MXGP – MotoHead https://www.motoheadmag.com Fresh dirt bike action for the real MotoHead! Sun, 11 May 2025 19:29:58 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 https://www.motoheadmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/cropped-MotoSquareWebBlack-02-32x32.jpg MXGP – MotoHead https://www.motoheadmag.com 32 32 Febvre on top in sticky Spanish GP https://www.motoheadmag.com/febvre-on-top-in-spanish-mudfest/ Sun, 11 May 2025 19:27:51 +0000 https://www.motoheadmag.com/?p=42118 Romain Febvre extended his MXGP lead with the overall win in the rain-hit MXGP round in Spain. And Kay De Wolf pulled 15 points clear in MX2 with the overall win.

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Geerts takes Spain qualifying race win https://www.motoheadmag.com/geerts-takes-spain-qualifying-race-win/ Sun, 11 May 2025 09:40:11 +0000 https://www.motoheadmag.com/?p=42113 With a healthy crowd enduring changeable weather conditions at the Circuito Municipal Jorge Prado, the MXGP of Spain got underway with Time Practice and the Qualifying Races keeping the fans hooked on the action around the popular Lugo venue in north-western Spain!

It was an amazing day for the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory teams as they took the victory in both classes!  However, if anyone had correctly predicted the victor in the MXGP category then they could be considered a clairvoyant, for it came from a rider who has only once before scored points in a Qualifying Race in the premiere class: Jago Geerts!

Withstanding pressure from effectively the top two riders in the Championship and staying upright when others didn’t, the Belgian showed the sort of form that earned him 24 GP victories in the MX2 division, in a confidence-boosting ride that few could have seen coming. 

New red plate holder Romain Febvre led briefly but had to settle for second place on his Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP machineahead of another Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP rider, Maxime Renaux. 

In MX2 it was a third Qualifying Race win of the season for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2’s top rider in the series, Thibault Benistant, and he also coped with race-long pressure from the red plate holder, as Kay de Wolf marginally increased his points lead for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing with second place ahead of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Simon Laengenfelder.

With weather likely to be a factor for tomorrow’s GP races as well, the shocks of Saturday could well be repeated on Sunday, with many riders out for redemption around the wooded slopes of Lugo!

With the red plate freshly attached to his factory Kawasaki, Romain Febvre was clearly feeling good with it as he topped both Free and Time Practice sessions, and brilliantly for Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP, Pauls Jonass made it a 1-2 for the green machines with a time just two-tenths away from the Frenchman’s! Home hero Ruben Fernandez gave the local fans some hope with the third best time for Honda HRC.

However, that was as good as it got for the Spaniard, as he fell in the first corner of the Qualifying Race and suffered lacerations to his right arm in the crash.  In a separate incident, both of the main Italian hopes hit the ground hard, as Fantic Factory Racing’s Andrea Bonacorsi was sent over the handlebars after hitting the rear wheel of Aruba.it Ducati Factory MX-Team rider Jeremy Seewer, and Mattia Guadagnini couldn’t avoid his countryman, putting the other Ducati onto the ground as other riders also came to a halt in the melee.

Firing into the lead from the 12th gate pick, however, was Geerts, his front wheel pawing the air for several metres and taking a clean Holeshot ahead of Seewer, Febvre, and Jonass!  In-form rookie Lucas Coenen was initially fifth for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.

Before the pack reached the finish line to start the first full lap of the track, Febvre had shot past Seewer for second, while Jonass lost out to both Coenen and Renaux, dropping the Latvian to sixth.

It was then Seewer’s turn to lose two positions as Coenen ran him wide along the start straight and Renaux took the chance to also dive past the Swiss rider. With the rain driving onto the circuit to make the surface all the more slippery than it already was, Febvre immediately attacked the rear wheel of Geerts, who was enjoying his first laps in the lead of a GP race since moving up to the premiere class.

TEM JP253 KTM Racing Team rider Jan Pancar was initially in the top seven, but got shuffled down the order in the first three laps by the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP machine of Calvin Vlaanderen, then Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings, and finally Glenn Coldenhoff, who would hold onto ninth for Fantic Factory Racing MXGP ahead of Pancar.

Vlaanderen moved up the field well, also passing Jonass on lap four, then Seewer on lap six. The Swiss veteran took sixth at the flag ahead of Jonass and Herlings, while Vlaanderen continued his good run of form by making it three blue bikes in the top five!

All eyes were on the fight for the lead, however, as Febvre was continually frustrated by Geerts, taking him until lap ten to work his way into a pass, done under braking on a downhill left-hander in the middle of the track! Coenen, who had been lurking since the early laps, then closed to the rear wheel of the Yamaha, and was looking at a move into the same corner when they both suddenly found Febvre on the ground in front of them.

Geerts held firm in the lead again, but the younger Belgian looked menacing at the start of the final lap until his front wheel slipped from under him at the end of the start straight! In his haste to remount he dropped the bike again, allowing both Febvre and Renaux through to take second and third.

Geerts was able to enjoy a fairly relaxed final lap with a ten-second cushion over Febvre, and punched the air in delighted relief that his long wait for success in MXGP had finally come to an end.

The result must surely encourage other riders that have been battling Jago down the field all year, that with a good start anything is possible in MXGP! Even though Febvre’s lead at the top has now stretched to 45 points over Coenen, tomorrow’s GP races should be massively entertaining for everyone watching!

Jago Geerts: “It was really crazy. I finally got a good start, took the holeshot and just led lap after lap. I felt really good. Febvre was pushing me, but I kept going. He passed me at one point but then had a small crash so I could take the lead again. Just super happy with this win after a tough time. I knew it was coming back, so it’s nice to see it now.”

Main Photo: Jago Geerts

Bottom Photos: 1. Romain Febvre ; 2. Maxime Renaux

MXGP – Qualifying Race Classification:  1. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), 23:54.358; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:10.010; 3. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:13.864; 4. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:15.586; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:17.753; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Ducati), +0:18.690; 7. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Kawasaki), +0:20.040; 8. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:21.013; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:21.632; 10. Jan Pancar (SLO, KTM), +0:26.946

MXGP – World Championship Classification: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 339 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 305 p.; 3. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 294 p.; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 252 p.; 5. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 225 p.; 6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 223 p.; 7. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, FAN), 194 p.; 8. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 177 p.; 9. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 168 p.; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, DUC), 161 p

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Sacha Coenen looked on fire with fastest times in both Free and Time Practice sessions to give the Holeshot master the first gate pick, although De Wolf was up next in second ahead of a great performance by Ferruccio Zanchi, third for Honda HRC. Rick Elzinga was also fast in both sessions for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2.

