MXGP

Things might be warming up as the MXGP championship heads to Uddevalla in Sweden in around 5 days’ time. In Lommel last weekend, there was a moment in the opening MXGP moto, when series leader, Romain Febvre and second placed man in the championship points, Lucas Coenen nearly came together.

Febvre diving up the inside of the Belgian to make a pass, came very close to touching the KTM man, and without doubt, it didn’t just wake Coenen up, but it made him realize, things might change quickly in the battle for the 2025 MXGP championship.

“I have never been an aggressive rider,” Coenen would say after the weekend. “Like in Race one, in front of pit-lane, I was in front of him, but I backed off. If I wanted, I could have gone straight and he would have gone into the pit lane, but I am not that type of rider, maybe I need to learn to be like that. The pass he did, if I didn’t jump out of the track, for sure I would have been on my ear. For me, it is good he started it, because, when you start it, you know you can get it back. It won’t be my fault, if I give him the business back, you know. He started it, so I can also do it now. It is something he has unlocked. I have patience and I know if I get an opening, I will go for it and I won’t be shy, you know. We are racing for the championship, and he started with an aggressive pass, and he didn’t touch me, but now it’s on.”

Coenen knows that remaining focused and not get caught up in the heat of the moment fights, will be the best way to move forward, in trying to capture a world motocross championship for his country.

“I just try and stay focused, improve every weekend and don’t take any risk, like I did in moto one in Lommel. I was really fast and could gain two seconds in a lap, so I don’t need to take risks like I did in moto one. I made a big mistake and managed to take the bike back, with my strength and I backed off. I grew a lot from that mistake, in fact the last year I grew a lot in that. I know I have my head on my shoulders, and I will not take the extra risk for something like three points. I felt in Lommel, you couldn’t pass anymore in that last lap (Race one).”

One thing many didn’t know about Coenen leading into Lommel, was that he has picked up a virus, and was busy the whole week talking to media. Both the sickness and the heavy load with the Belgian media took him into Lommel, with a huge disadvantage.

“We started with the media on the Tuesday, and every day was stuff to do, interviews, videos. My body was destroyed, the night from Friday to Saturday I didn’t sleep, I got a fever, and I was under some medication for two days and I managed to survive. It was also mental, because, you know when you are sick, you are not 100% ready to give your fullest and you know Lommel is the toughest Grand Prix of the year. You need to be fit for Lommel and when you go there sick, it isn’t the best feeling. Overall, I kept it quiet and away from people. I took time with the fans on Friday, but I took some time for myself, because when you are sick, you are sleeping in the day.”

Now, with a free Grand Prix weekend, Coenen will still race, in a Belgian international event. He will lock horns with Febvre again at that event and will come into the next round in Sweden, a little wiser to what might be coming from the Frenchman in the final round of the 2025 season.

Photo credit: KTM

If there is one thing that the sport of motocross has, it is a very rich history. Way back in 1957 when Swedish legend Bill Nilsson was crowned FIM motocross 500cc world champion, nobody could have imagined the sport would grow to the level it is now.

Back in the early years of the GP series, the sport travelled throughout Europe often having as much as three GPs in Belgium, two in Holland, and the rest in countries like Italy, England, Spain, Germany, France and Ireland. While the sport did head to countries like Russia, most rounds were confined to the main area of Europe.

In the 1960’s the sport reached a new level as riders like Roger De Coster, Joel Robert, Torsten Hallman and Heikki Mikkola arrived on the scene. Suzuki with the biggest and most powerful teams had taken over from Husqvarna and with De Coster and Robert they ruled the 250 and 500 classes. Not only did these two dominate in Europe but they travelled to places like America and Australia, widening the audience for the European based series.

It was possibly the most romantic era of GP motocross, when the sport was very fresh and not as professional as in this era. Nobody was surprised if a rider lit up a Marlboro on the start line or just after the race. Joel Robert was known for his party attitude, and Saturday night was sometimes a moment for the tough Belgian to relax with a beer and a smoke. De Coster finished with five 500cc world titles and Robert six 250cc titles.

