The 2024 FIM Motocross World Motocross Championships started its 20th and final round today in glorious sunshine at the Cozar Motor Ranch in southern Spain, as a technical racetrack with a drying red clay surface presented a tough challenge for the riders in the RAM Qualifying Races at the MXGP of Castilla La Mancha.
Looking to tie up his second straight MXGP world title this weekend, his first to be decided at the final round and in his home country, Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing star Jorge Prado kept all of his fans happy with a trademark holeshot to chequered flag win, giving him just a tiny bit more breathing room for tomorrow’s races over his Championship challenger Tim Gajser, who was third for Team HRC.
The MX2 race started with a multi-rider crash in the turn one, but in-form Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing pilot Lucas Coenen was already in the lead and looking uncatchable, although his teammate and series leader Kay de Wolf kept calm and delivered a fine third place finish to maintain a healthy advantage in the points table.
Although his chances of a world title are virtually zero coming into Cozar, Jeffrey Herlings set the fastest lap time in both Free Practice and Time Practice for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, ahead of Gajser and Prado, with Jan Pancar showing impressive speed again for TEM JP253 KTM Racing with the fourth best time.
On the freshly groomed downhill start straight into a sharp left-handed corner, Prado made no mistakes and took his customary holeshot as Maxime Renaux ran wide on the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP machine. Jeremy Seewer was initially second for Kawasaki Racing Team, ahead of Alberto Forato on the Standing Construct Honda. The Italian flinched slightly on the line, causing Romain Febvre of the Kawasaki Racing Team and Alessandro Lupino of the Ducati Factory MX Team to hit the gate and start from the back!
Herlings looked on a mission, however, and after a lunge up the inside of turn three to pass Team HRC’s Ruben Fernandez for fourth, tore around the outside of both Forato and Seewer to claim second halfway through the opening lap! Gajser, meanwhile, had not started well, and pushed hard to get past Forato at the end of the first full circuit. It took the Slovenian until the halfway point of the race to force past Seewer for third, but he was unable to get near the leading pair.
Seewer and Forato kept fourth and fifth to the flag ahead of Renaux, Fernandez and Fantic Factory Racing rider Glenn Coldenhoff. Andrea Bonacorsi made a nice switchback move to take ninth place for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP, passing Team Ship to Cycle Honda Motoblouz SR rider Valentin Guillod, who took the final point in tenth ahead of the recovering Febvre.
At the front of the pack, Herlings looked to be reeling in Gajser before a massive moment on lap nine nearly saw the Dutchman crash off the track, but he saved it and closed in again on the Spaniard, to within a second and a half on the final lap!
“The Bullet” could not find his way through, however, and Prado took his sixth RAM Qualifying Race win of the season. Gajser, having already won the RAM Driving Experience with the most Saturday wins for the year, finished in third and saw the gap to the reigning Champ rise to nine points.
This means that if Gajser wins both races tomorrow, then Prado will need to take a second and a third place to retain his crown! The Spaniard’s form looks ominous for his competition, but the 2024 MXGP Motocross World Championship has shown that anything can happen in this sport, and usually does!
Jorge Prado: ”It was a very good day. Actually, these conditions are not my favourite track. It’s unbelievable hard but yeah, we got the job done. It was the main thing, so I had to go, you know, I had to push for it not in my favourite conditions, but we are still making it happen. P1 today, let’s go for two P1s tomorrow!”
MXGP – RAM Qualifying Race – Classification: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, GASGAS), 25:21.529; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:01.069; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:06.981; 4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Kawasaki), +0:12.881; 5. Alberto Forato (ITA, Honda), +0:15.165; 6. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:20.152; 7. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:23.797; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:45.490; 9. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Yamaha), +0:47.179; 10. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Honda), +0:49.050
MXGP – World Championship Classification: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 953 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 944 p.; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 904 p.; 4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, KAW), 650 p.; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 611 p.; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 577 p.; 7. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 550 p.; 8. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 428 p.; 9. Valentin Guillod (SUI, HON), 360 p.; 10. Brian Bogers (NED, FAN), 319 p
Lucas Coenen declared his intent with the fastest laps in both the Free and Time Practice sessions earlier in the day, with Mikkel Haarup again showing good pace with second fastest for Monster Energy Triumph Racing, as Simon Laengenfelder took third for Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing.
Coenen got his exit to the first corner absolutely perfect to jump into the lead ahead of Laengenfelder, before Quentin Prugnieres also edged ahead of the German to hold second place on his F & H Racing Kawasaki. Meanwhile, Thibault Benistant collided with David Braceras and the pair hit the floor, giving David’s Fantic Factory Racing teammate Kay Karssemakers nowhere to go but to add to the pile-up. KTM SB Racing’s Jens Walvoort was also involved, while Max Palsson of Becker Racing fell in a separate crash! Benistant would recover the best to finish 11th for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2.
Coenen marched away, but his teammate De Wolf was marching forward, passing WZ Racing Team’s local boy Oriol Oliver, Laengenfelder, and on lap three completed a stunning move on Prugnieres to take second!
After his initial struggles, Laengenfelder, who is already confirmed as the bronze medallist for the year, rose back to prominence by also passing Prugnieres, then tucking to the inside of De Wolf for second on lap five. The top three would stay in that order as the Dutchman accepted a humble two-point loss to Coenen in the race.
Prugnieres held on for an MX2 career-best fourth place finish, ahead of the Triumph riders, as Camden McLellan took fifth ahead of Haarup after the Dane fell with three laps to go, but picked it back up in time to hold sixth ahead of Karlis Reisulis for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2.
Eighth position went to Team HRC’s Ferruccio Zanchi after a late move on Oliver. The Spaniard slipped to tenth as outgoing World Champion Andrea Adamo recovered from a poor start to claim ninth on the last lap!
Coenen’s win drops the gap to De Wolf down to 34 points, so the Dutchman can take the Championship in race one tomorrow if he finishes fourth or better, even if the Belgian takes another race win! On this treacherous track, however, things might not ever be that simple!
Don’t miss the final day of the series tomorrow, with the chance to see the World Champion of each class clinch their titles in tomorrow’s MXGP of Castilla La Mancha!
Lucas Coenen:” I need to do everything possible to get at least a chance at the title. Like now, I just rode my own race, I was smooth and didn’t push. So, yeah, I mean, it was a good race. Tomorrow we try to do the same, get a good start and just do our own laps. And that’s how it’s done and maybe we get a chance for the title but at least I want to ride well.”
MX2 – RAM Qualifying Race – Classification: 1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), 25:27.674; 2. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:16.605; 3. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:23.090; 4. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:23.739; 5. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:24.370; 6. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Triumph), +0:32.221; 7. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:38.457; 8. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +0:41.007; 9. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:44.228; 10. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:45.860;
MX2 – World Championship Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 923 points; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 889 p.; 3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 820 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 749 p.; 5. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, TRI), 663 p.; 6. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 634 p.; 7. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 555 p.; 8. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 456 p.; 9. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 401 p.; 10. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, HON), 362 p.
MXGP OF CASTILLA LA MANCHA QUICK FACTS:
Circuit length: 1550m
Type of ground: Hard Pack
Temperature: 27°
Weather conditions: Sunny
TIMETABLE
SUNDAY: 09:45 EMX125 Race 2, 10:25 MX2 Warm-up, 10:45 MXGP Warm-up, 11:30 EMX250 Race 2, 13:15 MX2 Race 1, 14:15 MXGP Race 1, 16:10 MX2 Race 2, 17:10 MXGP Race 2.
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Or visit the official MXGP website mxgp.com
©Words/Images are from official press release posted courtesy of www.mxgp.com
