Coldenhoff to Brazil

The following comes from Geoff Meyer at MXLarge.com

Glenn Coldenhoff has been a major part of the Grand Prix scene now for a decade and a half and has scored GP wins in MX2 and MXGP, not to mention finishing third in the world in the 2025 MXGP rankings. With standout performances in MXoN in 2018 and 2019, going 1-1-1-1 in Redbud and Assen, the 34-year-old Dutchman has, without question given it his all.

What’s strange, though, is that when it was time to look around for a ride for 2026, the third best rider in the 2025 MXGP championship was left with nothing, or at least, nothing he felt worthy of his experience and results. Glenn had great success with the Fantic racing team, but the Louis Vosters owned team that operated Fantic's MXGP squad is now moving to run Ducati's MXGP team, and that left Glenn in a tough spot.

We caught up with Glenn to chat about his new deal, racing in the Brazilian motocross championship, where he will be celebrated for his achievements.

MXLarge: Glenn, congratulation on your new ride in Brazil. But you must be a bit disappointed that there wasn’t something there for you in MXGP for 2026?
Glenn Coldenhoff: I don’t know, I have done MXGP for 15 years in a row and been there for a while and like you said, finishing third in the championship I felt I should get a ride that I deserve and that opportunity wasn’t there. So, I made the decision to stop racing MXGP and it’s a big decision, but if I’m not being rewarded for the job I am doing, then it isn’t worth doing it for me.

Did you have offers from factory teams and it just wasn’t good enough?
Yes, I had the chance to stay with Fantic, but I would have expected to have at least the same amount of money as this year, but it was a lot less. I don’t blame them, because I really like them, and Fantic became like a family to me and the things we accomplished together with the team from Louis, it has been huge. A lot of effort and hard work from them and I still have a super good relationship with them. Like I said, I don’t blame them. For the private teams it’s a tough time and that is the situation.

You have always come across as a positive guy, and you always seem to like the fly-away events. Going to Brazil, which is similar to Argentina, a place the MXGP paddock have always loved going, could be a really positive experience. You have a small family, so if you are going to do something like this, you need to do it now?
It is definitely a new experience, but I will stay in The Netherlands, same as always and just make up and down eight or nine times, so the situation at home won’t change much. I will go for some testing and in January and then we have an official team launch. The people from the team are really motivated to have me and put in a big effort and as you said, the Brazilians are so enthusiastic and the messages I have through social media, it’s insane. I don’t know yet what it will be like, but people in the team, they tell me, it is going to be insane with the supporters, it will be crazy. Some races they had 30,000 people watching the race. I’m curious and excited and a big chapter in my life and I am taking it with both hands.

You might end up being the new Jett Lawrence, or Jeffrey Herlings of Brazil?[Laughing] I don’t know. For those guys, it is going to be something very special. I always tried to do a good job with MXGP, especially at my age. I still think I can do this for a few more years and I will continue to train like I do for MXGP. Same amount of effort and in that part, nothing will change. It is a different championship, new tracks. I mean, I have done MXGP for 15 years and it’s often the same tracks. I would have liked to go to Foxhill, as it looks like a good track on the videos, and a really historical one and a pity I miss that one, but generally, I have all new tracks in 2026 and I am excited about that.

Do you know the weekends you will have free and would you possibly want to fit in a few rounds of MXGP? Maybe even Argentina, as it will be close to your new fans in Brazil?
No, I won’t do Argentina, I don’t think so. I will start my preparation a bit later and so far, I don’t have bikes, so I don’t have the chance to train. Physical training I am doing, but I need bike time. I am setting up my own race team, and I plan to do some Dutch races, the Belgian international in Keiheuvel, those kinds of races. I will do around 10 races in Europe. As for MXGP, once I get my program going and I can get some good engines and it doesn’t cost me too much money, then I there might be a possibility in Arnhem as it’s one I like. Then the Dutch GP is always special for Dutch guys. I’m setting up everything at this moment and am very busy. We will see if I do some GPs or not.

I assume with all the travel backwards and forward to Brazil, you won’t want to also be flying to America for some rounds of the AMA national, or would you like to do that?
I always wanted to do any race in USA, and I would prefer to do a complete season, but also there things didn’t work out [for 2026], so that is a bit of a shame. That was also something I was working on, and it didn’t turn out good. For one or two races? Why not, I am open for that. I keep a lot of things open, and we will see how things are going. A round in the U.S. is definitely something I am thinking about.

Does it surprise you something didn’t work out in America, as you see guys from MXGP races the Nationals and doing pretty well. Did it surprise you that you couldn’t pick something up there?
Yes and no. The main thing there is obviously supercross and I think in 2026, Guillod will also do supercross, and then motocross and teams in America are keen to sign riders who do both, and not just outdoors. I will not do any supercross, for sure not, because I didn’t grow up with it. I did a track walk there in 2015 and it’s no joke! I think Jorge Prado is a good example of that. He is a super talented kid, but to do supercross there, you need a lot of practice and at the age of 34, it’s way too late [for me]. I would love to do outdoors, but the teams were not interested in just that.

You raced 15 years in MXGP and given a lot of good results, GP wins in both classes, MXoN success, you have also raced for a lot of teams in the paddock. Can you give me two or three of your highlights?
I think 2019, with Standing Construct KTM. It started off really bad, with a big injury in December [of 2018], and then, I had my best results the last five rounds of the championship. I was a long way back in the championship and finished third. Two GP wins, a lot of moto wins and the last five GPs, I wasn’t outside the top five. Also, MXoN in 2019 and also 2018. Last year was also one of my highlights and I was strong straight from the beginning. I used to be a guy who started slow, usually get better results at the end of the season, but this year, I was there from the beginning.

Leaving MXGP at 34 years of age, I would imagine it will be hard to get back into a team, for sure with all the MX2 kids coming up and taking places. Are you looking at maybe returning in 2027?
It is open. Training wise, and everything else, I will work the same as I always have, so if I can jump back in in 2027, I would do it and if the opportunity is there, I would jump in. Just this year there is no chance and why I moved to Brazil.