The domination by Suzuki in the 125cc class from 1975 until 1984 was the most impressive run by a single brand in the sports history as they clocked off with ten titles in a row. Belgians Gaston Rahier (3), Harry Everts (3) and Eric Geboers (2), Japanese rider Akira Watanabe (1) and Italian Michele Rinaldi (1) were the victors.

Of course, Honda arrived with huge budgets in the 1980’s and with their budget riders like Dave Thorpe, Eric Geboers, Georges Jobe and Andre Malherbe, enjoyed a lot of success. It was an era that the Honda team won an amazing nine 500cc titles in a row (1984 until 1992). Adding to their big bike success Geboers, Jean Michel Bayle and Trampas Parker added three titles in the 250cc class, and Bayle also won a title on the Honda in the 125cc class. British rider Graham Noyce and Belgian legend Andre Malherbe also won 500cc titles on the Honda in 1979, 80 and 81. So, that was 12 500cc titles in total in 14 years.

Not surprisingly the 1990’s and early 2000’s will be remembered as the Joel Smets and Stefan Everts era. The two Belgians swept everything, not only winning a bunch of motocross world championships, but also helping Team Belgium to a handful of MXoN victories.

Smets riding a Husaberg early in his career was all about hard work and being tough, while Everts was one of the most gifted riders in the sports history, also a hard worker, but it came so easily to him that it was pure poetry in motion. Everts with his ten world titles and Smets with his five, controlled many of their rivals. Everts is ranked number one in the all-time winners list for GP riders and Smets number four. That says it all.

Since the retirement of names like Smets and Everts, it has been Antonio Cairoli, Jeffrey Herlings, Tim Gajser and Jorge Prado who had taken control of the sport. Cairoli with 9 World titles, Herlings and Gajser with five each and Prado with four.

No doubt, the 2025 MXGP and MX2 championship battle has seen Lucas Coenen and Romain Febvre fight out the 450 championship and Kay De Wolf, Simon Langenfelder and Andrea Adamo looking to try and outdo each other in the MX2 title race. Whatever happens in the remaining half dozen races of this year, you just know we are going to crown two very solid and respected riders and maybe both can start their own legacy in Grand Prix motocross.

Photo credit: MX Large

LOMMEL (Flanders, Belgium), 3rd August 2025 – After a weekend of changeable weather before Grand Prix Sunday, the sun shone on the brutal beauty of Lommel today as the massed banks of fans enjoyed a stunning day of racing around one of the very toughest circuits in the world, and as usual the MXGP of Flanders delivered some epic confrontations and impeccable performances for the 15th round of the 2025 FIM Motocross World Championships!

Despite the differing conditions, the overall GP winners were the same as in Saturday’s Qualifying Races, but it was nowhere near as straightforward for Lucas Coenen, who rebounded from defeat in a first race showdown with Romain Febvre to claim overall victory at Lommel for the first time in his GP career, taking his fifth Grand Prix win in the Premier class for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing!

Febvre was able to match the young Belgian for points today, however, with a 1-2 scorecard keeping the Championship leader’s red plate on the front of Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP machine for the next round.  Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP rider Calvin Vlaanderen scored his second podium of the season in a fine display of sand riding.

The MX2 class saw complete domination from Kay de Wolf, as the reigning Champ led nearly every lap for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing to complete a perfect 1-1-1 weekend and lift himself up to second in the World Championship. 

Camden McLellan was again supremely strong in the sand as he posted 2-3 finishes for second overall, his second podium of the year for Monster Energy Triumph Racing, while Sacha Coenen was the top man for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing with an amazingly hard-fought third overall, his seventh podium appearance of the year.

The twists and turns of the GP were just as much of a rollercoaster as the gruelling Lommel circuit itself, and the huge crowd of hardcore Motocross enthusiasts from the nation with more World Champions than any other gave the 2025 MXGP of Flanders a fantastic atmosphere to match the epic racing!

On his comeback ride for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, four-time Lommel winner Jeffrey Herlings took fastest time in the morning Warm-up, with Vlaanderen second ahead of the Fantic Factory Racing MXGP duo of Brian Bogers and Andrea Bonacorsi. Title contenders Febvre and Coenen were obviously saving themselves for the afternoon to come with fifth and seventh!