Held in dry conditions to begin with, the MX2 Qualifying Race saw the Holeshot taken by title hopeful Laengenfelder, while Coenen banged bars with Benistant for second.  The shorter rider came off worse in a collision which saw Coenen lose a hatful of positions in the third corner, so Benistant led Zanchi in their pursuit of the German out front.

It didn’t take the Frenchman long to find a line past Laengenfelder, pushing him wide at the end of the wave section, while De Wolf got to work from sixth place to pass the Kawasaki Racing Team MX2 machine of Mathis Valin, then Zanchi for fourth, before making a convincing pass on Laengenfelder, his biggest title rival.

The other big title threat to the reigning Champ, Andrea Adamo, was to have a shocking race by his standards, never able to advance from the mid-pack and finishing a frustrated thirteenth for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.  His gap to the top has now nearly doubled, to 19 points heading into tomorrow’s GP races.

Spanish hope Guillem Farres was up to sixth early on for Monster Energy Triumph Racing, but he dropped down the order at the end of the race, being passed for tenth on the last lap by Honda HRC’s Valerio Lata.  Elzinga also dropped from sixth to an eventual ninth behind Farres’ teammate Camden McLellan.  Van Venrooy KTM Racing teamster Cas Valk took another impressive result in seventh, following the charge of Coenen who eventually recovered to finish sixth.

While Laengenfelder endured a fairly solitary race in third, Liam Everts moved forward by leaping past Zanchi to take fourth on lap nine of 14.  His Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing teammate De Wolf pressured Benistant constantly for the lead, but finally made a mistake in one of the corners under the trees and had to settle for second. This result still extends his Championship lead over Laengenfelder to five points, but Benistant’s return to form made him the first rider this season, in either class, to win his third Qualifying Race of the year!

Be sure to join us tomorrow for what should be an enthralling day of racing in the lush forests of Lugo for the MXGP of Spain!

Thibault Benistant: “It’s quite nice to take a win again in qualifying. It hasn’t been so easy the last few races. I just needed to ride a bit freer. It wasn’t easy with the pressure from de Wolf because if you ride too defensive, you lose speed, and if you go too wide, it’s easy to get passed. So yeah, not an easy one, but nice to make it to the end.”

Top Photo: Thibault Benistant

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

MX2 – Qualifying Race Classification: 1. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), 24:53.027; 2. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:05.521; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:11.178; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:12.206; 5. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +0:24.211; 6. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:34.247; 7. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), +0:36.756; 8. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:39.248; 9. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:47.254; 10. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +0:48.496

MX2 – World Championship Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 337 points; 2. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 332 p.; 3. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 318 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 276 p.; 5. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 235 p.; 6. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 227 p.; 7. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 213 p.; 8. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), 193 p.; 9. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, HON), 174 p.; 10. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 161 p.

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Surgery ends Gajser’s title bid https://www.motoheadmag.com/surgery-ends-gajsers-title-bid/ Thu, 08 May 2025 08:58:23 +0000 https://www.motoheadmag.com/?p=42093 Honda HRC’s Tim Gajser has undergone a successful surgery on his injured right shoulder as a result of his crash in Switzerland on Monday 21st April. The nasty incident at the Frauenfeld circuit, wasn’t initially showing such a serious prognosis but after attempting physiotherapy to try and improve the shoulder, surgery was deemed as the best option.Unfortunately, this means that Gajser’s title aspirations are now over, despite a start to the season that saw him podium the first six rounds, winning three of them and pulling out a lead of nearly 50 points at one stage. He looked in imperious form, and although it was early-on, the way he was riding and the way he was continually increasing his lead had all the signs pointed towards a sixth world title for the Slovenian.Instead, he will now be sitting on the sidelines for a number of weeks as his body heals up from this latest setback, working with his medical team to make sure everything is done correctly so that when he does return, it won’t take him long to reach that same level of performance.Honda HRC will continue in Lugo, Spain this weekend, with the trio of Ruben Fernandez (MXGP), Ferruccio Zanchi (MX2) and Valerio Lata (MX2) racing the eighth round of the 2025 World Motocross Championship.

Tim Gajser: I am bitterly disappointed to have needed surgery, which effectively rules out any chance I have of the title this year. There isn’t a set recovery timetable for this, but I’ll be missing a number of rounds and even when I return, it’ll take some time to get back up to speed. My focus now though is to do everything I need to do to, to get fit and healthy and back to being 100% and we’ll just take it from there. I felt so good this season, and I think that showed with my results and how comfortably I was leading the championship, but this is motocross and anything can happen at any moment unfortunately. A big thanks to everyone in Honda HRC for all their work, and to all my fans around the world who support me. I hope to see everyone at the races later in the year

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What’s that coming over the hill – is it a Monster? https://www.motoheadmag.com/whats-that-coming-over-the-hill-is-it-a-monster/ Sat, 03 May 2025 18:35:05 +0000 https://www.motoheadmag.com/?p=42089 Ouch! Jeffrey Herlings crashes in the Portuguese mud in the MXGP qualifying race while in second place on the penultimate lap, and Monster Kawasaki rider Romain Febvre slams into him. Herlings says he may have a broken rib but will try to race tomorrow. Check out the action from all today’s races.

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Gajser out of Portuguese GP https://www.motoheadmag.com/gajser-out-of-portuguese-gp/ Thu, 01 May 2025 16:20:49 +0000 https://www.motoheadmag.com/?p=42086
Honda HRC are down to three riders at the MXGP of Portugal, as five-time world champion and current red-plate holder Tim Gajser will not make the trip to Agueda. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the rider and all the medical personnel helping the Slovenian since leaving Switzerland, the injury hasn’t improved enough to cope with the rigours of world motocross racing.

After a tough Monday of racing in Switzerland – which followed an excellent Saturday where Ruben Fernandez and Gajser went one-two in qualification – there were question marks surrounding the status of the Gajser, after a nasty crash involving a solid man-made mound of dirt that was meant to be marking the track boundary but was instead inside the markers. And after some excellent treatment once he left the on-site facility, the Slovenian was hoping that he would be fit enough to attempt to battle the demands of MXGP motocross and continue his fight for title number six. Sitting 27 points clear of second place, the #243 knew he would have his work cut out to ready to make the start-line, but an intense week of physiotherapy saw his condition reach a level where there was optimism that he would be able to jump on a plane for round seven. Instead, he, along with his qualified medical team decided that sitting it out was the necessary call and now there will be further tests to determine the best course of action.

It is a massive disappointment for Gajser as before the crash, he was 49 points ahead of his rivals, having won three of the first six rounds, and been on the podium for all of them.Now running solo in the MXGP class is Fernandez, who always looks forward to racing in Agueda, as it is a local track for him, where he is cheered on by lots of fans from the region.

