A year after narrowly missing out on the title to Fabio Santos – by just 12 points – due to injury, Stephen Rubini has finally sealed the deal. Now based in Brazil, the French rider captured the national MX1 crown, adding his name to the history books of the Brazilian Motocross Championship.
With teammate Bernardo Tibúrcio already securing the MX2 title, Reinaldo Almeida’s Honda Racing squad completed the double this Sunday in Indaiatuba, host of the championship finale.
Rubini arrived at the decisive round with a 15-point lead over defending champion Fabio Santos, after a season filled with direct battles between the two. By smartly managing his last two motos, the Frenchman did exactly what was needed to secure his first South American crown.
Rubini wasn’t alone in his title campaign. This season he benefitted from the support of his Belgian teammate Jeremy Van Horebeek, who won at the Indaiatuba finale. With 2-1 moto scores, the experienced Honda rider took the overall win ahead of Grégory Aranda (1-2) and Rubini (3-6), delivering a 100% European podium at the final round of the Brazilian Motocross season. Hardy Munoz (9-3) and Talmon German Bratschi (4-7) rounded out the top five.
Early championship leader Fabio Santos endured a difficult end to the season, plagued by crashes and injuries. The reigning champion could only salvage eighth place in Indaiatuba (6-9), ending his quest for a seventh national crown.
“I’m very happy for the whole team that worked so hard for this title; we truly deserve it. I want to thank the team, my wife, my family and my coach David Vuillemin – they all played a part in this success. Last year I came very close, but I lost the title because of an injury. I didn’t give up this season, and now I’ve made it happen,” said Rubini, who collected seven moto wins in 2025.
In the final standings, Fabio Santos ended the season with four moto wins, the same tally as Jeremy Van Horebeek, who secured a well-deserved third overall. It was a strong reward for the Belgian, who returned from a serious vertebrae injury sustained at the Touquet earlier this year. Racing both motocross and Arenacross in 2025, Grégory Aranda wrapped up the Brazilian MX1 season in fifth overall, despite missing two rounds due to a shoulder injury sustained in round four. While Van Horebeek and Rubini competed under the Honda Brazil banner, Aranda represented KTM with Team 595 Racing.