Just as he did in Saturday’s Qualifying Race, Isak Gifting shot out of the gate rapidly on his special Anniversary-liveried JK Racing Yamaha, but he was just out-dragged to the Fox Holeshot Award line by Febvre after the Frenchman pulled a perfect first corner pass. Herlings was right there in third, ahead of the JM Racing Honda of Brent van Doninck and home hero Jago Geerts, the best-starting Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP rider.  There was bad luck for Bonacorsi, however, as he was on the ground in the first corner and having to fight from the back, just behind Bogers and Honda HRC man Ruben Fernandez who had been pushed off-track!

Coenen fought past Van Doninck and Geerts in the first few corners to get into fourth, and Herlings was quickly past Gifting to chase after Febvre. At the end of the first full lap, Coenen flew high and long from the Pit Lane wall jump to pass Gifting for third, a move he would make use of many times through the day!

The home favourite did the same thing the very next lap on Herlings, whose was clearly not going to send it off that jump with his recently-healed collarbone, and the stage was set for the two title contenders to fight it out at the top.

Battle was joined behind them between Yamaha men Gifting and Vlaanderen, but they both moved up a position on lap seven as Herlings fell in the wooded section, dropping the Dutchman to eighth behind countryman Glenn Coldenhoff on the Fantic Factory Racing MXGP machine.  Geerts was pursuing Van Doninck for fifth, but he suffered a massive get-off over the triple jump after the Finish Line, being hit by the bike and, although he walked away, he was out of action for the rest of the day.  We all wish him the best in his recovery.

While Coenen was stalking Febvre, Norwegian Hakon Fredriksen, on his private YRC Performance Yamaha, was working his way into the top ten, not far ahead of a recovering Bonacorsi, who had passed Herlings for ninth on lap ten. Maxime Renaux, still on the path back from injury, took tenth in the race for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP, as Herlings mischievously pinched eighth back from Bonacorsi on the last lap. Fredriksen got past Van Doninck for an amazing sixth place, only two seconds back from Coldenhoff who took fifth.

Up ahead though, all Belgian eyes were on Coenen as he marched up to Febvre’s back wheel, and used his signature wall jump move to fly into the lead at the end of lap 12!  The experience of Febvre paid benefits, however, as he knew that he had to strike back instantly on his young rival, and carved to the inside of the KTM after just four corners with enough authority to force the Belgian off the track!

On the same lap, Vlaanderen was able to dance past Gifting for third, and that’s where the Yamaha men would finish.  Coenen made one last charge to get back onto terms with Febvre, but had a massive moment on the exit of the “Lommelwood” section that forced him to throw in the towel.  Febvre was able to cruise over the line and enjoy his 55th career GP race victory, and extend the Championship lead to 12 points.

Coenen promised MXGP-TV Presenter Lisa Leyland a good show before race two, and we certainly got one!  There was a rare sight at the start, as Jeffrey Herlings claimed his first Fox Holeshot Award since October 2021 in France with a sweeping move around Gifting, who again held second, until Febvre cut to the inside of him at the third corner. Simultaneously, Vlaanderen grabbed fifth from Coenen and the race seemed to be going the way of the Kawasaki man once more. 

Herlings started to streak away from the pack, setting the Acerbis Fastest Lap of the day, the only one under two minutes, to get as far ahead as eight seconds away from Febvre at the beginning! Gifting fell halfway round the opening lap, leaving Coenen free to attack Vlaanderen. The pair fought a thrilling back-and-forth duel for fourth which Coenen won, before passing Bonacorsi over, where else, the wall jump, at the end of lap two for third.  Fernandez got a better start this time, and was sixth ahead of Coldenhoff, Renaux, and the TEM JP253 KTM Racing rider Jan Pancar, who had struggled to 16th in race one. Vlaanderen slipped off to drop from fifth to seventh on lap four, and his overall podium chances looked under threat!

Suddenly, Herlings took a nasty-looking tumble through a waves section, and looked to be complaining of twisted steering as he passed the Pit Lane.  He had got back up in third as Febvre and Coenen took up arms again at the front!

