MXGP

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
 

MONACO (Principality of Monaco) 4 June 2024 – Infront Moto Racing is delighted to have collaborated with Mips, the Official Safety Partner to MXGP, during the Liqui Moly MXGP of Germany. Mips arranged the first European Safety Symposium in Teutschenthal, together with IMR, the FIM, brand partners and Team Mips ambassador Tim Gajser.

Held on the eve of the Grand Prix on May 31st, in the presence of invited media, the Safety Symposium aimed to elevate the conversation of rider safety in the sport, giving helmet safety the attention, and action, it deserves.

Starting with the talent of tomorrow, the MXGP Academy youth riders and their parents were first educated on the importance of choosing protective equipment, specifically helmets, based upon safety as a priority. Demonstrating the ‘action’ to the ‘attention’, each of the aspiring MXGP stars was then given a helmet equipped with the Mips safety system to ensure they are riding with the added safety it affords.

Joining Mips CEO Max Strandwitz on stage were Infront Moto Racing CEO David Luongo and FIM CMS Director Antonio Alia plus representatives of three brands choosing to adopt the Mips safety system – Fox/Bell, Shot and Thor. Highlighting the rider perspective was Team Mips ambassador and five-time Motocross World Champion Tim Gajser.

Let’s all give helmet safety the attention, and action, it deserves.

Max Strandwitz, Mips CEO: “I am very pleased with our Safety Symposium in Germany. For us we want to elevate the conversation around helmet safety, and bringing together some of our great brands and of course our own ambassador Tim Gajser along with MXGP and the FIM was a really important step in pushing that awareness and action. It’s been a great event with a lot of interest and we’re really happy with the discussions as we continue with our mission to lead the world to safer helmets.”

David Luongo, Infront Moto Racing CEO: “We have great pleasure in welcoming Mips to the MXGP family officially. Safety is always a top priority which we are always pushing to improve, and this shared vision with Mips means we can continue to develop the level of rider safety not just in MXGP but also for the wider sport of motocross. Joining so many key people from our motocross family together to increase the conversation around safety is something we are very happy to be able to be a part of with Mips.”

Antonio Alia, FIM CMS Director: “Developing increased safety systems for our riders is a key mission for us, and it’s clear that Mips shares that vision. Rotational motion is a very important consideration in accidents, which is why it’s now included in the latest ECE 22.06 regulations, but there is always work to be done and Mips are right at the forefront of this. I am confident that all together we can continue to work towards making our sport safer and reducing the effects of crashes, and we welcome this increased conversation around helmet safety.”

Tim Gajser, 5x World Champion: “The sport is developing really fast, the bikes are getting faster, and so the only right thing is that the safety equipment is also developed to be safer, and that’s what Mips are doing. As a rider and an athlete, we all want to have as little equipment on us as possible to feel light, and to know the Mips system is there but not feel it inside the helmet is an amazing feeling. As a rider it’s really important to know that you’re protected.

“Since using Mips with Fox from 2018, I haven’t ridden without Mips. If there’s a safer option available, why wouldn’t you take it? When we go behind the gate we all want to win, but in the end we want to come home safe as well. When you know there is that extra level of safety there it gives you more confidence. ”

“I was also young and you always want that your helmet looks nice, but it’s really important to consider how the helmet is built. For me, it’s the most important thing to choose a helmet on safety and technology, and I would definitely suggest Mips.”

Glen Dempsey, Thor EU: “There is so much that consumers can research on products now, which is great, but as a brand you need to give them the best options possible. That’s why we choose Mips to give our riders, from grass roots all the way to MXGP, the best level of safety for their hobby and sport."

Jean-Baptiste Rollet, Shot: “I think at the moment we need to teach the young generation in particular about the importance of helmet safety because, as Tim says, there is still a big focus on the look and the design. But we all know that crashes are always a risk in this sport. So we need to talk, we need to educate, and to make safety right in the middle of the discussion and thought process behind helmets. This is also why it’s great to have Tim, as a very strong ambassador not only for Mips but also for the sport in general, speaking so openly about safety to encourage other riders to make smart choices.”

