No sooner had the MXGP in Loket (Czech Republic) come to an end, than the riders had a date with the MXGP of Flanders (Belgium), on the famous Lommel circuit. As the races passed, so did the uncertainty as to the outcome of the competition... And so much the better!
MXGP: “The Bullet” is back!
After setting the fastest time in practice, Jorge Prado took the holeshot and then a comfortable lead in qualifying. Tim Gajser quickly realized that this weekend would be no picnic. He started in sixth position. In the first race, Prado led by a significant margin, but Jeffrey Herlings, nicknamed “The Bullet”, shone at the MXGP in Lommel. To say the least...
Trailing by 17 seconds, he made a spectacular comeback to win in style: more than 10 seconds ahead of Prado. Calvin Vlaanderen completed the podium, followed by Romain Febvre and Tim Gajser.
Bis repetita in the second race, with Herlings coming from behind to overtake Prado. The Spaniard was second, followed by Febvre, Gajser and Swiss Jeremy Seewer. Vlaanderen went out headlong with two crashes that left him in twelfth place at the finish.
Lommel MXGP Grand Prix standings (Top 5) :
His game plan executed to perfection, Herlings (pictured) achieved a clear round in both races, while Prado had to settle for the Holeshot Fox trophy. Third-placed Romain Febvre had to fight off Gajser's numerous attempts to take third place on lap 12. This move put him on the podium for the first time since his injury in France, and de facto benefits the Slovakian's opponents, the current holder of the red plate. Coldenhoff, who crashed out of the RAM qualifying race, finished in 5th place.
1. Jeffrey Herlings - 50 points;
2. Jorge Prado - 44 p.;
3. Romain Febvre - 38 p.;
4. Tim Gajser - 34 p. ;
5. Glenn Coldenhoff - 30 p.
MXGP 2024 provisional overall standings :
With 106 Grand Prix wins, Herlings puts intense pressure on Prado (14 points) and Gajser (38 points).
MXGP: a three-way battle?
That's the main conclusion we can draw from this weekend. With six races to go, the title is still within reach of the top three, while Herlings no longer sees this as a significant setback. Aware of how far he's come to get back to this level, as he said in the post-race press conference, he also knows that he'll have to improve his starts. Behind him, Romain Febvre has taken the time he needs to recharge his batteries, and could even play a spoilsport in the home straight.
Romain Febvre, third in the MXGP of Flanders
Today, I felt very good and simply played with the track to finish 4-3. To be back on the podium after just two GPs is incredible. I'm really pleased.
MX2: Rick Elzinga, an acclaimed performance
In MX2, Husqvarna Nestaan riders Kay de Wolf and Lucas Coenen dominated qualifying, which is no longer a novelty. Conversely, the warm-up saw Lucas Coenen ahead of Kay de Wolf and Liam Everts. Sacha Coenen, formidable in the early stages (he has two holeshots to his name at Loket), once again won the Fox Holeshot Award. However, the first race was marked more by rhythmic battles, ending in mistakes. Kay de Wolf finally took the lead and headed for victory, followed by Elzinga and McLellan.
In the second race, De Wolf took the lead, but this time had to overcome crashes to finish second behind Laengenfelder, with Everts in third. Rick Elzinga considered that “it was the ideal moment to win”, but the technical problems he encountered meant he could accept second place without regret.
Lommel MX2 Grand Prix standings (Top 5) :
Sixth win of the year for Kay de Wolf, who significantly increased his overall lead, with Lucas Coenen finishing 7th (29 points).
1. Kay de Wolf - 47 points
2. Rick Elzinga - 40 p. ;
3. Simon Laengenfelder - 38 p. ;
4. Liam Everts - 35 p. ;
5. Mikkel Haarup - 32 p.
MX2 2024 provisional overall standings
Reflection on the number of drivers?
The reduced number of MX2 drivers (23) has also given rise to debate. While some feel it's better to keep it that way, to avoid slowdowns or even accidents among the front-runners, for others, the question is worth asking: why is the door only half-full? That said, 16-year-old Lotte Van Drunen was able to get some practice in and score her first MX2 point.
MXGP and MX2 2024 race calendar
After an intense weekend, the teams will enjoy a well-deserved rest before embarking on a triptych of three consecutive GPs in Sweden, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Don't miss the MXGP of Sweden in Uddevalla on August 10 and 11!
1 MXGP de Patagonie Argentina, Villa La Angostura circuit, March 10. Winners: Jorge Prado (MXGP) and Kay de Wolf (MX2)
2 MXGP of Spain, intu Xanadú - Arroyomolinos circuit, March 24. Winners: Jorge Prado (MXGP) and Kay de Wolf (MX2)
3 MXGP of Sardinia (Italy), Riola Sardo circuit, April 7. Winners: Jorge Prado (MXGP) and Kay de Wolf (MX2)
4 MXGP de Trento (Italy), Pietramurata circuit, April 16. Winners: Jorge Prado (MXGP) and Liam Everts (MX2)
5 MXGP of Portugal, Agueda circuit, May 5. Winners: Pauls Jonass (MXGP) and Liam Everts (MX2)
6 MXGP of Galicia (Spain), Lugo circuit, May 12. Winners: Jorge Prado (MXGP) and Lucas Coenen (MX2)
7 MXGP de France, St Jean d'Angely circuit, May 19. Winners: Tim Gajser (MXGP) and Lucas Coenen (MX2)
8 MXGP Germany, Teutschenthal circuit, June 2. Winners: Jorge Prado (MXGP) and Lucas Coenen (MX2)
9 MXGP of Latvia, Kegums circuit, June 9. Winners: Jeffrey Herlings (MXGP) and Sacha Coenen (MX2)
10 MXGP of Italy, Maggiora circuit, June 16. Winners: Tim Gajser (MXGP) and Sacha Coenen (MX2) 11 MXGP of Sumbawa (Indonesia), Sumbawa circuit, June 30
11 MXGP West Nusa Tenggara (Indonesia), Lombok circuit, June 30. Winners: Jorge Prado (MXGP) and Kay de Wolf (MX2)
12 MXGP Lombok (Indonesia), Lombok circuit, July 7. Winners: Jeffrey Herlings (MXGP) and Lucas Coenen (MX2)
13 MXGP of Czech Republic, Loket circuit, July 21. Winners : Tim Gajser (MXGP) and Kay de Wolf (MX2)
14 MXGP of Flanders (Belgium), Lommel circuit, July 28. Winners: Jeffrey Herlings (MXGP) and Kay de Wolf (MX2)
15 MXGP of Sweden, Uddevalla circuit, August 11
16 MXGP of the Netherlands, Arnhem circuit, August 18
17 MXGP of Switzerland, Frauenfeld circuit, August 25
18 MXGP of Turkey, Afyonkarahisar circuit, September 8
19 MXGP of China, Shanghai circuit, September 16
20 MXGP of TBA (Italy), September 29
Monster Energy FIM Motocross des Nations , Matterley Basin circuit (UK), October 6
Photo and video credits : @MXGP
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