This time the Belgian sprung a surprise as he passed the Frenchman through “Lommelwood”, and gave his rival no chance of repeating the fightback from race one, bolting away with a series of qualifying-style laps to the cheers of his adoring fans.  The war was won!

Sadly, Herlings was to crash twice more and he dropped back to eighth again at the finish, just ahead of a recovering Gifting and the MRT Racing Team Beta of Ben Watson. The Brit claimed tenth overall behind Van Doninck and Herlings.

Seventh overall, after another stellar ride in race two to take seventh behind fellow privateer hero Pancar, was an incredible career best for Fredriksen that nobody saw coming!  Pancar’s sixth was by far his best performance to date in deep sand, but Gifting took sixth overall on the day.  It was a good day for the three non-factory riders!

The two factory Fantics of Bonacorsi and Coldenhoff rode brilliantly to take third and fourth in race two, a real return to form for the Italian. They finished in the reverse order overall, with Glenn fourth and Andrea fifth.  Vlaanderen recovered to a brilliant fifth after his early fall, enough to take his second podium in three GPs.

At the top of the tree, Coenen’s fifth GP win of the season is now the highest of anyone for the year, and it puts the gap back to just nine points between himself and Febvre.  It was the first GP win for a Belgian on home ground since Kevin Strijbos in 2016, and the first time that a rider has won three GPs in a row in his debut season in MXGP, since Tim Gajser that same year! 

The young Belgian and the veteran Frenchman are giving us a fantastic Championship battle in 2025, and they head to the hardpack of Sweden to duke it out once again!

Lucas Coenen: " I didn’t want to waste any time in the second race. I came from the back and just pushed all the way to the front. Winning in front of the home crowd and my family is the best feeling ever. Romain (Febvre) has the red plate, but we’re still closing the gap, and I’m enjoying every part of the way. I wanted to win in Lommel, and we did it, so I’m super happy. Let’s keep the ball rolling."

Romain Febvre: " To just lose one point here is really good. I thought I could win and that’s what I did in the first race, but in the second one Lucas (Coenen) had better lines and passed me. I couldn’t stay really close behind him and he pulled away, so congrats to him. Winning in Lommel is always special, so I was close. Just one point lost, in the end that’s fine."

Calvin Vlaanderen: "Overall, such a good weekend. Even from yesterday I felt good on the track, had a strong qualifying race in P3, and I knew it was going to be tough today because Lommel is no joke,  it really separates the men from the boys. I had a small tip-over in the second race which cost me some energy, and I knew if Glenn (Coldenhoff) got Andrea (Bonacorsi), I’d be off the box, so I kept the pressure on him but just couldn’t make the pass. Overall, super happy to get it done, to put Yamaha on the box, and to do it with my family here. Super cool feeling.. let’s keep the momentum going."

Main Photo: Lucas Coenen

Top Photo: MXGP Start Lommel

Bottom Photos: 1. Romain Febvre; 2  Calvin Vlaanderen

MXGP - Grand Prix Race 1 - Top 10 Classification: 1 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), 36:05.332; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:17.718; 3. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:44.854; 4. Isak Gifting (SWE, Yamaha), +0:47.004; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:51.803; 6. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, Yamaha), +0:53.946; 7. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Honda), +1:14.724; 8. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +1:19.310; 9. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Fantic), +1:19.358; 10. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +1:25.935

MXGP - Grand Prix Race 2 - Top 10 Classification: 1 1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 36:28.928; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:11.007; 3. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Fantic), +0:37.638; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:41.082; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:56.500; 6. Jan Pancar (SLO, KTM), +0:59.450; 7. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, Yamaha), +1:00.643; 8. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +1:11.177; 9. Isak Gifting (SWE, Yamaha), +1:12.078; 10. Ben Watson (GBR, Beta), +1:13.166;

MXGP Overall - Top 10 Classification: 1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 47 points; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 47 p.; 3. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 36 p.; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 34 p.; 5. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, FAN), 32 p.; 6. Isak Gifting (SWE, YAM), 30 p.; 7. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, YAM), 29 p.; 8. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 26 p.; 9. Brent Van doninck (BEL, HON), 24 p.; 10. Ben Watson (GBR, BET), 21 p.;

MXGP - World Championship - Top 10 Classification: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 734 points; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 725 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 534 p.; 4. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 467 p.; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 436 p.; 6. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, FAN), 405 p.; 7. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 387 p.; 8. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 353 p.; 9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, DUC), 331 p.; 10. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 305 p.

