The Swiss Grand Prix in Frauenfeld, round 17ᵉ of the MXGP World Championship, took place on a circuit made muddy by overnight rain, putting the riders to the test. We're slowly approaching the end of the season and a decisive September.
Another step forward for Gajser (MXGP) and de Wolf (MX2)
In MXGP, Tim Gajser (Honda HRC) dominated the qualifying race and then triumphed in the first heat, ahead of Jeffrey Herlings (Red Bull KTM) and Jorge Prado (Red Bull GASGAS). Maxime Renaux (Monster Energy Yamaha), back after a long absence due to injury, with a blistering start and a period in the lead, finished fifth, showing great resilience after his convalescence. The opposite of Ruben Fernandez (Honda HRC), still recovering from a cruciate ligament rupture, who struggled to find his rhythm, finishing 17ᵉ. Calvin Vlaanderen (Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha), injured the previous week in Arnhem, meanwhile did not start the race.
The overall leader confirmed his domination by also winning the second heat. Jeffrey Herlings finished less than 7 seconds behind Gajser, without managing to overtake him. Jorge Prado, winner of the qualifying heat, took third place, while Romain Febvre (Kawasaki Racing Team) and local rider Jeremy Seewer (Monster Energy Yamaha) completed the top 5. Maxime Renaux, author of another holeshot, finished seventh.
MXGP Swiss Grand Prix standings (Top 5):
1. Tim Gajser - 50 points ;
2. Jeffrey Herlings - 44 p. ;
3. Jorge Prado - 40 p. ;
4. Jeremy Seewer - 34 p. ;
5. Romain Febvre - 33 p.
MXGP 2024 provisional overall standings :
With this double victory, Gajser widens his lead in the championship, now totalling 860 points, 18 more than Prado, his main rival.
Tim Gajser, MXGP de Suisse winner
This is becoming crucial as we approach the end of the championship. I lost some ground in Arnhem, but whatever happens, I'm looking forward to the tracks we're on now. Today, I felt really good, with two good starts, some fast overtaking, and I was able to create a small gap and then manage the race.
In the MX2 class, Kay de Wolf (Nestaan Husqvarna), who was badly beaten by team-mate Lucas Coenen in Arnhem, found his way back to victory in Switzerland. Although he confessed to having had a little trouble finding his rhythm, he too had to work hard to win the first heat, despite a spectacular comeback by Liam Everts (Red Bull KTM). Simon Laengenfelder (Red Bull GASGAS) made up for his poor performance in Arnhem to complete the podium. Lucas Coenen (Nestaan Husqvarna), penalized for an off-track excursion, finished sixth, not helped either by an embarrassing start.
Simon Laengenfelder won the second heat after an intense battle with Karlis Reisulis (Yamaha Factory MX2), who led for much of the race before giving in. Kay de Wolf, assured of overall victory, managed his race to finish third, consolidating his lead in the championship. Everts, despite a crash early in the race, climbed back up to fifth place, securing the third step of the GP podium. Finally, Lucas Coenen, after another crash, finished seventh in both the heat and the GP, conceding valuable championship points.
The return of Maxime Renaux in MXGP and Thibault Bénistant in MX2, who scored a holeshot in the first heat, are among the positive points to be highlighted. For their part, the Coenen brothers had a tricky weekend, falling short of expectations.
MX2 Dutch Grand Prix standings (Top 5):
1. Kay de Wolf - 45 points;
2. Simon Laengenfelder - 43 p.;
3. Liam Everts - 38 p.;
4. Karlis Reisulis - 36 p.;
5. Mikkel Haarup - 34 p.
MX2 2024 provisional overall standings: Is it all over?
The outisders fall one by one, leaving Kay de Wolf (Nestaan Husqvarna) in a strong position with a 61-point advantage over Lucas Coenen, three GPs from the end of the season. The next round in Turkey will be decisive for the outcome of these championships.
Mathis Valin on the rise
Kawasaki announced on Thursday that Mathis Valin has joined its official team for next season. The young Frenchman, currently leader of the EMX250 European Championship, will move up to the MX2 World Championship in 2025. Initially scheduled to stay in the European championship for two years, Valin convinced Kawasaki to bring him in earlier thanks to his outstanding performances. He will move to Belgium to join the official Kawasaki Racing team, ready to take on the challenge of the MX2 World Championship. He will then be featured in *MXGP 24 The Official Game*, the first part of a series whose rights have been signed until 2028, and in which fans of the discipline will also be able to immerse themselves!
MXGP and MX2 Race Calendar 2024
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. Winners : Tim Gajser (MXGP) and Kay de Wolf (MX2)
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
