The fourth round of the 2026 World Championship will remain in the memories of the Osicka Racing team and Julius Mikula. Riding his 250 SX-F, the Czech rider battled with the best factory riders in the championship to secure the best result of his career: a sixth-place finish in the sand of Riola Sardo, a venue renowned as one of the most demanding on the calendar.
Back with Osicka KTM this year after a season with TM last year, Mikula was the big surprise of the weekend in Sardinia. Already solid on Saturday with 11th place in the qualifying race, the Czech rider ran at the front in both motos on Sunday.
Starting in the lead group in the first moto, Mikula held off Liam Everts in the early stages before being passed by Janis Reisulis, eventually finishing fifth—his best-ever moto result—while also setting the second-fastest lap time on track behind Sacha Coenen. After an excellent start in the second moto and running third in the early laps, the Osicka rider held on but tightened up, made a few mistakes, and finished eighth. The overall top five slipped away by just one position.
Across the two motos, Mikula secured sixth overall at the Sardinian Grand Prix. It marks not only his best career result, but also the best performance for the Czech Osicka Racing team in the World Championship, as well as the best result ever achieved by a Czech rider in the MX2 World Championship.
By finishing ninth at the Cózar GP last season, Mikula had equalled the record previously held by Jiří Čepelák, who finished ninth at the Spanish Grand Prix in Bellpuig in the MX2 class back in 2004—22 years earlier. With his sixth-place finish at Riola Sardo this weekend, Mikula has gone one better and now stands alone as the record holder for the Czech delegation.
A result that rewards not only Julius’ work, but also the commitment of the entire Martin Osicka-led team.
Julius Mikula:
“The fourth round of the World Championship was held in Riola Sardo — for me, the toughest track in the world. The sand there is basically bottomless, so the track gets extremely rough. Anyway, I set both my own and the Czech MX2 record there — 5th in the first moto, 8th in the second, and 6th overall. It was a good weekend. Thanks to everyone for the support.”
It’s worth noting that last year, only four non-factory riders managed to break into a top five in an MX2 moto: David Braceras, Quentin Prugnières, Cas Valk, and Oriol Oliver. Julius Mikula is the first to achieve this in 2026.
After Riola Sardo, Julius Mikula sits eleventh in the MX2 World Championship standings, just behind the leading non-factory rider in the championship, Kay Karssemakers.