MXGP - Manufacturers Classification: 1. KTM, 758 points; 2. Kawasaki, 740 p.; 3. Honda, 661 p.; 4. Yamaha, 619 p.; 5. Fantic, 591 p.; 6. Ducati, 401 p.; 7. Beta, 271 p.; 8. Husqvarna, 74 p.; 9. GASGAS, 7 p.; 10. Triumph, 5 p.;

Qualifying Race winner Kay de Wolf flexed his muscles in morning Warm-up with a time over two seconds faster than anyone else, while Sacha Coenen and Camden McLellan also giving us a preview of their top three speed.

Coenen put in another rocket start for his tenth Fox Holeshot Award of the campaign ahead of De Wolf, while McLellan put the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing pair of Andrea Adamo and Simon Längenfelder behind him as they ran from third to fifth.

Just halfway around the opening lap, Coenen landed slightly off-track and gave De Wolf the half-chance he needed to take the lead.  On lap three Coenen hit the ground hard but amazingly still got back on in seventh!  McLellan and Adamo would stay second and third for the rest of the race, while Coenen, despite a further tumble in the closing laps, fought back to fourth past his teammate Längenfelder at half-distance.  He was, however, penalised five points for not respecting waved yellow flags.

In the battle of last year’s EMX250 race winners here, Kawasaki Racing Team MX2 man Mathis Valin fought off the Van Venrooy KTM Racing machine of Cas Valk for fifth, giving the Dutchman his best result in three months! An awkward crash for Längenfelder put him back into seventh by the flag, losing 11 points to De Wolf in the process. Jens Walvoort took eighth for BTS Racing KTM, ahead of impressive wildcard Nicolaj Skovbjerg on his Wozniak Racing Team Yamaha! Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 pilot Karlis Reisulis moved forward from a first lap crash to salvage tenth.

De Wolf won by 28.7 seconds from McLellan, and was just a point behind Adamo as they lined up for race two!

It was almost a carbon copy of race one at the front as Coenen again took the Fox Holeshot ahead of De Wolf, but Valerio Lata was third early for Honda HRC, and the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 bike of Rick Elzinga was fourth ahead of Längenfelder initially, although the German would pass the Dutchman on his comeback ride from injury, as would Rick’s teammate Thibault Benistant and Valin. 

Lata dropped down the order to ultimately finish 11th, with Guillem Farres nudging into the top ten for Monster Energy Triumph Racing with two laps to go, enough to give the Spaniard ninth overall, ahead of Lata in tenth.

Skovbjerg was to take a great eighth overall as he took 12th in race two, and Walvoort also backed up his good first race to take seventh with an 8-9 card!

McLellan had to charge through from outside the top ten, but advanced with Valin past Benistant by lap five.  Benistant was to finish sixth in the race ahead of Elzinga.  The South African, meanwhile, passed Längenfelder for third on lap 12, which put the German fifth overall ahead of Valin’s 5-5 results.

The major charge in race two came from Adamo, after he collided with Valk in turn one! Valk had to retire, but Adamo pressed forward, looking exhausted as he climbed all the way to eighth at the flag, sealing fourth overall.  Coenen, meanwhile, stayed on throughout the race after being passed on lap two by the flying De Wolf.  It was a nice overall podium result for Coenen after several crashes across the weekend, but second overall for McLellan matched his career best result and lifted him up to sixth in the Championship ahead of the injured Liam Everts.

De Wolf was not to be denied though, and claimed his second 1-1-1 weekend in three GPs, raising his points total to the number of the beast!  He is now 11 points ahead of Adamo in second place, but still has a 38-point gap to Längenfelder at the top of the table.

In two weeks’ time, the series heads north again to Sweden, to hardpack and the possibility of a further swing in the momentum in both classes!  The final quarter of the World Motocross Championships is about to begin, and the battles for both world titles still have plenty of possible outcomes! Don’t miss them when we return for the MXGP of Sweden!

