Huelva took center stage in the global off-road adventure scene during the last weekend of September. From September 26 to 28, 2026, the province hosted the CFMOTO MT Challenge World Final for the first time ever. This was a true test of navigation, consistency, and off-road riding skills—not a speed race—where 19 national teams battled it out on identical bikes: the CFMOTO 1000MT-X. Team Spain pulled off an epic comeback to secure 2nd place, right behind Guatemala and ahead of France.
What is the CFMOTO MT Challenge?
It isn’t a speed race: it’s a navigation and regularity challenge on off-road terrain, where every participant rides the same motorcycle so that the rider’s skill makes the difference, not the machine. Each team represents its country, which makes the event feel more like a nations’ world championship than a typical brand competition.
This 2026 edition was the first ever held in Spain, with the venue split between the Monteblanco Circuit (La Palma del Condado) and several locations across the province of Huelva. The original route, planned over forest tracks, had to be modified because of last August’s wildfires. The decisive day, held on a Monday, was spread across the Las Arenas Circuit, Río Tinto — where Spain posted its best single result of the entire event, in the regularity stage — the area known as “El Mochu,” and the Monteblanco Circuit itself.
Spain’s comeback
The Spanish team — made up of Mario Olmedilla, Dani Sánchez, Rodolfo Martínez and Miguel Cepillo — went into the final day in fourth place. A strong final push carried them to silver, behind Guatemala (gold) and ahead of France (bronze), in an edition that brought together 19 countries.
Mario Román and the “Dream Team”
Mario Román, CFMOTO’s global ambassador, joined the event as part of the so-called reference “Dream Team,” alongside José Lombardía, Chris Power and Adrián Raduta. Their times didn’t count toward the teams’ overall standings, but beating them earned extra points — something Spain managed precisely in the Río Tinto regularity stage.
Román arrived fresh off a win at the 2026 Red Bull Romaniacs in the Adventure category, riding a CFMOTO 450MT — one more sign of the strong momentum the Chinese brand is building in the off-road/adventure segment, on and off the track.
An off-road brand Gas&Fun believes in too
Between the world final held in Huelva and Román’s win at the Romaniacs on the 450MT, it’s clear CFMOTO is making real strides in the adventure segment. At Gas&Fun we’ve taken notice: our own fleet already includes several CFMOTO 450MT units, so if this has piqued your curiosity, you can try one out for yourself on one of our routes or in our off-road riding courses.
