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.”

Team Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Francisco Garcia clinched his fourth consecutive podium in the penultimate round of the European EMX250 Motocross Championship at Arnhem in The Netherlands to confirm his medal placing in the series.

Narrowly edged out of pole by less than a fifth of a second in Timed Practice Francisco did most of the race in second position behind the series leader, but after twenty minutes he remounted his attack as fitness played a role during the closing stages of the half-hour race. Lapping three seconds a lap faster than anybody else he dived decisively inside for the lead two-and-a-half laps from the finish and swept relentlessly clear to win easing up by three seconds. It was his fifth victory from the last seven motos! Competitors faced heavy wet sand for their second race of the weekend and Francisco was content to stay out of the roost in third through the early laps before switching into attack mode on lap seven to sweep into second. But on lap eleven he lost twelve seconds a single slip as the front wheel washed out leaving a turn. The incident demoted Garcia to fourth in the moto but second overall was still secure. The Bud Kawasaki teamstar is now confirmed to end the season as a medalist.

Francisco Garcia: “I had a good start in the first race and was pushing for the lead early; I made a small mistake and crashed after a few laps but I stayed calm and came back strong for the win. The track is really technical but I like that and I could play with the track; I know I have the fitness and I had the speed to push at the end. It was like a different track for the second moto; I prefer a bumpy track but it was much flatter after they had graded and watered overnight. I fell one time when I made a mistake and lost the front; I managed to come back a little but my rhythm was not as good as yesterday and I had to settle for second overall.”

Bud teammate Jake Cannon had only sixteenth choice of gate after missing a time at the first attempt but rode a smart first turn in the moto to emerge tenth. After a long successful battle for ninth the super-fit Australian teenager went into attack mode during the second half of the moto, making two passes in a single lap for seventh on lap ten before closing the gap to pass for sixth two laps later. He kept pushing to almost snatch fifth at the chequered flag. Eleventh through the early laps of race two, he made a pass to advance to tenth and stayed tenth until three corners from the finish when he was forced out of the race by a damaged radiator. He remains ninth in the series standings but is just three points from eighth and has every possibility to advance higher at the final round of the series in two weeks’ time.

Jake Cannon: “I didn’t get a good jump out of the gate but I went inside at turn one to come out top-ten and just kept chugging along, ticking off the laps during the first half of the race. The track was really choppy and my legs are feeling it now but I was fast and strong at the end; I caught and passed several guys but I need more intensity at the beginning.”

Stéphane Dassé (Bud Kawasaki team owner): « It was again a good weekend for us with yet another podium for Francisco. Yesterday he dominated the first race and for sure it would have been perfect if he had won this round but anyway we are very happy with him; he is consistent and never gives up! It’s his fourth podium in a row; sometimes he wants too much and we need to calm him down, but we are really happy with both riders.”

Team Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki’s Francisco Garcia claim his sixth podium of the European EMX250 Motocross Championship campaign at Uddevalla in Sweden and consolidate third in the series standings.

The Spanish youngster had shown his ability to learn quickly when he posted second-fastest time in his group on his first visit to the Scandinavian track. In the first moto of the weekend he wasted no time in hitting the front as he exploded into action with a decisive inside pass for the lead at turn three. It was his fourth victory in the last five motos of the series ! His start on Sunday was not that good and he was seventeenth at the first timing split. He quickly moved into the top-ten halfway round the first full lap, then advance to fourth and pushed to the end with a decisive pass for third on the final lap securing second overall over the weekend with the same points-haul as the winner. With just two rounds of the series remaining, he is now assured of at least the bronze medal.

Francisco Garcia: “I am so happy with my form at the moment; I have won four of the last five motos and I am now looking to continue like this to the end of the season with more moto podiums. My speed was again good and I am strong in the sand so I am confident heading to Arnhem next weekend.”

Bud teammate Jake Cannon also posted top-three in his Qualifying group. The Australian emerged just outside the top-ten from turn one in the first moto but faced a tough race after slipping off on lap two; he advanced to tenth after twenty minutes and eventually took the chequered flag ninth. On Sunday he got the good start he needed as he powered out on turn one fifth but he surrendered three places halfway round the first lap as he was thrown off the side of the track after a big jump and needed time to settle back into his rhythm. Decisive moves during the second half of the race saw the him regain fifth in moto on the final lap to also claim fifth overall on the weekend. He is now tied for eighth in the series standings.

Jake Cannon: “I felt good on the bike and was enjoying the track but the first moto just didn’t go my way. I rode strong to get back to ninth after crashing on the second lap but I need to get better starts and minimize the errors. I’m frustrated with my first lap in the second moto as I jumped off the side of the track after a good start. After ten minutes I started riding like myself again and came back to fifth for fifth overall; I just have to put it all together for a full moto, I know I have the speed to be at the front.”