Kay de Wolf: "I definitely needed these points. That was our goal coming into the weekend, get the points, and that’s exactly what we’ve done. Really happy with my riding and everything I worked on during the week paid off. Thanks to the whole Nestaan Husqvarna team and all the Dutch fans who came out to support me. Hopefully in three weeks they’ll all be in Arnhem for our home GP. I can’t wait for that one."

Camden McLellan: “This was a long time coming, longer than it should have been, so it feels good and hopefully we can keep it up. The whole team at Monster Energy Triumph Racing deserves this, they’ve put in the work and so have I, so I’m really happy. Shame about my start in the second race, it was a bit poor but it is what it is. I came through past some big hitters, so hopefully we keep this momentum and maybe get a race win next time, like Arco. We’ll see."

Sacha Coenen: “Let’s say I wasn’t too happy because in front of the home crowd you want to win, not be third, but it is what it is. We’ll take the podium. Thanks to all the fans, it was amazing to race here again, and having them behind me is always special, so thanks to everyone."

Top Photo: Kay de Wolf

Bottom Photos: 1. Camden Mc Lellan ; 2. Sacha Coenen

MX2 - Grand Prix Race 1 - Top 10 Classification:  1. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 36:25.125; 2. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:28.751; 3. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:44.137; 4. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:55.301; 5. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:03.792; 6. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), +1:11.616; 7. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +1:19.094; 8. Jens Walvoort (NED, KTM), +1:39.477; 9. Nicolai Skovbjerg (DEN, Yamaha), +1:42.278; 10. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +1:46.968;

MX2 - Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 36:32.079; 2. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:11.405; 3. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:16.539; 4. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:18.928; 5. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:21.088; 6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +1:07.199; 7. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +1:14.347; 8. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +1:27.314; 9. Jens Walvoort (NED, KTM), +1:33.069; 10. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +1:39.189;

MX2 Overall – Top 10 Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 50 points; 2. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 42 p.; 3. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 33 p.; 5. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 32 p.; 6. Mathis Valin (FRA, KAW), 32 p.; 7. Jens Walvoort (NED, KTM), 25 p.; 8. Nicolai Skovbjerg (DEN, YAM), 21 p.; 9. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 18 p.; 10. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 18 p.;

MX2 - World Championship Classification: 1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 704 points; 2. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 666 p.; 3. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 655 p.; 4. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 559 p.; 5. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 513 p.; 6. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 467 p.; 7. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 464 p.; 8. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 348 p.; 9. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 324 p.; 10. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), 314 p.;

MX2 - Manufacturers Classification: 1. KTM, 823 points; 2. Husqvarna, 746 p.; 3. Yamaha, 559 p.; 4. Triumph, 527 p.; 5. Honda, 446 p.; 6. Kawasaki, 314 p.; 7. TM, 192 p.; 8. GASGAS, 12 p.;

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

You can find the complete results HERE.

MXGP OF FLANDERS QUICK FACTS:

Circuit length: 1850m

Type of ground: Sand

Temperature: 23°

Weather conditions: Sunny

Crowd Attendance:  37,700

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

LOMMEL (Flanders, Belgium) 2nd August 2025 – The deepest of deep sand tracks awaited the MXGP elite today for the first day of action at the MXGP of Flanders, as rain intermittently lashed the already soft circuit to leave seriously heavy conditions for the Qualifying Races, and the MXGP and MX2 World Championship battles continued in front of packed spectator banks all around the circuit of Lommel!

It was delight for the home fans who had come to see their star man Lucas Coenen take victory, which he did with multiple passes to earn his sixth Qualifying Race victory of the year for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing!  Championship leader Romain Febvre also had to charge through the pack to take second place and keep the red plate on his Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP machine, while Calvin Vlaanderen made use of his sand prowess with a solid third for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP.

The clear favourite in MX2 delivered this time, as Kay de Wolf scored his third Saturday win of the season for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing.  Fellow Championship challenger Andrea Adamo worked hard to take second for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, ahead of Monster Energy Triumph Racing’s sand lover Camden McLellan, who had his best Qualifying Race result of the season in third!