Thomas Ramsbacher, FOX, BELL (Revelyst) VP Market Development: “We mind about protecting our riders in the best possible way, and this is what we are always looking for. We will never sell a product where we are not 100% behind its safety and performance, and this is why we use Mips. Let me give an example: all the cars we are now driving have airbag systems. At the end of the day the best situation is when we never feel the airbag, but it’s there and we know it makes us better protected. In the moment when we need it it’s there, and this is the feeling the Mips systems gives our riders. Buying a car without airbags isn’t even a consideration, and it should be the same with helmet choices and the Mips system.”

About Mips

Mips specializes in helmet-based safety and is a world-leader in this area. Based on an ingredient brand business-model, Mips' safety system is sold to the global helmet industry. The technology is based on over 25 years of research and development together with the Royal Institute of Technology and the Karolinska Institute, both located in Stockholm, Sweden. Mips’ headquarter with 82 employees engaged in research and development, sales, marketing and administration is in Stockholm, where its product and technology test facility also is located. The Mips share is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.

Currently, Mips has partnered with over 150 helmet manufacturers. Since its inception, the Mips® safety system has been included in more than 1,000 helmet models worldwide. 

Further information: www.mipsprotection.com

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

MIPS
 

MONACO (Principailty of Monaco) 3 June 2024 – The 2024 FIM Motocross World Championship is all set to go straight to Kegums for the MXGP of Latvia on the 8th and 9th of June.

Checkout the Timetable and Entry Lists for the MXGP of Latvia below:

TIMETABLE

MXGP ENTRY LIST

MX2 ENTRY LIST

EMX250 ENTRY LIST

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing ENTRY LIST

TEUTSCHENTHAL (Germany) 2 June 2024 – For the third GP out of the last four, wet weather affected the conditions for the gladiators of the MXGP World Motocross Championships this weekend, but the Liqui Moly MXGP of Germany provided more fantastic confrontations between the leading contenders in both classes at the Talkessel!

What the weather could not affect, however, was the enthusiasm of the German fans, who created an incredible atmosphere in the tight valley of the Teutschenthal venue.  The hosting MSC Teutschenthal clubalso worked very hard with the MXGP track crew to keep the circuit in the best racing condition possible.

After struggling more than most in muddy conditions so far this season, reigning World Champion Jorge Prado took his sixth Grand Prix win of the season in MXGP, with two race wins for Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing, achieved in his customary style of getting out early and holding off all challengers, although he certainly had challenges to contend with!  He leaves Germany with the red plate back on his machine, and a slender two-point lead in his pocket heading to Latvia.

In MX2, the Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing duo of series leader Kay de Wolf and Lucas Coenen battled hard, with the Belgian teenager coming out on top to make it three straight GP wins for the #96 rider. This moves him up to second in the Championship table, 59 points behind his teammate.

Tim Gajser took to the starting line first for Team HRC and knew that the start would be more vital than ever on the sticky circuit, which still had a hard base to affect traction amongst all the ruts. The Slovenian led the championship by six points over Jorge Prado after winning the RAM Qualifying Race .

For the first time this year, Glenn Coldenhoff took the Fox Holeshot Award for Fantic Factory Racing, with Henry Jacobi again getting involved on his Sarholz Racing KTM with the front runners, as Prado ran the German hero wide, allowing Gajser to briefly grab 2nd from the reigning Champ! However, Prado was having none of it and the pair got aggressive with each other in the first few corners!  Just after completing the move on Gajser, the Spaniard made a decisive move up the inside of Coldenhoff to take the lead halfway around the first lap!

Gajser took some time to get past Coldenhoff, and when he finally did on lap four, Prado was already eight seconds down the track.  Leading as well as usual and setting the fastest lap on lap four to immediately squash Gajser’s hopes of catching, it was the 9th GP race win of the year for the #1 plate holder. 

There was more battling going on behind him, though, as Calvin Vlaanderen worked his way forward for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP, along with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings, who was outside of the top ten around the first corner! Romain Febvre, meanwhile, started touring, and pulled out of the weekend’s racing, turning straight into the Kawasaki Racing Team paddock on the third lap. 

Gajser seemed to not have his full speed available to him, and later confessed to suffering with intense arm-pump issues. Herlings fought past both the Slovenian and, on lap 14 of 17, Vlaanderen to take what would be a solid second place. Calvin passed Tim, but fell in a right hander by the start straight and gifted the position back.  They swapped places twice more, a loss of traction on a jump costing the Dutchman third position, and keeping the Honda man in the Championship lead by a single point going into race two!

