The Oriental Beauty Valley MXGP of China took place this weekend at the Shanghai circuit—a venue featuring a futuristic structure capable of hosting up to 50,000 spectators, located in the Fengxian district just outside the metropolis of Shanghai.
After securing sixth place in Saturday’s qualifying race, Calvin Vlaanderen struggled to get the best jump off the gate in the first moto but fought tenaciously to climb from tenth to sixth position. He got off to an excellent start in the second moto; the Red Bull Ducati Factory MXGP Team rider made the most of his Desmo450 MX to run with the leaders right from the beginning. Running fourth from the opening lap, Calvin posted impressive lap times and crossed the finish line in fourth place, securing fourth overall for the day. For the Dutch rider—who matched the fourth-place finish he achieved at the South African GP—this marks his best result of the season in terms of points scored over a single weekend.
The riders will now head to Darwin, Australia, where the final round of the 2026 MXGP World Championship will take place next weekend.
Calvin Vlaanderen: “It was a good weekend overall, I’m happy with my riding and my speed already from the first practice on Saturday. I had a good feeling with the track and the bike and I felt like I was fourth best all weekend long, so it was nice to get a good start on that second race and to finish in fourth overall. Let’s carry this momentum into Australia for the final round; thanks to all the team and the crew for the hard work and let’s try and finish off with the good result.”
