PRADO AND LÄNGENFELDER GRAB DOUBLE P2 PODIUMS AT LOKET SHOWDOWN.
The awesome MXGP of Loket in the Czech Republic saw Jorge Prado snag three P2 finishes, keeping the pressure on rival Tim Gajser, while in MX2, Simon Längenfelder go 2-2 to secure second place overall. With the championship race intensifying, all eyes are now on the sandy battleground of the MXGP of Flanders.
The crowds, the flares, the atmosphere, the epic views; there is no doubt that the MXGP of Loket is a super special weekend on the FIM Motocross World Championship calendar. Nestled in the hillsides of the scenic Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic, Loket – which has featured on the calendar nearly every year since 1995 – consists of a relentless sequence of steep jumps, tight turns, and an ever-changing rock-laced surface to keep riders and fans on the very edge of their seats.
Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing Team MXGP rider Jorge Prado was more than ready for the challenge, however. Arriving in Loket with seven wins and eight podiums to his name for this season already, Prado is noticeably bringing his A-Game to every race, in the hunt to close down the championship gap with rival Tim Gajser at the top of the standings. An ultra-consistent performance throughout the weekend saw Prado secure no less than three P2 finishes, as well as his 12th Fox Holeshot award for a blistering start in Sunday’s second moto.
With a second-place qualifying finish on Saturday in the bag, Prado lined up for Sunday’s first moto ready for action. After an impressive start, Prado executed a precision move on rival Jeffrey Herlings to take the lead on lap four, pulling a 1.2-second gap after just a few corners. The Spanish rider held on to the gap until an unfortunate error – caused in part by Loket’s treacherous conditions – forced him to relinquish the position back to his rival until the final flag.
In the second moto, Prado once again burst out of the start gates in trademark style, securing the Fox Holeshot award, and the race lead. In a similar style to the first moto, Prado held on to the lead until mid-race distance when he slipped to second place – this time against Tim Gajser.
In MX2, Simon Längenfelder followed Prado’s lead by going 2-2 to secure a second-place overall podium. The weekend wasn’t without a touch of drama, however, with Längenfelder suffering a crash in free practice before qualifying. Unfazed, the young German raced to an impressive P4 in the qualifying race, securing his gate slot for Sunday.
As the temperature cranked up on Sunday, Längenfelder kept his cool. The first moto was punctuated by a red flag in the opening laps, followed by a full restart. Going bar-to-bar with Liam Everts, Längenfelder charged up to second place with a 1.9-second gap behind race winner Kay de Wolf at the final flag. In Sunday’s second moto, Längenfelder once again charged hard from his P4 gate slot to jump up to third by lap five. In fact, the top six riders were separated by a mere 3.5 seconds throughout the majority of the race. Although Längenfelder briefly held the lead after carving past Liam Everts on lap eight, he slipped to second (this time overtaken by Kay de Wolf) on lap 15.
With eight races remaining in the season, the Red Bull GASGAS Team now faces a frantic session of back-to-back weekends until the beginning of October. Next up is the infamous sand-surfaced Lommel for the MXGP of Flanders on the 28th of July. Stay tuned…
MXGP – #1 – Jorge Prado: „A solid weekend overall you could say – with three P2 finishes. Starting from Saturday I just tried to stay consistent. I was struggling a little bit on this track with traction because I’m quite light, but I tried my best and gave it my all, and I think we came away with the best result we could this weekend. I felt ok in the second moto, my start was good but then I just made a mistake with the line and Tim [Gajser] got past me. It’s important to grab points for the championship; I want to catch up – but it is what it is. We’ve got some sand races coming up – I’ve been putting in training time on the sand, so it should be good. I’m looking forward to Lommel, and to make a good bounce back!”
MX2 – #516 – Simon Längenfelder: „Almost a GP win this weekend you could say! My fitness is now getting better and better. Just before Maggiora, I had a fever, and since then I had been struggling – but now things are improving. This weekend we managed some strong finishes. The track was really difficult to ride fast – you had to push alot to try to ride over all the bumps out of the corners. I’m happy to be consistent with a 2-2 result. For sure everyone wants to win, but it’s not always easy. I think we will get there though; and I am really looking forward to Lommel.”
MXGP of Loket Results:
MXGP – Overall:
1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 45pts
2. Jorge Prado (GASGAS) 44pts
3. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 43pts
4. Calvin Vlaanderen (Yamaha) 36pts
18. Mattia Guadagnini (Husqvarna) 18pts
MXGP – Moto One:
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM)
2. Jorge Prado (GASGAS)
3. Tim Gajser (Honda)
8. Mattia Guadagnini (Husqvarna)
MXGP – Moto Two:
1. Tim Gajser (Honda)
2. Jorge Prado (GASGAS)
3. Calvin Vlaanderen (Yamaha)
4. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM)
16. Mattia Guadagnini (Husqvarna)
MXGP – Standings:
1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 663pts
2. Jorge Prado (GASGAS) 527pts
3. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 608pts
12. Mattia Guadagnini (Husqvarna) 194pts
MX2 – Overall:
1. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 45pts
2. Simon Längenfelder (GASGAS) 44pts
3. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 25pts
4. Liam Everts (KTM) 36pts
5. Mikkel Haarup (Triumph) 34pts
15. Sacha Coenen (KTM) 12pts
32. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 0pts
MX2 – Moto One:
1. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna)
2. Simon Längenfelder (GASGAS)
3. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna)
5. Liam Everts (KTM)
26. Andrea Adamo (KTM)
28 Sacha Coenen (KTM)
MX2 – Moto Two:
1. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna)
2. Simon Längenfelder (GASGAS)
3. Liam Everts (KTM)
4. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna)
9. Sacha Coenen (KTM)
DNS. Andrea Adamo (KTM)
MX2 – Standings:
1. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 626pts
2. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 580pts
3. Simon Längenfelder (GASGAS) 560pts
4. Liam Everts (KTM) 515pts
5. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 457pts
8. Sacha Coenen (KTM) 362pts
16. Marc-Antoine Rossi (GASGAS) 122pts
Text/Bild: GasGas