Standing Construct Honda man Pauls Jonass made a late move on Coldenhoff to claim 5th, but ultimately no-one could touch Prado who took a win by 13 seconds from Herlings after backing off for the last few easy laps.

The rain held off and let the track dry out, making it around five or more seconds per lap faster than race one, and with the confidence to move to a slightly more outside gate, Prado grabbed his 9th Fox Holeshot Award of the season, but he had company this time in the shape of “The Bullet” as Herlings held an inside line in turn two to pass the Kawasaki Racing Team rider Jeremy Seewer for 2nd.   Gajser and Vlaanderen also got past the Swiss veteran to give chase to the flying Prado.

It looked like Herlings had got his claws into the reigning Champ with a series of faster laps that put him just a second shy of the leader. Then he hit a rut a little too hard and although he didn’t crash, it hurt his momentum and he was almost immediately under attack from Gajser!

On lap twelve the Slovenian made his move in the middle of the valley, and took up the chase to Prado! Vlaanderen and Coldenhoff held on to fourth and fifth, and Seewer made a late move to grab sixth from TeamShip To Cycle Honda Motoblouz SR veteran Valentin Guillod.

Gajser, just as Herlings before him, got to within a second of Prado, but the Spaniard simply would not crack and kept up his pace to break the pursuit, eventually winning by just over three seconds.  The Spaniard moves onto 44 Grand Prix wins for his career, two behind Gajser for sixth in the all-time win list.

Jorge Prado: “It was overall a perfect weekend. I’m super happy with my riding. Getting back to hard pack with more normal conditions for me. It was good with good starts too. Not much to say, I’m just very happy to get another win! We keep going like this with Latvia next,, which is a good track for me so let’s get some sand riding next week!”

Tim Gajser: “With my first race I’m a bit disappointed you know, because I had a good start and was just behind Jorge (Prado) and Glenn (Coldenhoff) but couldn’t pass immediately so I lost a little bit of rhythm so I used wrong line and got arm pump and survival mode until the end. Race two was much better, we got a very pace with Jorge and Jeffrey (Herlings). I managed to make a pass toward the end but had to settle for second but riding was good and I’m happy to leave Germany with a podium. A big thank you to all my team.”

Jeffrey Herlings: “It was not easy in the second race. It was really unlucky twice for me to come back on Tim (Gajser) with some lappers in between us and I couldn’t get close enough to Tim. But anyway 2-3 and third on the day which is not that bad. I got injured a couple of times on this track so I’m very happy to come back home safe and keep fighting for the championship as it’s still a long season. Proud of my day! “

Main Photo: Jorge Prado

Bottom Photos: 1.Tim Gajser; 2. Jeffrey Herlings 

MXGP - Grand Prix Race 1 - Top 10 Classification: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, GASGAS), 36:00.648; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:12.895; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:14.689; 4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:17.094; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Honda), +0:22.867; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:31.524; 7. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Yamaha), +0:40.501; 8. Brian Bogers (NED, Fantic), +0:45.931; 9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Kawasaki), +0:50.795; 10. Henry Jacobi (GER, KTM), +0:57.896

MXGP - Grand Prix Race 2 - Top 10 Classification: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, GASGAS), 35:36.969; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:03.329; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:07.378; 4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:41.166; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:49.615; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Kawasaki), +0:54.007; 7. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +1:11.756; 8. Tom Koch (GER, KTM), +1:19.029; 9. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Honda), +1:24.930; 10. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, Husqvarna), +1:26.354

MXGP Overall - Top 10 Classification: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, GASGAS), 36:00.648; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:12.895; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:14.689; 4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:17.094; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Honda), +0:22.867; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:31.524; 7. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Yamaha), +0:40.501; 8. Brian Bogers (NED, Fantic), +0:45.931; 9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Kawasaki), +0:50.795; 10. Henry Jacobi (GER, KTM), +0:57.896 

MXGP - World Championship - Top 10 Classification: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 50 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 42 p.; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 42 p.; 4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 36 p.; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 31 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, KAW), 27 p.; 7. Brian Bogers (NED, FAN), 23 p.; 8. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 21 p.; 9. Valentin Guillod (SUI, HON), 21 p.; 10. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 21 

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

The MX2 class held the main hopes of the German crowd for some home success as their man Simon Laengenfelder, second in the points standings for Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing, took the fastest lap in Time Practice, before a fall cost him a shot at the RAM Qualifying Race, which was won by Kay de Wolf. 