The Spaniard doesn’t live too far from this Portuguese track and raced there a lot when growing up and loves the loose nature of the soil and the exciting layout that always delivers top racing. The #70 is also highly motivated to get himself onto the podium after some unfortunate results which has seen his speed not get rightfully rewarded with points. He won the qualification race in Switzerland but wants to turn that into similar results on Sunday, so he can stand on the podium and payback all the fans and team members who support him.In the MX2 class, both Zanchi and Lata competed in the Italian Championship race in Montevarchi, where Zanchi came out on top with a pair of wins, ahead of his teammate.

The duo are separated by just two points in the championship standings and are determined to rise higher as they try to put themselves and their Honda CRF250Rs in positions to fight it out with the best MX2 riders. Lata has had a couple of good starts in recent weeks, including a holeshot in the Swiss qualification race and is trending upwards as he grows into this competitive class.  Zanchi hasn’t been able to reach the levels of his early-season form where he won a moto and stood on the podium in Spain, but he hopes the win in Montevarchi will give him the boost necessary to battle for the top spots once again.

Unfortunately, the weather isn’t looking good, with rain scheduled throughout the weekend, which brings back painful reminders of the horrible conditions which the riders’ faced in 2024. However, whatever the status of the Agueda track, all four Honda HRC riders are motivated for the job at hand and will try their upmost to maximise their points haul.

Tim Gajser: “Obviously, everyone knows that I dislocated my shoulder in Switzerland, but despite the best care possible since leaving the track, I will be unable to line-up for the MXGP of Portugal. I tried my hardest with all the physiotherapy and we did everything we could to be ready for this weekend, but it just hasn’t worked out. There was hope earlier in the week, as things were going well, but this is an injury you can’t force or rush to be better than it is. Of course, I am extremely disappointed to be missing any racing and now we will see what we can do in the coming days to figure out our next move. I’d like to say a big thanks for all the messages of support I have received from all my fans, and I hope to see you at the races soon.”

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Brits dominate all classes in EMX action! https://www.motoheadmag.com/brits-dominate-all-classes-in-emx-action/ Wed, 23 Apr 2025 11:54:56 +0000 https://www.motoheadmag.com/?p=42081 The 2025 EMX season delivered another electrifying weekend of motocross action as the second round of the EMX65 / EMX85 European Championship Central Europe Zone, along with the EMX Women’s European Championship, unfolded in the vibrant Danish city of Esbjerg.

Following a strong opening round in the Netherlands, expectations were high and the event did not disappoint. Despite persistent rain and tough weather conditions, the technically demanding track and exceptional organizational efforts ensured a successful, safe and action-packed experience for riders and fans alike.

Across all classes, the intensity of the competition was palpable, with the muddy and slick conditions demanding every ounce of skill and mental focus. Riders responded with impressive resilience and unwavering determination, making for a memorable showcase of European motocross talent.

EMX85
British talent Harry Dale (KTM), who races in Europe on a foreign licence, continued his commanding form this season. After clinching victory in the Netherlands, he returned to the top with two dominant race wins in Esbjerg. Luca Nierychlo (KTM) followed with a pair of solid second-place finishes, while Maxim Zimmerman (Husqvarna) secured the double third.

EMX65

The EMX65 class saw the rise of a new contender, as Jett Gardiner (KTM) from Great Britain took control of both races, outpacing round-one winner Haakon Ronning (KTM) of Norway, who claimed two strong second-place finishes. Dutch riders Jann Huisman (Yamaha) and Bas Verspaandonk (GasGas) shared third-place honors, each stepping onto the podium with confidence.

EMX Women’s
Reigning World Champion Lucy Baker (KTM) made a triumphant return to the top, winning Race 1 after a fierce battle with Denmark’s Malou Jacobsen (KTM). Elsa Andersson Lof (GasGas) secured third in the opening heat. In Race 2, it was a thrilling duel between Sara Andersen (Yamaha) and Lynn Valk (KTM), the winner of round one in the Netherlands. Valk narrowly missed out on victory, finishing just four seconds behind Andersen. Lucy Baker took third place in Race 2, which was enough to secure the Overall win for the weekend.

EMX85 – Overall top three
1.     Harry Dale, GBR, KTM
2.     Luca Nierychlo, GER, KTM
3.     Maxim Zimmerman, SVK, Husqvarna
 
EMX 65 – Overall top three
1.      Jett Gardiner, GBR, KTM
2.      Haakon Ronning, NOR, KTM
2.    Jann Huisman, NED, Yamaha

EMX Women’s – Overall top three
1.        Lucy Barker, GBR, KTM
2.        Malou Jacobsen, DEN, KTM
3.     Sara Andersen, DEN, Yamaha

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Coenen on top as Gajser crashes out hurt https://www.motoheadmag.com/coenen-on-top-as-gajser-crashes-out-hurt/ Mon, 21 Apr 2025 19:11:23 +0000 https://www.motoheadmag.com/?p=42061 It was Lucas Coenen who took his first double win in MXGP in the Swiss round on Monday but red plate holder Tim Gajser went down hard in race two and withdrew with a shoulder injury. See the highlights here..

Gajser said: “Definitely not how I hoped the day would end, especially after the second-place in the first moto. I felt like I was doing okay, finding some different lines so I could make my move and try to win the race. I wasn’t too far off the line, but my rear wheel hit a solid mound and just bucked me off the bike. I was sitting off the track for a long time before medics were able to get to me, but eventually we were able to get checked out. After those results, I will get further tests done tomorrow and see where I’m at. I will keep fighting though and use this weekend off to recover as best as possible for Portugal.

Pos.RiderNumNationPointsTeamConstructorTime/Gap
1Coenen Lucas96BEL25Red Bull KTM Factory RacingKTM33:46.050
2Gajser Tim243SLO22Honda HRC – MXGPHonda0:05.978
3Fernandez Ruben70SPA20Honda HRC – MXGPHonda0:10.189
4Bonacorsi Andrea132ITA18Fantic Factory Racing MXGPFantic0:13.202
5Renaux Maxime959FRA16Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP TeamYamaha0:14.123
6Febvre Romain3FRA15Kawasaki Racing Team MXGPKawasaki0:15.535
7Seewer Jeremy91SWI14Ducati Factory MX TeamDucati0:29.220
8Horgmo Kevin24NOR13Honda SR MotoblouzHonda0:36.885
9Vlaanderen Calvin10NDL12Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP TeamYamaha0:38.045
10Coldenhoff Glenn259NDL11Fantic Factory Racing MXGPFantic0:42.000
11Guillod Valentin92SWI10Wildcard RiderYamaha1:02.173
12Pancar Jan253SLO9TEM JP253 KTM Racing TeamKTM1:04.244
13Geerts Jago93BEL8Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP TeamYamaha1:05.526
14Herlings Jeffrey84NDL7Red Bull KTM Factory RacingKTM1:06.555
15Tonus Arnaud4SWI6Wildcard RiderYamaha1:11.369
16Stauffer Marcel411AUT5Wildcard RiderKTM1:12.793
17Sterry Adam811GBR4KTM Kozak TeamKTM1:25.642
18Watson Ben919GBR3MRT Racing Team BetaBeta1:29.969
19Lupino Alessandro177ITA2Ducati Factory MX TeamDucati1:34.559
20Brumann Kevin87SWI1Wildcard RiderHusqvarna1:35.315

