MX2

KEGUMS (Latvia) 8 June 2024 – The MXGP World Motocross Championship began its weekend near the Baltic today with the RAM Qualifying Races that provided some scintillating action at Kegums for the MXGP of Latvia!

Enjoying the dryest event for over a month in an area which hasn’t seen a massive amount of rain lately, the sandy circuit with a hard base had a faster and more hard pack feel than usual, with a new layout adding to the need for speed.

MXGP is becoming a real intense race for the title, as Tim Gajser out-started his fierce title rival Jorge Prado and held him at bay to take a stunning race win!  In MX2, the question was “Which Husky?” and the answer was the one with the red number plates as Kay de Wolf fought through to take the ten points for the Saturday win and extend his series lead to a weekend-maximum 60-point buffer!

The morning practice sessions saw the Dutch riders loving the sandy going, with Glenn Coldenhoff topping a Netherlands 1-2-3 for Fantic Factory Racing in Free Practice, but Gajser outran them all to grab the first gate pick after Time Practice on his Team HRC Honda, ahead of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP star Calvin Vlaanderen, and Coldenhoff’s teammate Brian Bogers.

It was close for the holeshot as Reigning World Champion Jorge Prado tucked his Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing machine into the inside line, but Gajser managed to out-drag him into the second corner and set a blistering pace from there.  Behind the leading title contenders, Mattia Guadagnini got into third early for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing and stayed there for two-thirds of the race! Caught by the battling Dutch pair of Coldenhoff and Vlaanderen at the start of lap nine, they both dived inside him on the long right-hand corner after the finish line to drop the Italian to fifth, still his best finish of the season, helped by holding another Dutchman, multiple World Champion Jeffrey Herlings, back into sixth place at the finish.  The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team leader is still third in the series, but now a chunky 70 points behind.

To round out the points scorers, Cornelius Toendel held onto a good start to finish seventh for Schmicker Racing KTM, Bogers took eighth, Andrea Bonacorsi brought his Monster Energy Yamaha home in ninth, and Maximillian Spies scored his first ever Saturday point with tenth for the KTM Kosak Team.

At the head of the field, the gap fluctuated between one and four seconds between Gajser and Prado. At several points the Spaniard closed, but the Slovenian always managed to keep the red plate holder just far enough back to not mount a challenge.  With a near-crash over the penultimate jump on the run to the finish line shrugged off by the five-time Champ, it was Gajser who jumped to the top of the RAM Qualifying Challenge standings, with his fourth Saturday win of the season.  With Prado just behind him the Championship points gap is now halved – down to just one between them as we head into Sunday!

Tim Gajser: “We had a great pace today with Jorge (Prado) and we escaped quickly from the third-place rider. I’m enjoying out there, I enjoy riding sand you know. It’s a tricky track, and not easy, especially with the new layout as there are lots of stop and go but anyway I had a lot of fun and I hope we can do the same tomorrow!"

MXGP - RAM Qualifying Race – Classification:  1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 24:34.032; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, GASGAS), +0:03.425; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:17.011; 4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:18.912; 5. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:27.445; 6. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:28.287; 7. Cornelius Toendel (NOR, KTM), +0:40.245; 8. Brian Bogers (NED, Fantic), +0:42.475; 9. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Yamaha), +0:48.141; 10. Maximilian Spies (GER, KTM), +0:51.872

MXGP - World Championship - Classification: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 411 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 410 p.; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 341 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 327 p.; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HON), 274 p.; 6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 270 p.; 7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, KAW), 267 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 239 p.; 9. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 161 p.; 10. Valentin Guillod (SUI, HON), 151 p.

Main Photo: Tim Gajser

Bottom Photos: 1. Jorge Prado ; 2. Glenn Coldenhoff 

Lucas Coenen looked scarily fast with a ripping final lap in Free Practice that topped the timesheets by 2.649 seconds from the rest of the pack! It was closer in Time Practice but the Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing rider, coming in on a three-GP winning streak, was still fastest, this time from his teammate Kay de Wolf and Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing rider Simon Laengenfelder in third.

