The weekend in Arnhem, at the GP of the Netherlands, was marked by the domination of Jeffrey Herlings, a true legend of the circuit. The Dutch rider of the KTM team shone, winning both rounds of the 16ᵉ meeting of the MXGP season, much to the delight of the enthusiasts present all around.
Jeffrey Herlings masters Arnhem
On a sandy track, Herlings faced strong opposition in the first heat. After a poor start, he found himself behind Jorge Prado, his main Spanish rival, who led the race until the penultimate lap. Unperturbed, Herlings waited and, in a decisive move, overtook Prado (GasGas) to take victory. Glenn Coldenhoff, another Dutch rider, finished third, followed by Tim Gajser (Honda) and Romain Febvre (Kawasaki).
The second heat was a mirror image of the first. This time, Herlings got off to a better start, but again found Prado ahead of him. “Patience is a virtue that allows you to reach the stars of happiness” and the Dutchman knows it. It wasn't until lap 7ᵉ this time that he took control and sped to another victory. The reigning champion will settle for second place this weekend, while Tim Gajser completed the podium.
MXGP Dutch Grand Prix standings (Top 5):
1. Jeffrey Herlings - 50 points;
2. Jorge Prado - 44 p.;
3. Tim Gajser - 38 p.;
4. Glenn Coldenhoff - 38 p.;
5. Romain Febvre - 32 p.
MXGP 2024 provisional overall standings :
With these two victories, Herlings claims his “Home GP” with 50 points, reducing his gap to championship leader Tim Gajser to just 35 points. Prado, meanwhile, takes back 6 points from Gajser, reducing the gap to 9 points before tackling next weekend's GP de Suisse, 17ᵉ of the 20 annual MXGP meetings.
Among the weekend's disappointments, Calvin Vlaanderen (Yamaha), 4ᵉ overall, did not enjoy the success he had hoped for on his home GP. Victim of a crash in the first heat, he finished 14ᵉ despite a knee injury, the intensity of the pain preventing him from taking part in the second heat.
MX2: Lucas Coenen passes 6ᵉ
In MX2, Belgian Lucas Coenen brilliantly took overall victory in the Dutch GP. In the first heat, his brother, Sacha Coenen (Red Bull KTM), got off to the best start, before quickly losing his position. The same was true of team-mate Liam Everts, who took the lead for a while, only to see his position replaced by Lucas. In the end, Kay de Wolf (Nestaan Husqvarna) won the first heat.
The second saw Sacha Coenen repeat his good start, but this time Lucas took the lead from the seventh lap, following in the footsteps of his elder J. Herlings. De Wolf, although in the leading pack, suffered several crashes which compromised his race. The outcome could only be different after that, and Lucas Coenen stormed to victory, leaving the team's Andrea Adamo (Red Bull KTM) and Camden McLellan (Monster Energy Triumph) a short distance behind.
MX2 Dutch Grand Prix standings (Top 5) :
This performance gave Lucas Coenen his sixth win of the season, consolidating his place among the top MX2 class riders.
1. Lucas Coenen - 47 points;
2. Kay de Wolf - 43 p.;
3. Andrea Adamo - 40 p.;
4. Camden Mc Lellan - 36 p. ;
5. Liam Everts - 34 p.
MX2 2024 provisional overall standings:
Adamo moves into the top 5 overall, taking a slight advantage over Mikkel Haarup (Nestaan Husqvarna).
MXGP and MX2 Race Calendar 2024
As the championship draws to a close, with just three races remaining, all eyes turn to the Swiss GP in Frauenfeld this weekend.
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. Winners : Jorge Prado (MXGP) and Lucas Coenen (MX2)
16 MXGP of the Netherlands, Arnhem circuit, August 18. Winners : Jeffrey Herlings (MXGP) et Lucas Coenen (MX2)
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