MXGP 2025 Monday, April 21st 2025

Race Round 6  MXGP of Switzerland

Race 2

Cloudy

Air Temp

15°C

Track Cond

Hard Pack

Pos.RiderNumNationPointsTeamConstructorTime/Gap
1Coenen Lucas96BEL25Red Bull KTM Factory RacingKTM33:57.096
2Febvre Romain3FRA22Kawasaki Racing Team MXGPKawasaki0:04.689
3Seewer Jeremy91SWI20Ducati Factory MX TeamDucati0:10.876
4Herlings Jeffrey84NDL18Red Bull KTM Factory RacingKTM0:16.061
5Bonacorsi Andrea132ITA16Fantic Factory Racing MXGPFantic0:27.867
6Coldenhoff Glenn259NDL15Fantic Factory Racing MXGPFantic0:29.927
7Watson Ben919GBR14MRT Racing Team BetaBeta0:36.134
8Horgmo Kevin24NOR13Honda SR MotoblouzHonda0:39.716
9Vlaanderen Calvin10NDL12Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP TeamYamaha0:45.595
10Pancar Jan253SLO11TEM JP253 KTM Racing TeamKTM0:50.713
11Geerts Jago93BEL10Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP TeamYamaha0:57.221
12van de Moosdijk Roan34NDL9KTM Kozak TeamKTM1:16.530
13Ludwig NoahGER81:18.917
14Lupino Alessandro177ITA7Ducati Factory MX TeamDucati1:20.312
15Brumann Kevin87SWI6Wildcard RiderHusqvarna1:22.645
16Sterry Adam811GBR5KTM Kozak TeamKTM1:35.485
17Gilbert JoshGBR41 lap
18Nickel CatoGER31 lap
19Tonus Arnaud4SWI2Wildcard RiderYamaha1 lap
20Pape Romain53FRA1Wildcard RiderYamaha1 lap

MXGP 2025 Monday, April 21st 2025

Rider standings

Pos.RiderNumNationPointsTeamConstructor
1Gajser Tim243SLO305Honda HRC – MXGPHonda
2Febvre Romain3FRA278Kawasaki Racing Team MXGPKawasaki
3Coenen Lucas96BEL227Red Bull KTM Factory RacingKTM
4Coldenhoff Glenn259NDL224Fantic Factory Racing MXGPFantic
5Renaux Maxime959FRA188Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP TeamYamaha
6Fernandez Ruben70SPA178Honda HRC – MXGPHonda
7Bonacorsi Andrea132ITA163Fantic Factory Racing MXGPFantic
8Horgmo Kevin24NOR163Honda SR MotoblouzHonda
9Seewer Jeremy91SWI138Ducati Factory MX TeamDucati
10Vlaanderen Calvin10NDL126Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP TeamYamaha
11Watson Ben919GBR102MRT Racing Team BetaBeta
12Pancar Jan253SLO91TEM JP253 KTM Racing TeamKTM
13Jonass Pauls41LAT86Kawasaki Racing Team MXGPKawasaki
14Geerts Jago93BEL86Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP TeamYamaha
15Guadagnini Mattia101ITA84Ducati Factory MX TeamDucati
16Gifting Isak517SWE78JK Racing Yamaha ActiveYamaha
17Guillod Valentin92SWI72Wildcard RiderYamaha
18Herlings JeffreyNDL65
19Bogers Brian189NDL61Fantic Factory Racing MXGPFantic
20van de Moosdijk RoanNDL49
21Sterry AdamGBR38
22Brumann Kevin87SWI32Wildcard RiderHusqvarna
23Koch Tom226GER24MRT Racing Team BetaBeta
24Stauffer Marcel411AUT23Wildcard RiderKTM
25Ludwig NoahGER19
26Spies MaximillianGER13
27Gilbert JoshGBR13
28Cairoli Antonio222ITA10Ducati Factory MX TeamDucati
29Lupino Alessandro177ITA9Ducati Factory MX TeamDucati
30Tonus Arnaud4SWI8Wildcard RiderYamaha
31Tondel Cornelius17NOR7JWR Honda RacingHonda
32Monticelli IvoITA6
33Aparecido dos Santos FabioBRA5
34Nickel CatoGER4
35Pape Romain53FRA3Wildcard RiderYamaha
36Forato Alberto303ITA2Honda SR MotoblouzHonda
37Evans Mitch43AUS1Wildcard RiderHonda
38Scheu MarkGER1

MX2 Race 1
1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 33:45.698; 2. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:08.412; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:09.029; 4. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:09.570; 5. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:19.642; 6. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:20.475; 7. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +0:28.467; 8. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), +0:30.123; 9. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:30.848; 10. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +0:45.074; … 14. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +1:17.415; 

MX2 Race 2
1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 33:38.608; 2. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:09.039; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:10.555; 4. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:19.681; 5. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:21.029; 6. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +0:34.368; 7. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:35.799; 8. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +0:50.467; 9. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +1:00.685; 10. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +1:03.422; 11. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +1:05.786;

MX2 GP Classification
1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 50 points; 2. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 40 p.; 3. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 40 p.; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 38 p.; 5. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 32 p.; 6. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 27 p.; 7. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 26 p.; 8. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 26 p.; 9. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), 22 p.; 10. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 21 p.; … 13. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, HON), 17 p.;

MX2 Championship
1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 281 points; 2. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 278 p.; 3. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 258 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 251 p.; 5. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 203 p.; 6. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 191 p.; 7. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 189 p.; 8. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), 174 p.; 9. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 142 p.; 10. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, HON), 140 p.;

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Fernandez flies to Swiss qualifying win https://www.motoheadmag.com/fernandez-flies-to-swiss-qualifying-win/ Sun, 20 Apr 2025 09:38:24 +0000 https://www.motoheadmag.com/?p=42055 The early week’s rainclouds made way for bright sunshine over the Schollenholz circuit for the Qualifying Racesat the MXGP of Switzerland Presented by iXS, and the action warmed-up in response to entertain the Swiss fans for the start of the sixth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship at Frauenfeld!

In MXGP there was a surprise victory for the Spaniard Ruben Fernandez, taking his first win of the season for Honda HRC ahead of his teammate Tim Gajser and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP man Maxime Renaux.

The MX2 class saw Kay de Wolf take his first Qualifying Race win of the season for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing, to extend his Championship lead by a single point from Red Bull KTM Factory Racing pilot Simon Laengenfelder, who took second ahead of De Wolf’s teammate Liam Everts.

