Heartbreak in Darwin: De Wolf denied back-to-back crown as Everts takes sixth overall

Kay de Wolf’s MX2 title dream was shattered in cruel fashion at a rain-lashed Australian finale – a rare technical failure in race two ripping away his hopes of back-to-back crowns – while Liam Everts fought to secure sixth in the final standings.  

Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing faced a heart-stopping end to the 2025 FIM MX2 Motocross World Championship, as the series returned to Australia for the first time in 24 years. Darwin’s Hidden Valley Motorsports Complex - a 1540-metre strip of deep red clay under brutal heat - provided the backdrop for one of the most dramatic title showdowns in recent memory.

Arriving in Australia, Kay de Wolf trailed Simon Längenfelder by just 16 points and knew only victories would do. He set the tone in Saturday’s qualifying race, taking his fourth qualy win of the year to trim the gap to 13 points, before carrying that form into Sunday’s opener.

In Sunday’s opening moto, de Wolf produced a signature masterclass. After shadowing the leaders in the early stages, he pounced on lap 14 and immediately stretched a nine-second cushion. Controlling the pace to the finish, he crossed the line 4.4 seconds ahead of Längenfelder, setting the fastest lap in the process and igniting the final title fight.

Race two began with the Dutchman again at the sharp end, running second and piling pressure on race leader Sacha Coenen as torrential rain hit the circuit. Längenfelder crashed multiple times, dropping well outside the top ten, and the championship momentum swung decisively towards de Wolf. But with the track turning into a swamp of sticky red clay, disaster struck: technical issues forced de Wolf out on lap eight. Despite heroic efforts to push his FC 250 through the sludge, it was the team’s first mechanical retirement of the season - ending his hopes of consecutive world titles.

De Wolf was eventually classified sixth after the rain-lashed second moto was red-flagged, yet his 1-6 scorecard was still enough to secure the overall Grand Prix victory. Agonisingly, the championship slipped away by just nine points. He closes the 2025 season as Vice World Champion on 919 points, with six wins, 13 podiums, and a campaign that will be remembered as one of the most exciting in MX2 history.

Team-mate Liam Everts signed off his season with a fighting weekend. Fifth in the opening moto, only 0.8s from fourth, he looked set for another top-five in race two before a fall dropped him to eighth. The Belgian wrapped up the year sixth overall in the championship with 635 points, his highlights including a Grand Prix win in Spain and three podiums across the season.

#1 - Kay de Wolf: "It is what it is - I have no regrets. I gave it everything and I’m proud of myself; I was 70 points back after Matterley Basin and didn’t put a wheel wrong after that to bring the fight right down to the last race. The first moto went exactly to plan - I felt strong, took my time, and once in the lead I managed the gap. In the second moto the rain made the conditions insane. At one point it looked like the title was coming my way, but then we had a rare technical failure with the bike. To lose it like that is heartbreaking, my dream literally fell apart. But I’ve already shown that I am a champion, and I wanted to end this season as one. Thank you to the team, my family, and everyone who supported me. Next year I’ll bounce back and try again."

#72 - Liam Everts: "Race one was solid - I felt good on the bike and stayed close to the podium battle, which gave me confidence going into the second moto. I was running well there too, but a small mistake cost me a few places and I couldn’t recover the ground. It’s not the way I wanted to end the season, but looking back there have been some real highs - like my GP win in Spain and the other podiums we achieved. We also had some setbacks, which hurt in the final standings, but that’s part of racing and part of learning. Overall I feel I’ve made progress as a rider, and with the experience gained this year I know we can take another step forward next season."

Results  -  2025 FIM Motocross World Championship, Round Twenty:

MX2  -  Overall:
1. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 41pts; 2. Simon Längenfelder (KTM) 37pts; 3. Valerio Lata (Honda) 34pts; 4. Sacha Coenen (KTM) 33pts; 8. Liam Everts (Husqvarna) 29pts; 11. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 22pts;

MX2  -  Moto One:
1. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 33:42.445; 2. Simon Längenfelder (KTM) 33:46.926; 3. Guillem Farres (Triumph) 33:51.380; 5. Liam Everts (Husqvarna) 33:54.414; 6. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 34:10.531; 13. Sacha Coenen (KTM) 33:44.886;

MX2  -  Moto Two:
1. Sacha Coenen (KTM) 17:09.073; 2. Valerio Lata (Honda) 17:30.525; 3. Rick Elzinga (Yamaha) 17:45.596; 5. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 17:50.194; 6. Simon Längenfelder (KTM) 17:50.619; 8. Liam Everts (Husqvarna) 18:05.099; 14. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 15:19.630;

MX2  -  Standings:
1. Simon Längenfelder (KTM) 928pts; 2. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 919pts; 3. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 845pts; 4. Sacha Coenen (KTM) 798pts; 6. Liam Everts (Husqvarna) 635pts; 46. Marc-Antoine Rossi (KTM) 6pts;