The FIM MX2 World Motocross Championship was decided in southern Spain today at the MXGP of Castilla La Mancha as the 20th and final round of the season saw the year-long battle between Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing teammates Kay de Wolf and Lucas Coenen reach its conclusion with a day to remember for both riders!
Ultimately it was Dutch flyer De Wolf who became the new MX2 World Champion, but his day was not straightforward as Coenen did everything possible to take the title away with two commanding race wins, getting to within just 20 points at the end of 20 Grands Prix! However, with sensible riding, the red plate holder deservedly claimed the title on his 20th birthday, after a season of sustained and consistent brilliance.
Lucas Coenen’s pace in the RAM Qualifying Race on Sunday was ominous for Kay de Wolf, but a 34-point cushion looked to be enough if he held his nerve. However, as his teammate started in the top three, the red plate holder was outside the top ten after the first corner and almost seemed to be riding too cautiously.
Thibault Benistant took his third Fox Holeshot Award of the season for Monster Energy Yamaha MX2, and led until lap three as Coenen forced his machine towards an inside line on a rutted left-hander. This left the Frenchman to deal with Simon Laengenfelder, with nothing to gain or lose for Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing as he was already set for the series bronze medal. The German could not find a way through, and instead came under pressure from the outgoing World Champion, Andrea Adamo!
The lone Red Bull KTM Factory Racing warrior for the day had to pass Benistant’s Monster Energy Yamaha teammate Karlis Reisulis for fourth and dived past Laengenfelder on lap nine. With a similar move along the start straight he also got past Benistant two laps later. Laengenfelder eventually passed Thibault on lap 14 to claim third in the race.
Meanwhile, Ferruccio Zanchi took his best finish of the year for Team HRC in fifth after a battle with F & H Racing’s Quentin Prugnieres, but the Kawasaki man dropped the bike to eventually finish tenth. De Wolf was locked towards the edge of the top ten, fighting with the Monster Energy Triumph Racing duo Mikkel Haarup and Camden McLellan!
All three got past Reisulis, who finished in ninth, but with De Wolf needing fourth to seal the Championship even with Lucas winning, it was never on the cards as Haarup took sixth, and De Wolf only just held off McLellan to finish seventh. With Lucas winning by over 22 seconds, the gap was 23 points going into the final race!
With a complete change of strategy, De Wolf attacked the start of race two, and came out with a shock Fox Holeshot Award, only his third of the season! Again Benistant and Coenen were right at the front, with Haarup and Reisulis in tow. Laengenfelder and Adamo looked to have ruled themselves out of the podium places with dire opening laps.
De Wolf gave Coenen little resistance when the Belgian teenager made his move, but although Benistant looked close initially, the Dutch birthday boy was not in a mood to drop any further down the order.
Oriol Oliver had started well in his home Grand Prix for WZ Racing KTM, but Zanchi passed him on lap six for sixth position. The young Italian would finish there, but only after Adamo charged through to a brilliant fourth. Reisulis dropped back to tenth position where he would finish overall, behind Laengenfelder who had fell down to 13th at one stage in the race but recovered to ninth for fifth overall.
Prugnieres rose through the order to claim seventh position and eighth overall, passing Oliver with five laps to go, leaving the Spaniard ninth overall. Adamo’s pass on Haarup came courtesy of a small mistake for the Dane with just three laps remaining, putting the Triumph man in sixth overall ahead of Zanchi. Adamo’s brilliant ride left him second overall, with Benistant third, completing a decent return from injury with some podium pie! De Wolf’s second left him fourth overall, nearly 22 seconds down on Coenen at the flag, but the more important prize was the MX2 World Championship, four years into his MX2 career and completing a seven-year run with the factory Husqvarna squad. It is the brand’s first world title since 1999, and its first under its current Austrian ownership!
Coenen, with his tenth career GP win and ninth of the season, had closed the gap to 20 points at the end of the 20th round, but it was the man who turned 20 today that took his first World Championship, the perfect birthday present at the end of an incredible year of racing!
Kay de Wolf: “It felt pretty good. Lucas was on a good pace, so I let him go. I just controlled my own race and got this gold plate finally in my hands. Leading the whole season and finally getting this gold plate is unreal. I can’t do it without this team. They’ve been working so hard for me. Also my friends, family, all my private sponsors, they’ve been amazing. Big thanks to them and we’re going to enjoy this one.”
Lucas Coenen: “Of course the season was good, I got a lot of race wins, also got problems in the beginning of the season with the bike and with me. So, I mean, overall, it’s been a good end of the season, let’s say. We know the problems we had, so I mean, those problems are quite sorted out now so I’m looking forward to the MX of Nations and then let’s see what going to come next year”
Simon Laengenfelder: “I need to say it was a tough year. I started quite okay, but I never made it to the top seven of the podium, which is a bit of a shame, but yeah, another bronze medal I think, three bronze medals are not too bad, with another with a broken collarbone and coming back directly the weekend after i would say with another with a broken collarbone and coming back directly the weekend after i would say it was not it was not the best but was also quite good. Congratulations thanks a lot.”
MX2 – Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), 34:32.130; 2. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:22.731; 3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:26.616; 4. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:28.149; 5. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +0:28.802; 6. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Triumph), +0:30.321; 7. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:31.408; 8. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:33.958; 9. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:53.288; 10. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:54.202
MX2 – Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: . Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), 34:14.738; 2. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:21.998; 3. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:23.182; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:29.928; 5. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Triumph), +0:30.888; 6. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +0:37.448; 7. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:44.825; 8. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:46.616; 9. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:51.297; 10. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:54.557
MX2 Overall – Top 10 Classification: 1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 50 points; 2. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 40 p.; 3. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 38 p.; 4. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 36 p.; 5. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 32 p.; 6. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, TRI), 31 p.; 7. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, HON), 31 p.; 8. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KAW), 25 p.; 9. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 23 p.; 10. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 23 p
MX2 – World Championship Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 959 points; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 939 p.; 3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 852 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 749 p.; 5. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, TRI), 694 p.; 6. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 674 p.; 7. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 555 p.; 8. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 456 p.; 9. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 424 p.; 10. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, HON), 393 p
MX2 – Manufacturers Classification: 1. Husqvarna, 1105 points; 2. KTM, 942 p.; 3. GASGAS, 864 p.; 4. Triumph, 741 p.; 5. Yamaha, 702 p.; 6. Honda, 428 p.; 7. Kawasaki, 369 p.; 8. Fantic, 290 p.; 9. TM, 60 p.;
MXGP OF CASTILLA LA MANCHA QUICK FACTS:
Circuit length: 1550m
Type of ground: Hard Pack
Temperature: 27°
Weather conditions: Sunny
Crowd Attendance: 36,300
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