on Saturday (thanks to a fantastic 1st place in Race 2) and an excellent 2nd place overall on Sunday. “I’m very pleased with how the weekend went for me. These two consecutive podium finishes have moved me up the standings and are helping me keep the leader in my sights. Next stop: the home Grand Prix,” commented George.
Among the women in the premier class, Andrea Sofia Rabino fought like a lioness on terrain very similar to that in Spain, taking home two excellent second-place finishes.
The real ovation of the weekend, however, goes to the Trial2 Women’s category, where the extraordinary debutant Queralt Fontdevila literally swept aside the competition by winning on both Saturday and Sunday, flying to the top of the world rankings on 68 points, joined on the podium by her team-mate Abril Montserrat (twice third) and Daniela Hernando in fourth place on Saturday.
Finally, worth noting is the excellent silver medal won by Marco Laure in Saturday’s Trial3.
Beta shines in Africa and Portugal
Beta shines across X-Trial and Hard Enduro
Beta spotlights the MY26 innovations
Busy weekend for Beta: race results