The first taste of the sand is never the deepest at Lommel, and with brighter weather likely to add to the physical punishment, the GP races tomorrow will see only the fittest and the best sand riders prevail!

Febvre was looking strong and controlled with the fastest time in morning Free Practice, although on his return from injury, Jeffrey Herlings claimed second best time for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing with a late run, with Fantic Factory Racing MXGP rider Glenn Coldenhoff in third.

Coldenhoff’s teammate Brian Bogers took that third position in Time Practice, however, with Coenen taking the first gate pick for the Qualifying Race, just a quarter of a second ahead of Herlings.

With a special livery to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the brand, Isak Gifting put his smart-looking JK Racing Yamaha into the early lead with a stunning Holeshot, his first in any race this year, with the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP teammates Calvin Vlaanderen and Jago Geerts running in second and third ahead of the factory Fantic pairing of Coldenhoff and Bogers!

Of the pre-race favourites, Coenen was initially seventh into the third corner, with Febvre tenth and Herlings eleventh! Coldenhoff and Geerts went back and forth on the first lap for third, when suddenly Coenen was amongst them, picking his way past Bogers for fifth on the last corner before the end of the first full lap. 

Febvre was also making passes, staying two places back from Coenen until half-distance, by which time they were third and fourth and chasing down the leading Yamaha men, with Gifting still ahead of Vlaanderen.  The South-African born Dutchman nearly made the move past the Swede after holding back the Belgian teenager, who had a big moment through the wooded section of the track that nearly saw him over the handlebars!

Further back, there was a stunning ride in progress from Norwegian Hakon Fredriksen, who lifted his YRC High Performance Yamaha past factory man Maxime Renaux for the final point in tenth with three laps to go, finishing just 2.5 seconds down on the returning Herlings!  After a crash from Bogers saw him tumble down the order, Andrea Bonacorsi was the second Fantic Factory Racing MXGP rider in the top ten, claiming a steady eighth at the flag.

Geerts and Coldenhoff continued their duel throughout the race, and the Dutchman made the decisive move on lap eight to take fifth ahead of the Yamaha man, while the JM Racing Honda of Brent van Doninck scored a solid seventh place for the second Qualifying Race in a row!

On lap seven, Coenen finally made the breakthrough, scrubbing the Finish Line jump brilliantly to make an inside pass on Vlaanderen, and as Gifting ran slightly wide halfway through the lap, the home hero pounced to leap past the gallant Swedish Viking and take the lead!  Just three corners later Vlaanderen also made it past the white Yamaha, who in turn succumbed to the charging Febvre over the wall jump by Pit Lane!  Isak was able to hold on to fourth at the finish, however, to record his best ever Qualifying Race result in MXGP!

Febvre took two further laps to catch and pass Vlaanderen for second place and reeled in Coenen a little in the closing stages, but the KTM man celebrated his sixth Saturday success in the premier class to edge closer to his title rival in the Championship!

The gap between the series leaders is now just nine points, but with both of them being evenly matched around the arduous Belgian sand pit, tomorrow’s Grand Prix races could see either of them emerge with the red plate for the next round!

Lucas Coenen: "I was a bit sick yesterday and didn’t sleep much, so it was tough early on. I tried to save energy in the races, kept it safe at the start, and then pushed when I needed to. I controlled it from there and saved some energy for tomorrow. The track is already rough and the fans are hyped, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow."

MXGP - Qualifying Race Classification:  1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 25:54.249; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:04.744; 3. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:19.667; 4. Isak Gifting (SWE, Yamaha), +0:22.901; 5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:23.013; 6. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:26.260; 7. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Honda), +0:41.735; 8. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Fantic), +0:48.187; 9. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:50.649; 10. Hakon Fredriksen (NOR, Yamaha), +0:51.330

MXGP - World Championship Classification: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 687 points; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 678 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 500 p.; 4. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 451 p.; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 400 p.; 6. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, FAN), 373 p.; 7. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 368 p.; 8. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 327 p.; 9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, DUC), 327 p.; 10. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 305 p.