It was the man in form, Lucas Coenen, who took his first Fox Holeshot Award of the year to lead immediately in race one, but crowd favourite Laengenfelder was in second, and after disposing of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Andrea Adamo around the first lap, so too was De Wolf - the top three in the series briefly in reverse order! 

It didn’t take the Dutchman long to get around the German, though, and took up the chase to Lucas Coenen.  The top five stayed in their order throughout the race, with Adamo fourth, and Rick Elzinga fifth for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2. After carving past the Fantic Factory Racing MX2 machine of Kay Karssemakers on the third lap, Quentin Prugnieres was sixth for F&H Racing, despite holding off several attempts from Team HRC rookie Ferruccio Zanchi.  Liam Everts had one of those races to forget for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, with a poor start and a further crash, just to nip past Zanchi on the final lap to salvage 7th.

De Wolf made several runs at Lucas, but this time the Belgian did not crack, and in fact it was Kay who made the mistakes as he chased, ultimately having to settle for second despite claiming the fastest lap of the race. It was Lucas’ fourth straight GP race win and left him just a point behind Laengenfelder for second in the series.

A fired up Laengenfelder took the Fox Holeshot Award ahead of Adamo and Elzinga, but De Wolf and Lucas Coenen battled past the Dutch Yamaha star and the reigning World Champion to try and chase down the crowd favourite as the valley vibrated to the sound of horns, hooters, and revving chainsaw engines encouraging their man to greater heights!

Despite this, De Wolf was through into the lead on the second lap, and Lucas got through on lap six.  Adamo also took advantage of a mistake by the German to grab third, but a few corners later he was on the ground after over balancing on a corner jump. He would recover to finish sixth. Just in front of the pit lane a lap later, De Wolf tipped over in a deep rut and handed the lead to his teammate! As Mikkel Haarup moved up to take a fine fourth place finish for Monster Energy Triumph Racing, so a pitched battle between the leading two men in the series took place.  De Wolf had issues in several deep ruts just as he was looking to attack, then in front of a bank of spectators on a long left-hander made a stunning move around Laengenfelder on lap 15!

It wasn’t over there though, as the red plate holder again made a mistake in a rut and allowed the German back past, only to repeat his earlier move to the anguish of the crowd and finally clinch second place! 

It was all too late to stop Lucas Coenen, however, who cruised to a win that buried the memories of a broken chain denying him his first GP win here 12 months ago.  It was a 9.5 second win that builds his streak to five straight race wins and three Grand Prix wins, and it moves him ahead of Laengenfelder to second in the Championship, 59 behind De Wolf.

Now the teams and crews head 1,400 km north-east to the sandy terrain of Kegums in Latvia, where The Bullet took his most recent Grand Prix win, and the battle will be joined in both classes once more!

Lucas Coenen: “That’s three in a row, it’s amazing to see how everything can go perfectly let’s say. During the last few laps, I was quite nervous because of what happened last year but I can now get over it finally with winning Teutschenthal. I saw Kay crash which is a bummer as I wanted us to do the same as in the first race but I got the win so I’m happy. I can’t thank enough everybody around me.”

Kay de Wolf: “In general I had a very great weekend and I showed great speed all weekend long. I was really happy with my riding. I just did a small mistake and tipped over and got my leg stuck under the bike but in the end it went okay. It was hard to pass in the second race and all of a sudden, I found this outside line that helped me to pass Simon twice in a row. Now, we’ll go to Latvia where I had my first GP win so I’m really looking forward to it!”