It was the lightweight starting demon Sacha Coenen who flew into the lead for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing in the RAM Qualifying Race, and proceeded to put a gap on the rest of the field as his teammate Andrea Adamo battled with the lone Monster Energy Triumph Racing pilot Mikkel Haarup for second. De Wolf and Lucas Coenen were fourth and fifth early on, however, they blasted around the outside of the reigning World Champion Adamo for third at the end of the first full lap! The pair were promoted on lap two as Haarup crashed out of second on landing from a small jump.  The Dane remounted in seventh position.

De Wolf set about hunting down Sacha Coenen, as Lucas also got past Adamo into the new section of the circuit. The series leader fired past the Belgian on lap five, and a lap later his twin brother got through as well, leaving us with the two teammates out front!

Behind them, Laengenfelder had started on the edge of the top ten and had to fight his way through to third with two laps to go. Adamo and Haarup also fought past Sacha Coenen in the closing laps, the holeshot artist bringing it home in sixth. Oriol Oliver finished a fine seventh for WZ Racing ahead of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Liam Everts, and in an enthralling battle of the rookies, Ferruccio Zanchi claimed ninth in the closing laps for Team HRC by passing the F & H Racing Kawasaki of Quentin Prugnieres, who took the final point in tenth.

Lucas was never quite able to get his teeth into his teammate, as the Dutchman’s smooth style was able to cope better with the increasingly choppy surface. The gap at the chequered flag was just over two seconds, leaving a tantalising prospect of further duelling between the pair in tomorrow’s GP races! The two of them each display little Fox logos for each win of the season so far on their race jerseys, so who is going to be the first to add a fourth one?

Round nine of the 2024 MXGP World Championships should provide us with some sensational racing across both classes on Sunday, so make sure you do not miss any of the wheels turning tomorrow!

Kay de Wolf: “It was a good one! I had a bad start but I managed to get to around fourth in the second turn. I just rode very consistent and I felt very good out there.  I showed some great speed and it was nice to have a battle with my teammate so hopefully we can do the same tomorrow."

MX2 - RAM Qualifying Race – Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 24:44.584; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:02.126; 3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:20.893; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:21.654; 5. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Triumph), +0:26.376; 6. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:29.049; 7. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:43.721; 8. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:46.659; 9. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +0:50.628; 10. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:54.055

MX2 - World Championship - Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 406 points; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 346 p.; 3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 341 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 307 p.; 5. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 306 p.; 6. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, TRI), 258 p.; 7. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 249 p.; 8. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 226 p.; 9. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 183 p.; 10. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KAW), 153 p

Main Photo: Kay de Wolf

Bottom Photos: 1. Lucas Coenen ; 2. Simon Laengenfelder 

WATCH RAM QUALIFYING RACES HIGHLIGHTS HERE 

All the photos from the MXGP of Latvia will be available HERE.

You can find the complete results HERE.

MXGP OF LATVIA QUICK FACTS:

Circuit length: 1800m

Type of ground: Sand

Temperature: 18°

Weather conditions: Cloudy

TIMETABLE 

SUNDAY: 09:45 EMX125 Race 2, 10:25 MX2 Warm-up, 10:45 MXGP Warm-up, 11:30 EMX250 Race 2, 13:15 MX2 Race 1, 14:15 MXGP Race 1, 16:10 MX2 Race 2, 17:10 MXGP Race 2.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

Kegums

Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing MX2 racer, Marc-Antoine Rossi, will unfortunately be forced to sit out the remainder of the 2024 season due to a knee injury sustained during Saturday’s running of the 2024 MXGP of Germany at Teutschenthal.

Following medical examination after the race weekend, it was confirmed that Rossi sustained a fracture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and external meniscus in his left knee. Rossi is now scheduled to undergo surgery on June 13th in Lyon, France.

A clearer timeframe for Rossi’s return to racing will follow after the surgery. However, due to the severity of the injury, as well as the necessary treatment and recovery time, the 18 year old French racer will miss the remaining 13 MX2 events of the 2024 FIM Motocross World Championship this season.

Everyone at Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing wishes Marc-Antoine a speedy recovery and looks forward to his return to racing at the earliest opportunity.

Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing Team Manager Davide De Carli: “It's a tough setback for Marc-Antoine for sure, but we are confident that he can bounce back from this injury even stronger than before. We will support him every step of the way during his recovery process."

MX2 - #28 - Marc-Antoine Rossi: "I'm deeply disappointed that my rookie year in MX2 has been cut short by one of the longest injuries a rider can face. It's incredibly tough to accept that my season is over already in early June. However, I'm determined to come back stronger and sooner than ever. I can't thank my team, my family, and everyone who supports me enough. I know I'll never walk this path alone!”

Photo Credit : GASGAS

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 5 June 2024 – The 2024 FIM Motocross World Championships head straight from Germany to the MXGP of Latvia as the Zelta Zirgs Motocenter near the town of Kegums welcomes the ninth round of the series to its sandy terrain! 

Kegums has hosted 18 MXGP rounds since it first ran an MX3 Grand Prix back in 2005, won by the Belgian Sven Breugelmans. It has been on the MXGP calendar every year since 2009, when Antonio Cairoli and Rui Goncalves took the wins in MX1 & MX2, apart from 2014 when it saw a hard-fought Motocross of Nations, won by Team France at the start of a five-year winning streak.

Kegums has been a happy hunting ground for Jeffrey Herlings, with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing legend notching up a record 7 Grand Prix wins in the soft terrain, including his most recent one, just over a year ago when he registered his only perfect 60-point scoring weekend to date, winning Saturday’s RAM Qualifying Race as well as both races on Sunday. 

Last year’s MX2 winner was this year’s points leader, Kay de Wolf on the Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing machine.  Both victorious Dutchmen would sadly get injured very soon after to leave them unable to challenge for the 2023 world titles.

The EMX250 Championship reaches its halfway point as the sixth round of eleven, and Mathis Valin holds the red plate on his Bud Racing Kawasaki after two straight overall wins. Gabriel SS24 KTM’s Cas Valk and Beddini GASGAS Factory Juniors star Valerio Lata are just four points apart in second and third, but the Dutchman is 26 back from Valin. One half of Latvia’s favourite teenage Motocross brothers, Karlis Reisulis, is 8th in the points for VRT Yamaha Racing, and after representing Latvia in last year’s Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations he will get the crowd behind him for sure!

The EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing series also returns, with Hungarian Noel Zanocz  leading for the Fantic Factory Racing EMX125 team, while Racestore KTM Factory Rookies star Gyan Doensen is 17 points back in second! Zanocz’s Italian teammate Simone Mancini has won the last two rounds to lift himself up to third, just 7 points back from the Dutchman. Local rider Markuss Ozolins is 9th in the points but has reached the top five in a few races on his GASGAS and will enjoy a lot of vocal support from his home crowd!

The reigning MXGP World Champion, Jorge Prado of the Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing team, will be praying that the weather doesn’t throw up any surprises at Kegums, as it is only when the rain has poured that he has not emerged victorious from a Grand Prix so far in 2024!  Even though he enjoyed his sixth GP win of the season at the Liqui Moly MXGP of Germany, he still lies just two points ahead of Team HRC’s Tim Gajser, who has been the model of consistency and taken advantage when Prado has struggled in wet conditions.

Jeffrey Herlings has moved up into third in the series for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, sitting 66 points behind the leader and in dire need of breaking his one-year winning drought if he is to mount a challenge for this year’s world title.  He passed the Kawasaki Racing Team front-runner Romain Febvre for the season, as the Frenchman pulled out of race one in Germany due to pain from his injured right thumb, and is questionable for this weekend’s event.

Herlings’ record of 7 victories at Kegums consists of three wins in MX2 – in 2010 (his second ever GP win), 2013, and 2016, while he took MXGP honours in 2017, ’18, the third race there in 2020, and of course last season.  He also holds the race wins record of 14. Gajser has won the overall at Kegums four times - 2016, ’19, ’21, and ’22 – with 6 race wins, but Prado has only ever taken the winner’s trophy away once, back in his dominant 2019 MX2 campaign. His only 450 win there was back in 2021. Febvre has been on the podium five times but never quite taken the overall verdict in Latvia, despite taking race wins in 2015 & ‘16.

