PETRONAS Lubricants International (PLI) has been announced as the sponsor of Honda HRC’s MXGP team, where Ruben Fernandez, Tom Vialle, Jeffrey Herlings (all MXGP) and Valerio Lata (MX2) will look to add to the incredible heritage of the team when they line-up for the 2026 Motocross World Championships.
It’s been a busy off-season for everyone involved with the team, integrating the new riders onto unfamiliar machinery, as well as working with new sponsors to make sure everything is ready for another gruelling 20-round series spanning to the globe. Starting off the season in Argentina, ending in Australia and visiting numerous European nations as well as a revisit to South Africa in between, all four riders know that speed and consistency will be key if they want to have a rewarding 2026 campaign.
For Jeffrey Herlings – the winningest rider in GP history – he will not only be looking to extend that record but also add to his five world championship titles. Joining Honda HRC PETRONAS in a statement signing on January 1st, the Dutchman has been testing and riding extensively since then and will now look to use a couple of pre-season races to get himself up to race-pace before the first gatedrop in Bariloche, Argentina on March 7-8.
Joining him on the start-line will be another new signing and two-time MX2 champion Vialle, who returns to Europe after an extremely successful time stateside where he also picked up two Supercross titles. The Frenchman will be riding a 450cc machine for the first time in his career, and like Herlings, he’ll also be piloting Honda machinery for the first time.
Those two will be alongside the returning Fernandez, who finished the 2025 MXGP World Championship in fourth place. The #70 was consistent all-season long, with flashes of speed which boosted him onto the podium on a number of occasions. Now the goal for the Spaniard is to show those flashes more often and fight it out at the front of the field on a regular basis.
The sole representative in the MX2 class is Lata, who is now in his second year in the class and should feel much more confident heading into 2026. He finished off in Australia with his first podium with the team and now he know what it takes, he has been putting in the work over the off-season to try and make it happen throughout this campaign.
Now the riders have a few more weeks and preseason races to negotiate before heading down to South America, but all are raring to go and really excited to line-up for Honda HRC PETRONAS in the 2026 World Motocross Championships.
Ruben Fernandez 70
I’ve had a really good preseason and I’m really excited to get down to Argentina and start this campaign. Obviously the first two rounds are in Spanish-speaking countries so that’s always a nice boost, so I’m confident that I can start off strongly and just keep that going. Last year I was consistent, but not on the podium as much as I would have liked, so now the goal is to just really aim for the top three and make another step forward.
Tom Vialle 16
Coming back to Europe has been a change, but not a massive one, so I think I have got back into things over here quickly. The bike is of course completely different, but I’ve been riding it since November and we done a lot of work and got things to a level that I’m happy with. However, testing and training is a lot different than racing GPs, so that will be the real test, but I’m confident in my ability and I feel ready to get back in the series and really show everyone what I’m capable of on the bigger bikes.
Jeffrey Herlings 84
It’s definitely been a hectic preseason so far, just learning the new bike, learning the team and just trying to get myself ready for the season ahead. I’ve done a lot of training since January 1, and we’ve made a lot of steps to get the bike where I want it, but we will keep working and testing and just make sure that I’m as ready as possible for Argentina. It has been a lot of changes, but so far, I am enjoying the challenge and the motivation is high coming into round one.
Valerio Lata 18
I’m feeling fit and healthy, and excited to start the season. Last year was a tough year, and a steep learning curve to be able to race all the rounds but I feel like I have made a lot of improvements and I think I am much better prepared to race 20 races around the world. I have been riding with the other guys a few times and I think it is really helpful to see how they do things as they are a lot more experienced than me. Overall, I am very happy with how things have gone and I am really looking forward to Argentina.
Marcus Pereira de Freitas
HRC General Manager – MXGP
I think the signings that Honda HRC PETRONAS have made this year, have showed the level that we are operating on. To have a line-up of riders of such a high calibre with multiple world championships like Jeffrey and Tom, really raise the profile of the team, not just amongst motocross, but in motorsports in general. Of course now we must match that standard on the race track, but we’ve had a productive month or so and I believe all four riders are ready to compete at the highest level in Argentina.
Giacomo Gariboldi
Team HRC Team Manager
I am very excited for this year, both the rider line-up we have. I think all four riders are capable of winning races, and while that might not happen immediately, I really believe we will get stronger and stronger as the season progresses and I can’t wait to watch it all unfold, both as a fan and as the Team Manager.
