PRADO AND LÄNGENFELDER SHRED TO P3 IN THE LATVIAN SAND.
Jorge Prado and Simon Längenfelder secured third-place finishes in their respective MXGP and MX2 classes, carving through the challenging sand and hard pack in Latvia.
Shredding through the treacherous sand and underlying hard pack, the Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing Team battled the odds at the fearsome Kegums motocross track, officially known as the Zelta Zirgs circuit, in central Latvia, to deliver a haul of podiums in MXGP and MX2, with Jorge Prado and Simon Längenfelder both finishing P3 in their respective classes.
Jorge Prado knew it was all to play for, arriving in Latvia with a slender single-point lead over his nearest championship rival. With the 2024 championship nearing its halfway marker, the battle is reaching fever pitch between defending champion Prado and rival Tim Gajser. Following a dry and sunny qualifying on Saturday, which saw Prado and Gajser separated by just a few seconds, rain on Sunday soaked the 1750m track and set the stage for an epic pair of MXGP motos.
In race one, Prado burst out of the start gate and held third place by lap two, closely chasing Gajser by just 0.3 seconds. However, disaster struck on lap four when Prado aquaplaned on the jump behind pitlane, and crashed. Although Prado was able to quickly get going again, the incident dropped him to eighth place. A comeback charge saw Prado retake seventh and cross the line just behind sixth-placed Calvin Vlaanderen.
Regrouped and refreshed for the second moto, Prado scorched the field with a masterclass performance, taking the holeshot by almost a clear bike length, and subsequently leading every single lap to the final flag. An 8-1 on the balance sheet means Prado secured third in the overall classification, and also moved to second in the championship.
In MX2, a similar story unfolded for Simon Längenfelder, who was flying the flag for Red Bull GASGAS solo, with an injured Marc-Antoine Rossi forced to sit out from competition. In the first moto, the German racer put in a consistent performance, holding fourth from lights to flag. With the afternoon rain showers having passed, the second moto saw Längenfelder make a blistering start but run wide at turn one. Undeterred, Längenfelder charged back through to second place, and hold that position until the finish; building an impressive ten-second lead over Lucas Coenen. The second-place finish also gives Längenfelder his second back-to-back podium of the season so far.
While Marc-Antoine Rossi is recovering from a serious ACL injury, both Beddini Junior GASGAS riders Valerio Lata and Mads Fredsoe will make wildcard entries at MXGP of Italy at Maggiora. Both Lata and Fredsoe impressed with points scoring finishes last time out for the team at the MXGP of Galicia, pointing to good things to come from both riders.
Stay tuned for more at the MXGP of Italy on June 16th.
MXGP – #1 – Jorge Prado:„It was a pity about the first moto; yesterday, I was feeling super good on the bike, but I just couldn’t make the pass on Tim in the qualifying race. Today in the first moto, I got a good start, but he [Tim Gajser] passed me on the first lap. I was actually feeling really good with my rhythm, but then I went aquaplaning into the face of a jump with all the standing water on the track. So that resulted in P7 in the first moto, which wasn’t the best. But then, with drier conditions in the second moto, I got the holeshot and led until the end! I’m happy with my performance and form in the second moto for sure, and hopefully we can get the red plate back as soon as possible!“
MX2 – #516 – Simon Längenfelder: „I’m definitely pleased with the overall result. My performance in the first moto wasn’t where I wanted it to be, but after making some setup changes, I felt much better in the second moto. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake in the last few laps while pushing as hard as I could. Congratulations to Sacha on the win. I’m already looking forward to the next race!“
MXGP of Latvia Results:
MXGP – Overall:
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 45pts
2. Tim Gajser (Honda) 44pts
3. Jorge Prado (GASGAS) 39pts
11. Mattia Guadagnini (Husqvarna) 20pts
MXGP – Moto One:
1. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM)
2. Tim Gajser (Honda)
3. Glenn Coldenhoff (Fantic)
7. Jorge Prado (GASGAS)
13. Mattia Guadagnini (Husqvarna)
MXGP – Moto Two:
1. Jorge Prado (GASGAS)
2. Tim Gajser (Honda)
3. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM)
9. Mattia Guadagnini (Husqvarna)
MXGP – Standings:
1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 454pts
1. Jorge Prado (GASGAS) 450pts
3. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 386pts
18. Mattia Guadagnini (Husqvarna) 97pts
MX2 – Overall:
1. Sacha Coenen (KTM) 45pts
2. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 45pts
3. Simon Längenfelder (GASGAS) 40pts
4. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 37pts
5. Liam Everts (KTM) 34pts
9. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 21pts
MX2 – Moto One:
1. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna)
2. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna)
3. Sacha Coenen (KTM)
4. Simon Längenfelder (GASGAS)
5. Liam Everts (KTM)
13. Andrea Adamo (KTM)
MX2 – Moto Two:
1. Sacha Coenen (KTM)
2. Simon Längenfelder (GASGAS)
3. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna)
4. Liam Everts (KTM)
8. Andrea Adamo (KTM)
9. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna)
MX2 – Standings:
1. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 443pts
2. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 388pts
3. Simon Längenfelder (GASGAS) 381pts
4. Liam Everts (KTM) 341pts
5. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 327pts
9. Sacha Coenen (KTM) 228pts
14. Marc-Antoine Rossi (GASGAS) 122pts
Text/Bild: GasGas