Published On: 13 april 2026
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IThe first round of the Brazilian championship was held in the small village of Canelinha, which has just under 13000 inhabitants and is located an hour away from major cities less known to us, such as Florianópolis, Palhoça, and São José.

The riders were presented with a track that could easily have come straight out of the AMA Nationals series or held a place in the Motocross World Championship. Only that red surface, characteristic of Brazil, betrayed that we were in the South American country. On the entry list, we saw alongside Jeremy Van Horebeek en Greg Aranda who have meanwhile become old acquaintances of the championship, also the Brazilians their home hero Enzo LopesAfter a career in America that took him to Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha and ClubMX, among others, he is now returning to his homeland at the age of 26.

Alongside this strong Brazilian, the Brazilian championship was also preparing for the first race of the man who finished third in the 2025 MXGP World Championship, namely Glenn Coldenhoff!

MX1

Super final

The next match is on April 26 and you can watch it for free via the livestream of our Brazilian Friends. Spoiler Alert: Below you can read a match report and view the results.

Lopes dispels doubts and dominates on comeback in Brazil

Upon his return to his home country, Enzo Lopes was immediately put forward as the top favorite for the title. The Brazilian, who finished in the top five three times in an AMA 250 Supercross season, signed a lucrative contract with the Honda factory team. Yet there were question marks. His motocross results in the United States often fell short of expectations, and moreover, he had little experience on a 450cc machine. But on day one, Lopes resolutely swept all doubts aside. He controlled and dominated both races from start to finish.

Strong opening run, despite Van Horebeek's mistake

In the first heat, only teammate Jeremy Van Horebeek was able to keep somewhat in his wake. The experienced Belgian limited the damage until he made a brief mistake after the waves and lost precious seconds. Otherwise, however, he had no problems. At the moment of that mistake, Van Horebeek already had a lead of more than forty seconds over the third-placed rider, 19-year-old Victor Borba, who is seen as a great talent for the future.

Behind them, the race proved more difficult for Greg Aranda and Glenn Coldenhoff.

Aranda had a mediocre start but quickly found his rhythm and worked his way up impressively to fourth place. Coldenhoff had to come from around eighth position and visibly struggled to find the right pace. For a long time, he was unable to join the fierce battle for places three to six. It was only after the halfway point of the race that “The Hoff” found his flow. He managed to make up a few positions and eventually finished sixth in his first heat of the Campeonato Brasileiro.

Super final confirms Lopes' dominance

The second race, a super final featuring both MX1 and MX2 riders, initially provided some excitement. Guilherme Bresolin took the holeshot and led the opening lap for the Factory Kawasaki team. However, that did not last long. Once Lopes took the lead, the scenario of the first race repeated itself: control, pace, and dominance. But luck was not on the Brazilian's side either. At the start, several top riders crashed, including Van Horebeek, Coldenhoff, and Aranda. They had to start a recovery race from the very back.

Van Horebeek impressively makes it to the podium

Of that trio, Jeremy Van Horebeek made the biggest impression. The Belgian fought his way back convincingly to an impressive third place. He had to concede to only Lopes and former MXGP rider Gustavo Pessoa. Coldenhoff crossed the finish line in ninth place, while Aranda had to settle for tenth. For Coldenhoff, it was not the dream introduction to the Brazilian championship he had hoped for. But if everything goes according to plan, there are still nine races to come, with the next one already on April 26 and available to watch via livestream on SportbayTV.

Result of the "Brazilian Motocross Championship" – Round 1 Canelinha

  1. Enzo Lopes – 50 points (25 – 25)
  2. Jeremy Van Horebeek – 42 points (22 – 20)
  3. Gustavo Pessoa – 36 ptn (14 – 22)
  4. Vitor Hugo De Borba – 36 pts (20 – 16)
  5. Paulo Alberto – 31 ptn (16 – 15)
  6. Gregory Aranda – 31 ptn (18 – 13)
  7. Fabio Aparecido Dos Santos – 30 ptn (12 – 18)
  8. Glenn Coldenhoff – 29 ptn (15 – 14)
  9. Hector Assunção – 23 ptn (11 – 12)
  10. Guilherme Bresolin – 21 ptn (13 – 8)
  11. Reginaldo Ribeiro Tayt-Sohn Junior – 20 ptn (9 – 11)
  12. Carlos Badiali – 20 pts (10 – 10)
  13. Tomas Matkovich – 16 points (7 – 9)
  14. Bruno Fensterseifer Schmitz – 13 ptn (6 – 7)
  15. Paulo Gabriel – 11 ptn (5 – 6)
  16. Túlio Renan Gomes Mendes – 9 ptn (4 – 5)
  17. Diego Fernando Henning – 8 ptn (8 – 0)
  18. Matheus Ganzarolli – 0 ptn (0 – 0)

Text: Matthias Van Eeckhoven – Photo: Honda Brasil – Alberto Barbosa