The MXGP Paddock has a day off for Easter Sunday before the full GP programme runs on Easter Monday!

The top four in Free Practice exactly mirrored the Championship situation, with Gajser fastest ahead of Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP’s Romain Febvre, Glenn Coldenhoff from Fantic Factory Racing, and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rookie Lucas Coenen. Time Practice saw the same top two, with Renaux third and a fighting Jeffrey Herlings claiming fourth gate pick for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.

The Holeshot in the Qualifying Race went to Gajser’s teammate Fernandez, as Tim himself rounded the first corner in eighth and Febvre, having lost traction at the start, deeper still in the pack!

Renaux was second until a mistake through the second corner allowed Herlings to go past, followed by the Aruba.it Ducati Factory MX Team’s replacement rider Alessandro Lupino. Although Renaux slipped no further back, Gajser was soon making a rapid recovery towards the front, firing past the Frenchman and then Lupino within a handful of corners to end the first full lap in third place!

It took three laps to then find his way past Herlings as arm pump kicked in for the Dutchman, who is still working his way back to fitness, and the Slovenian quickly moved to within striking distance of his teammate.

Lupino held fifth place bravely until half distance, before the regular campaigners started to make their fitness pay off. Febvre’s recovery ride was phenomenal, with great passes on Coenen, Fantic Factory Racing’s Andrea Bonacorsi, and finally Herlings, who had been passed by Renaux by that point for third.

Sadly, Febvre got “The Wall” section badly wrong and suffered an awkward crash that he escaped without major injury, amazingly picking his way back from seventh to fifth at the flag!

Home hero Jeremy Seewer had a steady ride for Aruba.it Ducati Factory MX Team, and just grabbed sixth from Herlings on the final lap. Behind the Dutchman was the other Swiss star, dressed in the glorious “Swiss Cheese” kit inspired by an old Swiss Olympic skiing outfit, and very happy to take eighth on his private Yamaha!  Coldenhoff didn’t have a great race with ninth, but still made ground on Coenen, who finished a dissatisfied tenth, also making a last lap move, this time on Lupino.

After a late pass on Herlings, and benefitting from Febvre’s fall, Bonacorsi took a solid fourth behind Renaux, but amazingly Fernandez resisted his teammate’s attacks time and time again, and Gajser had to settle for second behind the Spaniard!

It was Ruben’s first Qualifying Race win for nearly two years, since Portugal in late April 2023, and meant a lot to the moustachioed man who is holding down sixth in the standings.  Gajser will feel confident for tomorrow, now holding a 42-point advantage over Febvre with Coldenhoff another 43 behind in the Championship.

The big 450s are a handful around the Frauenfeld circuit, and generates a different type of challenge. Who knows how this class will shape up come the end of Monday’s GP races!

Ruben Fernandez: “That was a much-needed one. I’ve been building every weekend, getting better step by step, and finally it’s showing in the results. Honestly, I don’t even feel that great on this track—same as last year—but I pulled the holeshot in the qualy then, and did it again today. Super happy. Let’s carry this into race day now.”

Main Photo: Ruben Fernandez

Bottom Photos: 1. Tim Gajser; 2. Maxime Renaux

MXGP – Qualifying Race Classification:  1. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), 24:05.531; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:06.874; 3. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:27.766; 4. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Fantic), +0:31.131; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:32.764; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Ducati), +0:34.620; 7. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:37.223; 8. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Yamaha), +0:37.896; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:38.176; 10. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:42.009;

MXGP – World Championship Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 283 points; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 241 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 198 p.; 4. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 177 p.; 5. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 172 p.; 6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 158 p.; 7. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 137 p.; 8. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, FAN), 129 p.; 9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, DUC), 104 p.; 10. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 102 p

De Wolf showed his liking immediately for the technical Swiss venue by setting the fastest laps in both Free Practice and Time Practice, although Laengenfelder was close to him in both sessions.

The Holeshot went the way of Honda HRC rookie Valerio Lata, while Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s usual Holeshot king, Sacha Coenen, bounced against other riders and plummeted down the order! Lata, a self-confessed fan of the circuit, managed to hold the lead until the end of lap four!  Red Bull KTM Factory Racing star Andrea Adamo was briefly second, but Cas Valk passed him in the second corner to make it a rookie 1-2, paving the way for De Wolf to move up into third in the next corner!

De Wolf moved quickly, and was past Valk by the time they got to “The Wall” section.  Meanwhile Laengenfelder had gone around the outside of Everts for fifth and was hassling Adamo, keen to not let his title rivals get away from him.

It all happened on lap five as Adamo and Laengenfelder got past Valk, with Everts and the Gabriel SS24 KTM Factory Juniors new recruit Oriol Oliver giving chase. De Wolf’s pressure finally told on Lata and the reigning Champ took over at the front, never to be caught from there. Adamo just got too aggressive with Lata and fell over his countryman’s rear wheel in a tight right hander!

Adamo remounted just ahead of the Monster Energy Triumph Racing machine of Camden McLellan, who was himself battling with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 pilot Thibault Benistant. The Frenchman found a turn of speed to get past the South African, then quickly disposed of Oliver, Valk, and right at the final lap, overwhelmed a tiring Lata for fifth at the flag! A good start on Monday could see Thibault as a real threat. McLellan had to settle for seventh ahead of Oliver, with Honda HRC’s Ferruccio Zanchi passing Valk on the final lap for ninth position.

Adamo put on a spirited recovery and certainly showed he could also challenge on Monday, while Laengenfelder and Everts held station in second and third.  It was, amazingly, the first Qualifying Race win of the season for De Wolf, and extends his points lead out to 13 over Laengenfelder.

There’s no doubt that Monday’s GP races in both classes are difficult to call, and the tight and technical circuit is capable of providing some excellent racing in front of a boisterous Easter holiday crowd!

Kay de Wolf“I didn’t even realise it was my first qualifying win of the season! Lata had a strong pace early on, so I had to be smart about where to make the move. But yeah, I felt good all day—topped every session, so it’s nice to see that it translated into a good result. Now I’ve got a day off, gonna enjoy it, maybe play a little golf and come back strong on Monday.”

Top Photo: Kay de Wolf 

Bottom Photos: 1. Simon Längenfelder; 2. Liam Everts

MX2 – Qualifying Race Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 24:19.016; 2. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:01.798; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:03.052; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:04.463; 5. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:13.511; 6. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +0:14.429; 7. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:14.989; 8. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:16.472; 9. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +0:18.684; 10. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), +0:20.236

MX2 – World Championship Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 241 points; 2. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 228 p.; 3. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 220 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 211 p.; 5. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 177 p.; 6. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 169 p.; 7. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 159 p.; 8. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), 152 p.; 9. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, HON), 123 p.; 10. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 116 p.