Simon Laengenfelder: “I’m happy to be on the podium for my home GP but for sure I want to be more in front of course. It’s a 2-3 today after some mistakes yesterday. I’m happy with my starts and also my riding that I think was great. I feel also good physically and my fitness is getting where I want it to be so let’s keep going for the next races” 

Main Photo: Lucas Coenen

Bottom Photos: 1.Kay de Wolf; 2. Simon Laengenfelder 

MX2 - Grand Prix Race 1 - Top 10 Classification: 1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), 35:07.874; 2. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:03.664; 3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:25.075; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:54.760; 5. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:59.138; 6. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:10.063; 7. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +1:15.887; 8. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +1:17.707; 9. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +1:35.788; 10. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Triumph), +1:37.187

MX2 - Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification : 1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), 35:45.714; 2. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:09.505; 3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:11.179; 4. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Triumph), +0:12.866; 5. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:26.367; 6. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:42.902; 7. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:59.027; 8. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +1:09.723; 9. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +1:14.332; 10. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +1:15.882

MX2 Overall - Top 10 Classification: 1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 50 points; 2. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 44 p.; 3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 40 p.; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 33 p.; 5. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 32 p.; 6. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, TRI), 29 p.; 7. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 28 p.; 8. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, HON), 26 p.; 9. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 24 p.; 10. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KAW), 23 p

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

MX2 - Manufacturers Classification: 1. Husqvarna, 432 points; 2. KTM, 387 p.; 3. GASGAS, 340 p.; 4. Yamaha, 307 p.; 5. Triumph, 277 p.; 6. Kawasaki, 176 p.; 7. Honda, 158 p.; 8. Fantic, 112 p.; 9. TM, 29 p.;

WATCH MXGP/MX2 HIGHLIGHTS HERE
 

All the photos from the Liqui Moly MXGP of Germany will be available HERE.

You can find the complete results HERE.

LIQUI MOLY MXGP OF GERMANY QUICK FACTS:

Crowd Attendance: 27,000

Circuit length: 1590m

Type of ground: Hard Pack

Temperature: 21°

Weather conditions: Rainy/Cloudy

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

Teutschenthal
 

TEUTSCHENTHAL (Germany) 1 June 2024 – The MXGP World Motocross Championships burst back into life today with the RAM Qualifying Races that provided some scintillating racing at the Liqui Moly MXGP of Germany! 

Following some intense rain in the week leading up to the event, the track proceeded to dry out through the Saturday programme, until a storm washed over the circuit about thirty minutes before the gate dropped for the MX2 RAM Qualifying Race, and several showers followed it throughout the afternoon!

MXGP saw a continuation of the title fight, and represented the Championship in general, with Tim Gajser emerging victorious for Team HRC from yet another rain-affected race!  Kay de Wolf battled some issues as well as his competitors to grab a narrow victory for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing, his first chequered flag for nearly two months, which assures him of keeping the red plate into the next round no matter what happens tomorrow!  It also puts him clearly in front of his teammate Lucas Coenen in the fight for the most RAM Qualifying Race wins of the season, the winner of which gets the use of a top-of-the-line RAM truck for six months at the end of the year!

The battle on the timesheets in both Free and Time Practice was fascinating, as Reigning World Champion Jorge Prado kept moving the bar to eventually top both sessions for Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing, but Gajser and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings were both right behind him, albeit a little over a second behind.

Although the holeshot went to Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing star Mattia Guadagnini, Prado took over the lead exiting the second corner, as Gajser got held up briefly in a battle with fast-starting home hero Henry Jacobi on his Sarholz KTM Racing Team machine! Herlings was quickly up into fifth, but Romain Febvre had only qualified in 27th for the Kawasaki Racing Team. The Frenchman battled hard through the pack, once more finding speed in the rain when others were floundering. 

On lap six of the eventual twelve, Febvre dived past Herlings for fourth after they both got around Jacobi. The following two laps saw them both pass Guadagnini as well, but the crowd’s eyes were on the leading pair as Gajser closed in on Prado! 

The Spaniard landed short on an uphill triple jump as the rain lashed down, giving the Slovenian the half-chance he wanted, and the impact of the landing had taken all of the fight out of the defending Champion.

So the big four of the series so far finished in their Championship order, while Febvre’s teammate Jeremy Seewer fought through to fifth position, and Pauls Jonass just kept his Standing Construct Honda ahead of a charging Calvin Vlaanderen, who had to fight through on his Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP machine from outside of the top twenty on lap one!

This victory puts Gajser level with Prado on three RAM Qualifying Race win each, with Febvre just behind them on two!  So the fight really is on for that RAM Award this winter!

The forecast tomorrow is for better weather, and Gajser carries a six-point lead over Prado into the full Grand Prix races. It is still anybody’s guess as to who will emerge triumphant!