Another active rider with fond memories of Kegums is Fantic Factory Racing MXGP star Glenn Coldenhoff. Two of his six career GP wins have been here, one in 2015 for Suzuki and more recently the first ever GP win for GASGAS in the first of the three 2020 events.

Pauls Jonass  sadly suffered arm and shoulder injuries in a first corner crash at Teutschenthal last weekend, which leave him unable to compete at his home Grand Prix. A sad blow for the Latvian hero who was enjoying his best season in the class so far, and we all wish him a speedy recovery.
With Jonass out of action the Latvian crowd will have two wildcards to cheer on, in the shape of Tomass Sileika and Uldis Freibergs, son of former Grand Prix rider Lauris.

A win for any of the leading contenders would be a massive psychological boost at one of the toughest tracks of the season, and the battle is sure to be as intense as ever!

MXGP - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 402 Points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 400 Points;  3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 336 Pts; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 327 Points; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HON), 274 Pts; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, KAW), 267 Pts; 7. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 263 Pts; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 231 Pts; 9. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 161 Pts; 10. Valentin Guillod (SUI, HON), 151 Pts.

Main Photo: MXGP Start Kegums 2023

Bottom Photos: 1. Jeffrey Herlings; 2. Jorge Prado

The MX2 class has seen the momentum swing in three different directions so far, with Kay de Wolf taking the first three GP wins for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing, Liam Everts the next two for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, and now it is the other Husky-mounted star Lucas Coenen who has an active streak of three in a row.  This has seen him climb to second in the standings, 59 points behind his red plate holding teammate.  Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing man Simon Laengenfelder has been knocked back to third, but that is still credible for the German after he suffered a collarbone break in Portugal. He sits four points back from Lucas.

Everts and his teammate Andrea Adamo, the reigning Champion in the class, are fourth and fifth, while Mikkel Haarup has moved up to sixth for Monster Energy Triumph Racing.

De Wolf is the only previous winner at Kegums to line up in MX2 this year, after his perfect 60-point haul in 2023 which earned him his first red plate.  He will be keen to put a stamp on the series again as a GP winner, something he has not been able to repeat since the MXGP of Sardegna, two months ago.  No one else in the class has even stood on the podium at this circuit before, although Lucas Coenen took a second in race two last season.

The big question is now who can stop the Husqvarna express train as they roll into another sandy venue which is where both of their riders are so strong!  It could be a battle of the teammates, but don’t be surprised to see any of the other top seven challengers to fire themselves into contention!

MX2 - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 396 Points; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 337 Pts;  3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 333 Points;  4. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 304 Pts; 5. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 299 Pts;  6. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, TRI), 252 Pts; 7. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 249 Pts; 8. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 226 Pts; 9. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 178 Pts; 10. Quentin Prugnieres (FRA, KAW). 152 Pts.

Main Photo: MX2 Start Kegums 2023

Bottom Photos: 1. Lucas Coenen; 2. Mikkel Haarup

Don’t miss your chance to watch the MXGP of Latvia this weekend. Get your tickets HERE!

All the photos from the MXGP of Latvia will be available HERE.

You can find the complete results HERE.

TIMETABLE 

SATURDAY: 8:20 EMX125 Group 1 Free practice, 8:50 EMX125 Group 2 Free practice, 9:20 EMX250 Free practice, 9:50 EMX125 Group 1 Qualifying Practice, 10:30 MX2 Time Practice, 11:00 MXGP Free Practice, 12:20 EMX125 Group 2 Qualifying Practice,13:00 EMX250 Qualifying Practice, 13:40 MX2 Time Practice, 14:15 MXGP Time Practice, 15:00 EMX125 Race 1, 15:45 EMX250 Race 1, 16:35 MX2 RAM Qualifying Race, 17:25 MXGP RAM Qualifying Race.

SUNDAY: 09:45 EMX125 Race 2, 10:25 MX2 Warm-up, 10:45 MXGP Warm-up, 11:30 EMX250 Race 2, 13:15 MX2 Race 1, 14:15 MXGP Race 1, 16:10 MX2 Race 2, 17:10 MXGP Race 2.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

FIM Europe

Kegums