Kevin Brumann headed into the 2026 Motocross des Nations as something of an unknown after missing several weeks of action with a head injury. Having only returned to racing at the final ADAC MX Masters round the weekend before, the Swiss rider was nevertheless called upon to represent his country at Ernée alongside experienced riders in Valentin Guillod and Jeremy Seewer.
Brumann rose to the occasion, putting together solid rides on a very technical track as Switzerland secured eighth overall, matching the result of Team Great Britain. For Brumann, the weekend was not only about delivering a result for his country, but also proving to himself that he was ready to return to competition after a challenging period on the sidelines.
We caught up with Brumann after the Nations to discuss his injury comeback, Switzerland’s eighth-place finish, working alongside Guillod and Seewer, his 2026 MXGP season and his hopes of remaining in the MXGP paddock for 2027.
GateDrop: Kevin, Switzerland ended up eighth overall, that’s pretty good I have to say, are you happy with that?
Brumann: Yeah, we are happy. The goal was to at least be in the top 10 and then maybe it would have been better. We tried our best, every rider gave their best, Valentin and Jeremy did an amazing job with getting great results. For sure we fought hard for all of the race, everyone tried as hard as they can and then we ended up eight overall tied with England. We are pretty happy, the federation is happy, we tried to make Switzerland proud and so it was good.
GateDrop: Coming into the weekend you were probably the biggest unknown because you were out injured and you only got one race before this last weekend but I feel like the speed was pretty good, were you happy with the speed and the riding?
Brumann: We are definitely happy with the riding, it was some tough five weeks with the head injury, then as you say two weeks ago we started riding again. Last weekend I had one race quickly in just to be a little bit prepared for this weekend. Overall we’re really happy with the riding, it was good, we had three solid moto’s so we’re happy.
GateDrop: The last ADAC went well for you, you got third in a moto and it was the first race back, if that race hadn’t went too well, was there a chance you maybe wouldn’t have even raced this weekend or you all was all in?
Brumann: No, it was all in, we would have come anyway for Switzerland, that was the main goal to be fit for this weekend because it’s always an honour to represent the country. For sure when the Swiss Federation does such a great job and it was a good weekend.
GateDrop: Being close to Jeremy and Valentin, obviously they’re very experienced with many years in MXGP, what’s it been like with them this weekend and are you able to learn things from them?
Brumann: It was good. I have to say it was a really nice weekend with team Spirit, they tried to help the best they could. Everyone tried to help each other from race to race, we discussed about lines, Valentin really helped me and Jeremy as well. Also our team trainer we had for the race, he was helping a lot, Philippe Dupasquier, a former GP rider – he helped us a lot. For sure, I think the Team Spirit was here and we can be happy.
GateDrop: What was it like riding on the track, it looked like you had to be very precise, with good throttle control, it looked really really technical, was it as challenging as it looked?
Brumann: The track was rough, I have to admit. I only have rode once during the week before coming here and I didn’t have it that rough in mind. It was technical, on one hand it was nice that it took the speed a little bit out, but for sure it was a hard race, for sure physically, but we tried our best.
GateDrop: Just on your GP season, obviously before the injury, I feel like you were pretty consistent, in and around that 15th place, sometimes even in the top 10, were you happy with it until obviously the injury came?
Brumann: We had a tough start with the shoulder injury we got in Spain and then after that we just tried to race myself a little bit into fitness, but then we were getting quite consistent. We adjusted a lot, so when I was fit and riding, I was happy about my riding, obviously the class is stacked and it’s really tough to be to the top 10, because everybody’s really fast and it’s really close. We’re happy about riding, not with the results by the end of the year, but it is what it is.
GateDrop: And what are the chances we’re going to see Kevin Brumann race MXGP again next year?
Brumann: For the moment, the chances are there, but they’re not really high yet, so we’re still in discussions with teams and see what the plans are for 2027.
GateDrop: What does Kevin Brumann want, does he want to be in the GP paddock or would he be happy just racing national championships?
Brumann: No, we still want to be back, there’s still some stuff I want to achieve, so we still have to be back for that. Hopefully it all happens.
