Talviku secures 16th overall at MXGP of Netherlands in Fantic fill-in role
Fill-in rider Jörgen-Matthias Talviku finished 16th overall at the MXGP of The Netherlands with 15th and 13th in the two races.
- 16th
- 15th and 13th
- 2
- over 30,000
What Happened
Fantic Factory Racing's MXGP squad reached round 16 of the 2026 FIM Motocross World Championship at the Motocrosspark Gelderland Midden in Arnhem without regular riders Alberto Forato and Brent Van doninck, both on the sidelines injured. Fill-in 23-year-old Estonian Jörgen-Matthias Talviku flew the flag aboard the Fantic XXF 450 in front of over 30,000 fans on his third GP appearance with the team. He posted the 11th-fastest lap in time practice and held 11th for most of the qualifying race before finishing 15th, despite battling sickness.
Talviku was 10th in Sunday morning's warm-up, a sign of his good feeling on the bike. An unlucky start to race 1 left him with work to do, but he recovered to 15th and then secured 13th in race 2, placing 16th overall — just 2 points shy of the top 10 in a highly competitive MXGP field. The weekend gave the 'JMT' rider a clear sense of progress, as he felt better and more relaxed on the Fantic.
- 11th-fastest lap in time practice
- 15th in qualifying race after holding 11th for most of it
- 10th in Sunday morning warm-up
- 15th in race 1 after an unlucky start
- 13th in race 2, 16th overall
“It was a solid weekend. Sick or not, we left everything out on track. On Saturday, I had a good start and was riding around P11 before finishing in P15. The speed was there, it was just a shame about the mistake at the start of race 1. We pushed hard for P15 and P13. I ended up in P16 overall, but just a couple of points from the top 10. I felt better on the bike this weekend, and I was also more ”
Previously from Fantic Motor S.p.A.
Talviku was signed as a fill-in for the injured Alberto Forato ahead of Fantic's home Grand Prix in Lommel, Belgium. On his debut there he finished 20th overall as Brent Van doninck took 14th, with the team running a one-off Belgian livery. Van doninck then fractured four ribs at the MXGP of Sweden, so Talviku remained the squad's sole MXGP entry at Arnhem.
- Fantic Motor Welcomes Jörgen-Matthias Talviku as Fill-In Rider for MXGP of Flanders
- Fantic runs Belgian one-off livery at home MXGP; Van doninck 14th, Talviku debuts
- Brent Van doninck out of MXGP of Netherlands with four fractured ribs
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Fantic Motor S.p.A.'s official releases.
Why this matters
With Alberto Forato and Brent Van doninck injured, Fantic Factory Racing's MXGP hopes rest on 23-year-old fill-in Talviku. His 16th overall, just 2 points from the top 10, shows the team can stay competitive and gives the young Estonian valuable seat time in the world championship.
Terms in This Story
- MXGP
- The top class of the FIM Motocross World Championship, raced on 450cc motorcycles.
- qualifying race
- A Saturday race that sets the starting order for Sunday's main races.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.