Tim Gajser: “It was good! I think I didn’t get the best jump out of the gate but it was helping that I was on the inside and I came out 3rd/4th. Then I make passes and I was behind Jorge (Prado) and he was riding good at the beginning but then I could sense that with the track becoming slippery that I could pass which I managed to do and thn made a little gapo to control the race. So… Yeah I’m super happy!”

MXGP - RAM Qualifying Race – Classification:  1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 24:47.614; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, GASGAS), +0:09.090; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:15.791; 4. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:17.716; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Kawasaki), +0:18.923; 6. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Honda), +0:20.169; 7. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:20.584; 8. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:28.828; 9. Henry Jacobi (GER, KTM), +0:30.210; 10. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Yamaha), +0:31.283

MXGP - World Championship Classification: 1 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 358 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 352 p.; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 327 p.; 4. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 294 p.; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HON), 258 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, KAW), 240 p.; 7. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 227 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 200 p.; 9. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 145 p.; 10. Valentin Guillod (SUI, HON), 130 p

Main Photo: Tim Gajser

Bottom Photo: 1. Jorge Prado; 2. Romain Febvre
 

Series leader Kay de Wolf was fastest in Free Practice ahead of the brothers, Sacha Coenen for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, ahead of Lucas. That was until Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Simon Laengenfelder, inspired by circuit-wide trackside support, leapt to the top of the Time Practice scoreboard by ninety thousandths of a second over De Wolf! Sacha was third, although a frustrated Lucas fell on his final flying lap to only go to the line in fifth!

That man De Wolf pulled a stunning holeshot from the inside gate, with Rick Elzinga challenging for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 and briefly taking the lead due to a small mistake on the first lap by his fellow Dutchman, who edged back ahead across the finish line jump!  Lucas Coenen fell on the second corner, holding up his brother in the process.

Meanwhile, the crowd favourite Laengenfelder was charging into third place, but he just charged a little too hard into a corner and tipped over, not for the last time either, as he dropped sadly down to 8th position at the flag. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo of Andrea Adamo and Liam Everts were making progress, the Belgian pulling quite possibly the pass of the season on Elzinga in a sweet cutback move that was like a piece of art!

Elzinga tried to fight off Mikkel Haarup in the final laps, but ultimately the Dane on the Monster Energy Triumph Racing machine got through to finish fourth.  De Wolf was battling a small technical issue and Adamo closed to within 1.2 seconds of the leader by the finish, with Everts holding on for third.  It is going to be mighty close again in MX2 tomorrow, but De Wolf has the comfort of a 59 point lead over Laengenfelder heading into GP race day at the Liqui Moly MXGP of Germany!

Round eight of the 2024 MXGP World Championship is going to be tough to predict whatever the weather, and the crowd will be back louder than ever to make it something special! Don’t miss it!

Kay de Wolf: “It was a very difficult race! I struggled with clutch issues and so I didn’t have a clutch. That’s why Rick (Elzinga) passed me, I was really struggling. I’m really happy to get that win in the end! I’m still a little bit confused as there was so many things happening but this win really mean a lot to win without a clutch, so I’m very happy.

MX2 - RAM Qualifying Race – Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 25:16.223; 2. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:01.147; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:02.661; 4. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Triumph), +0:10.768; 5. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:22.266; 6. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:24.153; 7. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:27.273; 8. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:47.101; 9. Kay Karssemakers (NED, Fantic), +0:49.837; 10. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:51.987

MX2 - World Championship Classification: . Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 352 points; 2. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 293 p.; 3. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 287 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 276 p.; 5. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 266 p.; 6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 226 p.; 7. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, TRI), 223 p.; 8. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 217 p.; 9. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 159 p.; 10. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KAW), 129 p.

Main Photo: Kay de Wolf

Bottom Photo: 1. Andrea Adamo; 2. Liam Everts

​WATCH RAM QUALIFYING RACES HIGHLIGHTS HERE 

All the photos from the Liqui Moly MXGP of Germany will be available HERE.

You can find the complete results HERE.

LIQUI MOLY MXGP OF GERMANY QUICK FACTS:

Circuit length: 1590m

Type of ground: Hard Pack

Temperature: 21°

Weather conditions: Rainy/Cloudy

TIMETABLE  

SUNDAY: 09:45 WMX Race 2, 10:25 MX2 Warm-up, 10:45 MXGP Warm-up, 11:10 MXE Race 2, 11:55 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

Teutschenthal