The Fantic Factory Racing EMX team enjoyed a successful weekend at the MXGP of Sweden, with Bertram Thorius securing pole position and Gennaro Utech claiming a well-deserved podium. It was a more challenging outing for Fantic Factory Racing MXGP, especially Brent Van doninck, who was involved in a first-turn crash.
Fantic Factory Racing EMX
The GP weekend in Uddevalla got off to a dream start for Fantic, with an impressive 1-2 in qualifying practice: Bertram Thorius claimed his maiden pole position, with Gennaro Utech following close behind.
Thorius had a less ideal start to race 1, as he dropped outside the top 20 after a hectic first couple of corners. Utech was better positioned, battling in the top 5 right from the get-go. The 17-year-old from Sicily showed strong pace and held third place for most of the race. In the final stages, he was even fighting for second, but went down with two laps to go, resulting in a fourth-place finish. Thorius managed to fight his way back to seventh place.
In race 2, both had a strong start aboard their race-kitted Fantic XX 125 machines. Utech didn’t lose any time to show he was determined to bring home his first-ever EMX125 podium. He gave it his all until the chequered flag, moving into third place on the final lap. With a 4-3 result, the Italian claimed the third step of the podium, tied on points with the second-placed rider.
Thorius took a couple of laps to find his rhythm, but he eventually put together another solid performance that earned him fifth place both in the race and in the overall classification. With only one round to go, scheduled for September 5-6 in Türkiye, Thorius holds fourth place in the 2026 European Championship, while Utech sits in sixth, with the top 5 still within reach.
Gennaro Utech:
“It is hard to put my emotions into words. I am just so incredibly happy to stand on the podium. It wasn’t an easy weekend. I had a good pace, but I had a crash with two laps to go in race 1. I was able to make up for it in race 2, moving into third place right at the end. A big thank you to everyone at Fantic and my team, as well as my family and everyone supporting me from home. We did it, finally!”
Fantic Factory Racing MXGP
Jörgen-Matthias Talviku was once again standing in for the injured Alberto Forato aboard the Fantic XXF 450. On his first visit to Uddevalla’s Glimminge Motorstadion since his 125 days in 2019, the 23-year-old Estonian showed consistent improvement throughout the weekend.
“JMT” proved his speed in the opening stages of both races, as he was quick to move up as high as 12th. He wasn’t quite able to maintain that pace over the full race distance yet, but managed to bring home solid finishes in P15 and P17 to place 15th overall.
For Brent Van doninck, a challenging weekend came to an early end due to a crash at the start of race 2. He went down in a first-turn incident and suffered a heavy impact to his ribs. Following an initial check-up at the track’s medical centre, the Fantic Factory Racing MXGP rider was cleared to return to Belgium, where he will undergo further examinations.
Any updates will be shared when available, as the team prepares for the MXGP of the Netherlands in the sand of Arnhem next weekend.
Jörgen-Matthias Talviku:
“I definitely felt like the progress was there. I haven’t ridden too much in these particular hardpack conditions, and my speed was pretty okay. I was quick in the first couple of laps of both races, and I made some smart moves that helped me a lot. I was riding in 12th for quite some time, but maybe I was still a bit too tight, so once I dropped the pace, I dropped it too much. P15 was still solid for me. I need a little more GP experience to maintain the intensity over the full distance in the MXGP class. Thanks again to the team and everyone at Fantic. We will try again next week when we are back in the sand.”