Main Photo: Lucas Coenen

Bottom Photos: 1. Romain Febvre; 2. Calvin Vlaanderen

De Wolf was immediately fast in the morning’s Free Practice session, but only just got fastest time by less than half a tenth from Mathis Valin, who looked at home in the sand for Kawasaki Racing Team MX2. Sacha Coenen was typically on full throttle more often than not for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing as he took third fastest time, and the young Belgian was again on the gas for Time Practice, holding the top spot until the very end of the session, as De Wolf grabbed the first gate pick by a third of a second from his teenage rival!  Valin was again impressive but a second back from De Wolf in third spot. Series leader Simon Längenfelder was fourth for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, ahead of Rick Elzinga in his first race back from injury for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2.

A fired-up Coenen, without a Holeshot of any kind at the last GP, got back to his usual practice by firing into the lead and streaking away from the pack, his initial laps a full four seconds faster than his pursuers, who on the opening lap were Adamo, the JM Racing Honda of David Braceras, and the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 team leader Thibault Benistant.  De Wolf exited the tight second corner in fifth but was third by the end of the first full lap after a sweet move on Benistant.

Längenfelder looked unhurried but got up to sixth past Braceras on lap two, with Elzinga eighth in front of Valin.  Jens Walvoort and his BTS Racing KTM was in a battle with Monster Energy Triumph Racing’s Guillem Farres at the edge of the top ten.

On lap four, De Wolf made a forceful inside move on Adamo for second, with Coenen ten seconds clear by this time.  Both McLellan and Längenfelder had passed Benistant as he slipped down to sixth, with Valin up to seventh.  The reigning Champ guessed that a mistake from Sacha might be coming, and the young Belgian, who still has yet to win a Qualifying Race in his career, tipped over heading into the wooded section and lost a bunch of time, remounting in sight of De Wolf! 

Just half a lap later and Coenen ran off the track after another big moment, and the Dutchman inherited the lead that he was never to lose.  Coenen was to crash three more times during the race but at least he had soft landings, amazingly salvaging seventh by the finish! Elzinga battled hard to take eighth ahead of Braceras and Walvoort.

Valin took sixth at the flag after the last of Coenen’s crashes, but at the front of the field De Wolf was imperious, winning by 4.8 seconds from Adamo, while McLellan won a heads-up battle with Längenfelder for third, as Benistant came home a distant fifth.

After the end of the race, Andrea Adamo received a penalty for not respecting waved yellow flag and was therefore penalised by five points in the championship.  He keeps his second gate pick for tomorrow’s races, but the Italian now sits 50 points behind Längenfelder in the Championship and has De Wolf just six points behind him!

It’s unusual for there to be a clear favourite for tomorrow’s MX2 races, but then we were also saying this last weekend! Nothing is ever certain on an MXGP Sunday in the deep sands of Lommel, so don’t miss this one tomorrow!

Kay de Wolf: "I was struggling a little bit, so they can expect more from me tomorrow. I waited for Sacha’s (Coenen) mistake, which came earlier than I expected, and then I took the lead. It turned out to be an easy qualifying race, and I saved a lot of energy for tomorrow, so I’m ready."

MX2 - Qualifying Race Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 26:09.242; 2. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:04.841; 3. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:06.557; 4. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:13.239; 5. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:21.063; 6. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:37.385; 7. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:54.906; 8. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +1:29.270; 9. David Braceras (ESP, Honda), +1:30.559; 10. Jens Walvoort (NED, KTM), +1:31.645

MX2 - World Championship Classification: 1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 672 points; 2. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 622 p.; 3. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 616 p.; 4. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 524 p.; 5. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 498 p.; 6. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 464 p.; 7. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 425 p.; 8. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 330 p.; 9. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 306 p.; 10. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), 299 p.

Main Photo: Kay de Wolf 

Bottom Photos: 1. Andrea Adamo; 2. Camden Mc Lellan

​

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

You can find the complete results HERE.

MXGP OF FLANDERS QUICK FACTS:

Circuit length: 1850m

Type of ground: Sand

Temperature: 18°

Weather conditions: Cloudy

TIMETABLE

SUNDAY: 09:40 EMXOpen Race 2, 11:30 EMX125 Race 2, 10:25 MX2 Warm-up, 10:45 MXGP Warm-up, 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