All the photos from the MXGP of Switzerland presented by iXS will be available HERE.

You can find the complete results HERE.

MXGP OF SWITZERLAND QUICK FACTS:

Circuit length: 1500m

Type of ground: Hard Pack

Temperature: 20°

Weather conditions: Sunny

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Gajser rules at Arco MXGP https://www.motoheadmag.com/gajser-rules-at-arco-mxgp/ Sun, 13 Apr 2025 19:02:08 +0000 https://www.motoheadmag.com/?p=42041 A masterclass from Honda HRC’s Tim Gajser, saw the #243 win both races at the MXGP of Trentino, giving him the maximum 50 points and extending his lead in the 2025 MXGP championship to 39 points.

Despite finishing second in yesterday’s qualification race, Gajser felt there was more to come and after working with the team on some changes with the bike, man and machine was in perfect synchronisation in today’s GP-scoring races. In race one, a good start saw him move into second place very early on, where he then proceeded to stalk the leader, waiting for the right time to pass. That moment came with five laps to go, as the Slovenian swept through in one of the rutted corners. Despite pressure, he held on for the win, but also knew that he’d have to repeat that performance in race two if he wanted to take his sixth overall at the picturesque Pietramurata circuit.

Rising to that pressure, the CRF450R flew out of the gate, behind teammate Fernandez as the pair were one and two around the first few turns. Gajser then took over, pulling out a lead that the chasing pack couldn’t overcome, taking a comfortable victory and delighting the thousands of travelling Slovenians who cheered him every lap around ‘Gajser Corner’. The podium then had some crazy scenes as the #243 made it three GP wins out of five, and continuing his dominating start to the 2025 World Motocross Championship.

Lining up with fifth gate-pick after an excellent result in qualification yesterday, Fernandez was full of confidence for the motos, and if it weren’t for a couple of small mistakes in race one, he could easily have joined Gajser on the podium. Overall though, his speed was excellent and the fourth in race two was another sign that the Spaniard is finding his form and getting closer and closer to the level that saw him win a GP.

Due to the Easter holiday next weekend, the MXGP of Switzerland is taking place on the Saturday and Monday, but all four riders are excited to see what they can do on the Frauenfeld circuit, where Gajser in particular has some fond memories after his one-one there last year.

MX2 Race 1
1. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), 35:08.624; 2. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:03.027; 3. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:04.610; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:11.910; 5. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +0:36.882; 6. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), +0:39.842; 7. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:42.869; 8. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:51.174; 9. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:53.425; 10. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +0:57.018; 

MX2 Race 2
1. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), 34:47.031; 2. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:01.822; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:03.514; 4. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:04.468; 5. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), +0:32.127; 6. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:36.412; 7. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:45.012; 8. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +0:51.405; 9. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:52.984; 10. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:55.422; … 14. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +1:25.076;

MX2 GP Classification
1. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 42 points; 2. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 40 p.; 3. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 34 p.; 4. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 34 p.; 5. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), 31 p.; 6. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 30 p.; 7. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 26 p.; 8. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 25 p.; 9. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, HON), 24 p.; 10. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 23 p.;

MX2 Championship
1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 231 points; 2. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 219 p.; 3. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 213 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 203 p.; 5. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 171 p.; 6. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 169 p.; 7. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 155 p.; 8. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), 151 p.; 9. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, HON), 121 p.; 10. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 111 p.;

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Febvre masters the Sardinia sand https://www.motoheadmag.com/febvre-masters-the-sardinia-sand/ Mon, 07 Apr 2025 10:36:12 +0000 https://www.motoheadmag.com/?p=42017 The Crossodromo Communicale “Le Dune” circuit on the island of Sardegna played host to an amazing day of racing for the fourth round of the FIM World Motocross Championships, and in mercifully cooler conditions the top riders were able to push to their maximum on the shifting sands!

In both classes the overall podium was in doubt right until the final corner of the second race in a stunning display of all-out Motocross racing.

The MXGP class saw a combination of youth and experience at the top of the field, with rookie Red Bull KTM Factory Racing sensation Lucas Coenen winning race one. It was the veterans who prevailed in the end, however, with Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP leader Romain Febvre clinching his first Grand Prix victory since August 2023, with Glenn Coldenhoff claiming second overall for Fantic Factory Racing ahead of Honda HRC’s Tim Gajser. 

The MX2 class was another mighty tussle with many twists and painful turns, although the result was the expected one as Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s reigning World Champion Kay de Wolf took his second win of the campaign with a perfect 1-1 Sunday to reclaim the Championship Leader’s red plate. Monster Energy Triumph Racing took their first trophy of the season with Camden McLellan finishing second overall ahead of Andrea Adamo, who scored his first podium in Sardegna for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.

For the enthusiastic fans who came to Riola Sardo, it was a Grand Prix full of action and emotion in the shifting sands!

After French Championship chasers Febvre and Maxime Renaux both lost ten points to Gajser in Saturday’s Qualifying Race, they jumped to the top of the morning Warm Up timesheets, the Kawasaki man fastest ahead of the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP rider!

Race one blasted from the gate under gloomy skies, but Jeremy Seewer became the first rider to score his second Fox Holeshot Award of the season for the Aruba.it Ducati Factory MX Team! He just squeezed ahead of Team Motul Honda Motoblouz SR rider Kevin Horgmo, with Lucas Coenen right on the pace immediately for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing!  Gajser and Febvre were on the fringes of the top ten, but it was even worse for Renaux as he dropped the bike in turn one!

Lucas was not to be denied and fired around the outside of Seewer to lead at the start of the first full lap, and the Swiss rider made a mistake that dropped him down the order! At the end of the first lap, four of the first five were either first- or second-year MXGP riders, as JK Yamaha’s Isak Gifting held third behind Coenen and Horgmo, with the Fantic Factory Racing duo of Coldenhoff and Andrea Bonacorsi giving chase!

Gajser, Febvre, and Honda HRC’s Ruben Fernandez were running from sixth to eighth, and unable to move forward for several laps, while Coenen stretched out an amazing nine second lead over the first two circuits! By lap five the two Fantic men had moved past Gifting, who still held Gajser at bay until lap seven! On that lap it was the turn of Horgmo to yield to first Coldenhoff, then Bonacorsi for second and third, as the younger rider pit pressure on his veteran Dutch teammate!

It took until the 15-minute mark for Gajser and Febvre to break into fourth and fifth, with the Frenchman working past the Slovenian in the dunes to peg back two precious points. Horgmo dropped to seventh behind Fernandez at the finish, while Ben Watson put in his best ride of the season so far to put his MRT Racing Team Beta into eighth at the flag!

