The Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki team got off to a perfect start to the 2026 season at the Spanish Grand Prix, the opening round of the EMX250 European Championship, securing a resounding one-two finish with Francisco Garcia and Jake Cannon taking first and second place, respectively.

Garcia dominates at home
Hailing from a region just two hours away from the Grand Prix, Francisco Garcia delivered a flawless performance throughout the weekend in front of a raucous crowd. The Spanish rider dominated the field, setting the fastest time in qualifying before winning both races in commanding fashion.

In the first race, Francisco Garcia got off to a strong start, quickly took the lead, and was never challenged, controlling the race like a true champion. In the second race, despite a more difficult start, he used his speed and racing intelligence to gradually catch up to his rivals and secure another victory.

This perfect weekend (1-1) allowed him to leave with the red leader’s plate, confirming a momentum already seen last season, where he consistently won and made a strong impression right from the start of the championship.

Cannon confirms its growth
For his part, Jake Cannon also made a strong impression with his best performance yet in the EMX250 class, confirming the progress he’s made over the offseason.

In the first race, the Australian showed excellent speed and made several passes to secure a solid second-place finish. In the second race, after crashing in the pack, he restarted around 12th position. Faster than his competitors, he mounted an impressive charge up to fifth place.

Thanks to his consistency and fighting spirit, Jake Cannon secured second place in the overall standings for the event, as well as in the championship after this first round.
An ideal start to the season

With this one-two finish, the Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki team has made a strong statement right from the start and established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the EMX250 field. This overall result confirms the potential of both riders in the title race this season.

See you next weekend for the second round of the EMX250 European Championship in Switzerland, but before that, check out the Inside vlog from the weekend here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi1pQJnJqt0

Jake Cannon: “I’m happy to show that I have the potential to compete at the front this season. It was an incredible weekend for the team, and I feel ready to deliver this for them as often as possible.”

Francisco Garcia: “It was probably the best race of my life; winning everything in front of my home crowd will be unforgettable. The season is off to a great start, and I’m going to give it my all to keep it going.”

This weekend, the French Motocross Championship officially kicked off its season at the Castelnau-de-Lévis circuit, offering a high-level spectacle and an ideal setting to start 2026. Right from the start, the team made a strong impression with a victory, a one-two finish in MX2, and a podium finish in 85cc, clearly signaling its ambitions for the rest of the championship.

After each securing pole position in their respective groups during the morning’s timed practice sessions, Fran Carbonero Garcia delivered a perfect weekend. With two perfectly controlled races, he won twice and left Castelnau-de-Lévis as the championship leader, confirming his excellent form right from the first round.

Alongside him, Jake Cannon also put in a remarkable performance. Thanks to two solid second-place finishes, he completed the MX2 double and demonstrated valuable consistency for the rest of the season.

Competing in the 85cc class, Tim Lopes also shone. Taking pole position with a lead of almost two seconds, he set the fastest time in the first race but, despite two crashes, finished fourth. He bounced back perfectly by winning the second race and securing second place overall.

This collective success rewards the hard work of the entire team and is an ideal start to the title race, both physically and mentally.

All eyes are now on the next event: the opening round of the EMX250 European Championship, which will take place in Spain in three weeks’ time, with the aim of continuing this positive momentum.

Jake Cannon : “I am very happy with today. Riding is going in the right direction. I still need to work on a few things but the speed is good and that’s only the first race”

Francisco Garcia : “Perfect day today going 1-1. I enjoyed a lot and I see that my speed is very good. I was already ready to fight for French and European championship but now I am more motivated than never.”

Tim Lopes : “A second place overall this weekend, of course I wanted to win as I was the fastest on track but I learnt a lot and I am ready for the rest of the championship.”

Team Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Francisco Garcia rounded out the European EMX250 Motocross Championship season with his third overall victory of the campaign to confirm the series bronze medal.

The Spanish teenager, nominated last week to represent his country for the first time at next month’s Motocross of Nations, ended the season with a perfect double win! On Saturday he emerged fourth at the first turn and was quickly on the move. Clearly the fastest man on-track he swept into the lead on the second lap to win by six seconds, with the fastest lap of the race. Bubbling with confidence after his overwhelming victory in the first moto the Spanish teenager again rode a tight line through turn one to emerge second and was content to shadow the leader for twenty minutes before sweeping past under the eyes of the Bud Racing pit crew on lap ten of fourteen to complete his perfect weekend with a conclusive victory, his eighth moto success and third overall win of the season. His personal consistency and the reliable quality performance of the Bud Racing Kawasaki KX250 were underlined by the fact that he collected eight podiums through the thirteen-round series to earn the FIM series bronze medal.

Francisco Garcia: “That first race was a great moto for me; I made some really good passes early on and rode timed training laps to pull a gap. At the start of the second race Reisulis was pushing hard and I didn’t want to eat his roost so I was content to sit back from his rear wheel and then come back to take the lead after twenty minutes. I feel on top of the world to finish my first complete EMX season with a 1-1. I have been really happy with my last few races and my family was here this weekend to celebrate with me. Now we fly back to France and I will ride a 450 in preparation for the Motocross of Nations. It was always my dream to ride for my country and I will work 200% for the next few weeks to be ready to give my absolute best !”

Bud teammate Jake Cannon also ended the season well, even if on Saturday he missed a better result as he was fourth before being unceremoniously hit from behind by an over-enthusiastic chaser. Rejoining the race eleventh he needed a couple of laps to settle before charging again to cross the finishing line seventh. He had another strong ride through the pack to finish fourth in the second moto and over the weekend. In that second moto Jake was pushed wide at turn one to emerge ninth but quickly gained two positions and after a few laps he was able to make decisive passes to advance to fifth on lap eight and two laps later swept into fourth. His efforts confirmed eighth in his first FIM series in Europe.

Jake Cannon: “I was happy with my riding this weekend; just that incident yesterday spoilt my chances of the podium. I got stuck behind some other riders for too long during the first few laps of the second moto and that cost me the chance of top-three in the moto. Anyway, I learnt a lot from this season and I will come in stronger next season from the experience. I start supercross practice this week and fly back home to Australia on October 1 for the supercross season.”