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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1544134
Vialle and Laengenfelder Seal Wins in Switzerland T he third round of the FIM Mo- tocross World Championship took place at the Schollenholz circuit in Switzerland. For the first time in 2026, racers were faced with wet conditions as overnight rains soaked the track for Sun - day's schedule. The treacherous conditions saw four different winners emerge with a new face in every gate drop. Despite the challenges, Tom Vialle and Simon Laengenfelder minimized their mistakes and came away with their respective victories. MXGP Vialle tangled with his Honda HRC Petronas teammate Ruben Fernandez during Saturday's qualifying race, which left Vialle with a poor starting position for Sunday's first moto. Somehow, the French rider still got a great jump and cut across the field to steal the lead away in the first turn. Vialle stuck to his lines and cruised away with the top spot while other riders faced mechani - cal issues due to the deep ruts. Two of Vialle's main competi- tors, Lucas Coenen and Jeffrey Herlings, challenged in the early portion of the race but both riders suffered the same fate of de- railed chains, which forced them out of the race. This allowed Vi- alle to take the opening win by a margin of more than 10 seconds. Behind him, Maxime Renaux and Ruben Fernandez rounded out the podium in race one. After a disastrous opening moto, Coenen fired back with a holeshot to start race two. The Red Bull KTM Factory rider continued to build his lead as the running order shuffled behind him. At the line, Coenen clinched the race win by a 12-second margin as he salvaged enough points to maintain the red plate. Vialle faced his share of troubles as he fell early on. The Honda rider worked his way back to sixth, which granted him the overall win for the first time this season. It's also Vialle's first-ever MXGP overall win, as he now moves to second in the champi - onship standings. "I really didn't know that I had won when I crossed the line," Vialle said. "I thought I'd be on the podium, because other riders didn't have two good scores, but I just wanted to try and pass as many guys as possible in that second moto. Still, it is very cool to have won the GP, my first in the MXGP class and my first with this new team and hopefully the first of many. It was a very tricky cir - cuit and not something I'm used to, but I kept fighting until the end, and while I did make a couple of mistakes, it is good to know that I have been at the front in three different types of tracks." Tim Gajser and Herlings traded positions late in the race as the two former champions claimed the final two spots on the podium. The mishap from Herlings in race one prevented an overall podium as Renaux and Gajser put both of their Yamahas on the overall podium in second and third, respectively. It was Re - naux's best finish of the season. "The first race was solid," Renaux said. "I had a good start, good pace, and worked my way up to second. The second race was more difficult. I had another good start but then crashed, and after that I was riding quite tight. Tom Vialle earned his first-ever MXGP overall win with 1-6 scores at the MXGP of Switzerland. WIND IN THE P64