Behind him, Gifting had fallen out of the top ten, as Valentin Guillod claimed tenth on his private Yamaha, behind the skilful sand specialist Roan van de Moosdijk for the KTM Kosak Team. Seewer dropped to fifteenth position, still two better than Renaux, while the final point went to the returning Jeffrey Herlings, still on his fightback from injury for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.

Coenen had stretched out a considerable lead and was cruising, while Bonacorsi got close but couldn’t shake Coldenhoff from second. The pair suddenly had hopes of a 1-2, however, when Coenen dropped his bike in a tight left-hand corner, distracted by a yellow flag for another fallen rider! Picking the bike up still in front, the teenage Belgian got back on the gas fast enough to take his first ever full-length race win in the MXGP class!  Fantic Factory Racing were very happy with another 2-3 race result, and hopeful for a similar double podium to their result in Cozar!

Sadly for them, both Bonacorsi’s and Coenen’s hopes were dealt a blow in the first corner of race two, as they both had to pick their bikes up from the floor! The Fox Holeshot Award was once again taken by Seewer, with young guns Gifting and Horgmo right on the tail of the Ducati! However, a familiar face, a “Bullet” even, was soon firing to the front of the pack! Admittedly far from being at his best, the old competitive instincts of Jeffrey Herlings drove him forward from an early fourth to dive up the inside of Seewer to take the lead halfway around the opening lap!

After Herlings had led his first three laps of the 2025 season, the adrenaline started to ebb, and Gifting took his chance to cut across the front wheel of the KTM and take the lead for three laps of his own!  However, the established top men of the series, Febvre and Gajser, were soon working their way forward, ripping past Herlings along the same wave section on lap five, before attacking Gifting in similar fashion two laps later.

By this time, Coenen had mounted an amazing recovery to run inside the top ten, before he launched just that little bit too quickly into the rear wheel of Seewer over a jump at the bottom of the circuit, suffering a massive crash as a result!  He did remount, but a further crash around the same lap finally put him out of the GP entirely.

Working impressively through from the very back of the pack at the end of the first lap, Watson got up to an eventual 12th, putting his Beta into the top ten, ninth overall ahead of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP man Jago Geerts, who put together his best weekend of the season so far.  His teammate Calvin Vlaanderen, who crashed out of race one, could console himself with an impressive charge to fourth in race two.

Gifting was passed in the closing stages by Bonacorsi, putting the Swede into a solid eighth overall behind Lucas Coenen. Ruben Fernandez claimed sixth overall behind Horgmo’s consistent 7-8 finishes, but Bonacorsi’s recovery from his first corner mishap, all the way to fifth at the finish, put the tall Italian fourth overall and up to eighth in the series – an impressive start to his first full MXGP campaign.

Herlings was able to hold on for seventh in race two, but at the front his fellow World Champions were starting to trade blows.  Febvre could not shake the attentions of Gajser, and nearly suffered a huge crash in the wave section!  Coldenhoff worked his way into third and held on to the end.  A pass from Gajser would have put the Fantic man into first overall, but the Slovenian could never pull the trigger, so it was Febvre who took the chequered flag for his 50th individual race win, and 22nd career Grand Prix victory.  Coldenhoff’s second overall, and the fact that Renaux was unable to start race two for reasons yet to be announced, puts the Dutchman into third in the points standings!

Gajser will continue to hold the red plate, taking a 34-point advantage to the closest thing he has to a home Grand Prix, the Monster Energy MXGP of Trentino, next weekend!  The Championship is still a long way from being settled!

Romain Febvre: “To win is always nice, I won’t complain — but honestly, I didn’t even know when my last win was. I just try to stay consistent and avoid mistakes, especially this early in the season. Starting from P20 today, I had to push hard. In the second race, I was more aggressive early on, found a good rhythm, and just rode smooth. It felt like a practice session as I felt super good the whole way through. Lommel and Riola are probably the toughest tracks on the calendar, so to battle and win it here is not too bad for 33 years old!”

Glenn Coldenhoff: “Two podiums in four GPs — it’s my best start to a season. We made a small suspension change that worked great, and I had a strong pace in the first race. Bona (Bonacorsi) was right behind me pushing hard, but I managed to hold second. I wasn’t 100% in the second race after being sick, so I’m just happy to be up here. The team is working great, the bike does exactly what I want, and as Tim always says, a happy rider is a fast rider. We’ve got a great group and we’re building something strong at Fantic.”

Tim Gajser: It was a solid weekend overall. We made some setup changes in race one that didn’t work, and I had to settle for fifth. In race two, I got caught up avoiding Lucas (Coenen) when he crashed, but I came back strong and stayed close to Romain the whole way. He didn’t make any mistakes, so credit to him. Now we go to Trentino — kind of my home GP with all the Slovenian fans coming to support the Slovenian riders. The atmosphere is always amazing there, and I’m really looking forward to it — especially with the red plate again.

Main Photo: Romain Febvre

Bottom Photos: 1. Glenn Coldenhoff; 2 Tim Gajser

MXGP – Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 35:05.844; 2. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:04.078; 3. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Fantic), +0:07.019; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:12.421; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:15.748; 6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:20.245; 7. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Honda), +0:26.651; 8. Ben Watson (GBR, Beta), +0:35.986; 9. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KTM), +1:00.165; 10. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Yamaha), +1:03.011

MXGP – Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), 34:44.682; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:00.613; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:43.241; 4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:47.170; 5. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Fantic), +0:53.536; 6. Isak Gifting (SWE, Yamaha), +0:57.808; 7. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +1:01.363; 8. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Honda), +1:02.549; 9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Ducati), +1:06.215; 10. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +1:10.134;

MXGP Overall – Top 10 Classification: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 43 points; 2. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 42 p.; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 38 p.; 4. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, FAN), 36 p.; 5. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 27 p.; 6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 25 p.; 7. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 25 p.; 8. Isak Gifting (SWE, YAM), 24 p.; 9. Ben Watson (GBR, BET), 22 p.; 10. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 21 p

MXGP – World Championship – Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 215 points; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 181 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 156 p.; 4. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 141 p.; 5. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 125 p.; 6. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 114 p.; 7. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 110 p.; 8. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, FAN), 104 p.; 9. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KAW), 86 p.; 10. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, DUC), 84 p

MXGP – Manufacturers Classification: 1. Honda, 215 points; 2. Kawasaki, 187 p.; 3. Yamaha, 170 p.; 4. Fantic, 159 p.; 5. KTM, 155 p.; 6. Ducati, 112 p.; 7. Beta, 64 p.; 8. Husqvarna, 22 p

Sacha Coenen was top of the timesheets in the morning Warm-Up for MX2, as he had been in every session across the weekend, with the Venrooy KTM Racing machine of Cas Valk showing his sand skills in second!

The diminutive Belgian fired his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine into the lead for his third Fox Holeshot Award of the year, with De Wolf and a rapid McLellan giving chase, as the South African swept past Adamo on the opening lap. Rick Elzinga had started well, gaining momentum for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 in his recovery from a pre-season elbow injury.  However, Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s incoming red plate holder Liam Everts moved past the Dutchman on the third lap, swiftly followed by Saturday’s Qualifying Race winner Simon Laengenfelder. The German on the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine pushed forward impressively, determined to stay in touch with Everts and De Wolf in the Championship chase.

Further down the pack, David Braceras showed his training at Lommel with JM Honda Racing to come home in tenth position, as Karlis Reisulis took ninth for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2, and Valk held steady in eighth.  Elzinga settled for an eventual seventh behind Everts. 

It took until lap thirteen for a patient De Wolf to make a decisive move on Coenen through the difficult wave section, launching into them with a massive leap and keeping his momentum to the jump at the end! The Belgian did try to retaliate, but then landed awkwardly from a big jump and got spat over the bars!  Yet again he bounced to his feet, and salvaged fifth position behind Adamo in fourth and a determined Laengenfelder in third. McLellan, loving the venue where he took his first career podium last year, now took his career best race finish of second, even catching De Wolf to make the Champ push on the final lap, winning with a margin of just 1.809 seconds at the finish line!

The leading four in the series were still mighty close going into race two, just 13 points separating them all, but it was Laengenfelder who led by two points from De Wolf, who was one ahead of Everts, who was ten ahead of Adamo!

The Italian raised a roar from the spectators by responding with a clear Holeshot, helped by the fact that Coenen and Laengenfelder clashed handlebars down the start straight to immediately put themselves on the back foot!  Valk was second initially ahead of WZ-Racing KTM’s Quentin Prugnieres, although De Wolf and Everts moved around the Frenchman heading into turn four. 

McLellan had messed up the first turn and was towards the back, but was soon charging through. De Wolf moved quickly past his fellow Dutchman Valk to take second, and took his time to catch up to Adamo. He took the lead from the 2023 Champion on lap four with a brilliant move around the outside, and his way looked clear.  Everts had moved up to third, but the charge from McLellan and a rapid Coenen caught up to the previous Championship leader, forcing him back to fifth, where he would stay til the finish.  He was at least able to gain a point on Laengenfelder, who could only get back up to sixth.

Prugnieres would drop to eighth to claim tenth overall, just ahead of Honda HRC’s Ferruccio Zanchi who took tenth in race two. Valk, in a week where he was in ill health, ended the day ninth overall with 8-11 finishes, while Reisulis got ninth twice to claim eighth overall.  Elzinga was seventh, twice in that position and the top Japanese bike on the day. Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2’s Thibault Benistant suffered a terrible day in the sand, finishing 15th overall with 14-17 results.

Suddenly, De Wolf fell by Pit lane, and Adamo held an eight second lead at the end of lap ten! With McLellan and Coenen powering to third and fourth in the race, De Wolf set about his own amazing pace to reel in Adamo. The Italian resisted with true grit on a surface which is not his favourite, but with a determined effort De Wolf roared up the inside to retake the lead with less than half a lap remaining!

The move dropped Adamo to third overall behind McLellan, who celebrated his and Triumph’s best ever overall GP result, but De Wolf’s tenth career GP victory sticks him back into the Championship lead by eight points from Laengenfelder!

With Everts just two behind, and Adamo a further four back, the hard pack experts have some friendly tracks on the horizon, so this Championship fight is still wide open, especially as the likes of Coenen, Benistant, and McLellan can get involved at any moment!

The stage moves to the beautiful setting of northern Italy for the Monster Energy MXGP of Trentino in just seven days’ time, and anything could happen around those chalky slopes, especially with a wildcard appearance from Antonio Cairoli for Aruba.it Ducati Factory MX Team to work up the crowd!  Do not miss that one!

Kay de Wolf: “That last lap was crazy. Andrea (Adamo) missed the table and I almost landed on him — our heart rates were sky high! But I went inside on the final corner, hoped for the best, and took the win. Going 1-1 today after a tough one in Saint-Jean d’Angely is amazing. I struggled in France with last gate picks. But we bounced back big this weekend, got the red plate back, and now I’m just going to enjoy the triple header and do my best.”

Camden McLellan: “I don’t know what it is about Riola, but I love it. Last year I got my first podium here and now again. Honestly, if I’d had better starts, I think I could’ve won both races. I was half happy, half frustrated, but I had fun. After Saint-Jean d’Angely I went home angry — I knew I belonged up front. That motivation really came out this weekend. I told myself if I leave without a podium, it’s not a successful weekend, so I’m happy I delivered. Maybe I need to stay angry all year!”

Andrea Adamo: “It was a super positive weekend for me — 4-4-2, really consistent. In the first race I tried to follow Camden (McLellan) but made a small mistake and lost ground. In the second race, I got the holeshot — finally! Because it’s hard with Sacha (Coenen)! Leading was tough, and when Kay (de Wolf) passed me in that final corner it was crazy. I saw his shadow and thought I blocked him, but he found the inside. It was a great battle. Saint-Jean d’Angely gave me confidence, but I knew Riola would be harder for me. It’s not my strong point in the sand, but I fought hard and made a big step from last year. I gave everything I had in that last race.”

Main Photo: Kay de Wolf

Bottom Photos: 1. Camden McLellan; 2. Andrea Adamo

MX2 – Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification:  1. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 35:07.830; 2. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:01.809; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:08.105; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:10.914; 5. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:29.939; 6. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:30.995; 7. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:50.718; 8. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), +0:51.758; 9. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +1:12.555; 10. David Braceras (ESP, Honda), +1:13.136;

MX2 – Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: . Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 34:51.084; 2. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:03.601; 3. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:07.124; 4. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:11.509; 5. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:22.341; 6. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:25.973; 7. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:29.478; 8. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KTM), +0:53.423; 9. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +1:02.548; 10. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +1:07.145

MX2 Overall – Top 10 Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 50 points; 2. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 42 p.; 3. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 40 p.; 4. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 35 p.; 5. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 34 p.; 6. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 31 p.; 7. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 28 p.; 8. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 24 p.; 9. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), 23 p.; 10. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KTM), 21 p.

MX2 – World Championship Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 185 points; 2. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 177 p.; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 175 p.; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 171 p.; 5. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 143 p.; 6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 128 p.; 7. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 118 p.; 8. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), 115 p.; 9. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, HON), 97 p.; 10. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 84 p.

MX2 – Manufacturers Classification: 1. Husqvarna, 213 points; 2. KTM, 213 p.; 3. Yamaha, 149 p.; 4. Triumph, 132 p.; 5. Honda, 125 p.; 6. TM, 51 p.; 7. Kawasaki, 46 p

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