Prado wins MXGP of China | Lucas Coenen tops MX2

2024 FIM Motocross World Championship
Round 19 – MXGP of China

Due to the change of forecast of the Typhoon around Shanghai, which has evolved right after the first change to the schedule was made, the Shanghai Government issued new mandatory guidelines for the closure of the Oriental Beauty Valley MXGP of China by 1400 local time on Sunday to ensure the safety of all participants and attendees. In light of these extraordinary circumstances, the event schedule was condensed to fit within the new time constraints and a revised timetable was adjusted accordingly to accommodate all races and activities within the shortened timeframe.

When racing finished up at the penultimate round, the MXGP World Championship had a new leader, Jorge Prado fighting through the heat, humidity, and even a little illness for Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing to win his 48th career Grand Prix. Team HRC’s Tim Gajser struggled in race one, meaning Spaniard Prado will now take the red plate to the final round of the season, in his home country.

The MX2 title fight continues to get closer, as Lucas Coenen took his eighth GP victory of the year for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing, passing his teammate and Championship rival Kay de Wolf on track in the process and closing in on the leader.

MXGP of China Video Highlights

MXGP Race One

The Practice session, that served to form the grid positions in the absence of the RAM Qualifying Race, was topped with a final effort from Prado to nudge Gajser off the top spot by just 47 thousands of a second. Romain Febvre took third gate pick for Kawasaki Racing Team, Jan Pancar a surprise fourth, followed by Jeffrey Herlings, who turned 30 on the Thursday before the GP.

The first race saw the seventh Fox Holeshot of the year for Jeremy Seewer and the Kawasaki Racing Team, with Prado and Ruben Fernandez hot on his heels. However, between turns one and two the Championship took a major twist as Gajser jumped into the back of Glenn Coldenhoff who was fourth, and took a heavy fall as a result.

The red plate holder had his bike run over in the process but got going again towards the back of the pack. His woes wouldn’t end there, however, as the Slovenian collided with Andrea Bonacorsi, sending himself and the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP rider to the floor, and very soon he toured into Pit Lane. He did finish the race with a broken left footpeg, but down in 17th place by the flag.

Meanwhile teammate Fernandez had taken the lead on lap one and held the advantage for half the race, fending off Seewer, then Prado, before finally yielding to Febvre, who had put in a great charge to pass the reigning Champ and haul in the other Spaniard. The Kawasaki man took the lead on lap eleven with a smooth inside move, and Fernandez also had Prado come past him a lap later.

Next up came Herlings, who climbed to third with a drag race past Pit Lane, and that was the top three set from there, ahead of Fernandez in fourth and Coldenhoff in fifth.

Seewer begun to slip down the order, and Maxime Renaux recovered from an average start to claim sixth for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP, followed by Kevin Horgmo, who passed Pancar on the final lap. In a similar move, Mattia Guadagnini relegated Seewer to tenth at the same time to finish ninth for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing.

MXGP Race One Results

MXGP Race Two

Gajser’s troublesome race had handed the Championship lead to Prado, who held a four-point advantage heading into race two, and of course decided to both celebrate and defend that position with a trademark Fox Holeshot, his 16th of the season.

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Initially in second was Valentin Guillod, but Gajser tucked inside the Swiss rider for second in turn two, this time missing the incident through the first corner, as Seewer, Renaux, Guadagnini and Alberto Forato all hit the deck. Only the two Italians got back into the race, although Forato would pull in after nine laps.

Fernandez followed his teammate past Guillod, and soon Febvre, the surprising Pancar, and Herlings would follow suit. As Gajser gave chase to Prado out front, Febvre could not go with them as it took him eight laps to get around the rejuvenated Fernandez.

Herlings on lap ten, and then Pancar on lap 15, would also get past the Spaniard who is working his way back to full race fitness, and would finish sixth ahead of Bonacorsi, Coldenhoff, then the recovering Guadagnini getting back to ninth ahead of Horgmo.

The heat was clearly taking its toll on the leaders, who were trying to hold on in the soaring temperatures and humidity, and try as he might Gajser could not break Prado’s hold on the race.

The Spaniard pushed himself to the physical limit, barely celebrating his tenth overall GP win of the season and unable to conduct any post-race interviews. He gritted his teeth to collect the red plate atop the podium however.

Febvre’s third in race two was enough for second overall ahead of Herlings, with Fernandez fourth and the amazing Pancar in fifth.

MXGP Race Two Results

MXGP Overall

This all sets the scene for the showdown in Cozar in two weeks’ time, with just seven points separating the leading pair. Herlings has a slim mathematical chance but admitted on the podium that the title for him is realistically out of reach.

Jorge Prado – P1

“We could finish the weekend with a red plate and seven points ahead. One round left and this makes us dream and I’m so excited for the final round in Spain. I think nobody expected to get out of this GP with a red plate. So we need to be super happy. My riding has been great. We worked hard on the bike too this weekend, like today, and they even took the RAM Quali race away and it didn’t matter, we still got points in our pocket, so super, super happy. I’m still super, super happy about the day. I still can’t believe it and yeah, happy. I’m still super, super happy about the day. I still can’t believe it and yeah, let’s get a title in Spain.”

Romain Febvre – P2

“I took a decent start around fifth in the first moto and I was clearly faster than the others so I could pass everyone to take the lead and make a gap for the win. It’s really tough out there for everyone with the humidity – the same like Indonesia – and there was just a short break and less time to recover before race two. It was a good solution to complete the GP before the tornado arrived; we all had to manage as well as possible but I don’t think we would want to do it regularly. I know others were struggling in the heat and it’s a shock for the body but everybody has to deal with it; I never seem to have a bad time in hot conditions. I didn’t get a good jump in race two but I rode a good first few turns to come out top-five again. I used a lot of energy to pass Fernandez for third and I had already given a lot in race one because I wanted that moto win so much; I was faster but had to fight hard to pass him and the leaders were gone by the time I came third so I had to settle for that position and second overall.”

Jeffrey Herlings – P3

“I mean the championship, already coming into this one, was kind of over. Because it was not just Tim who had to make a mistake, it was also Jorge. Unfortunately I had a big fire mark from the exhaust in Turkiye, which gives me quite some pain. And also I broke two ribs meanwhile. And today there was quite a lot of pain so I was good with any result I just did, especially the second one as I knew I was gonna be in the podium anyway even though I would gain more points nothing would have changed in the overall so I was like just, okay I just want to go home safe from this one.”

Ruben Fernandez – P4

“It felt really good to lead some laps in the first moto and I am really happy with my progress since coming back into the series. To get fourth overall is ahead of where I expected to be, and it gives me a lot of confidence heading into the final round in Spain where I hope to be challenging for the podium. My starts were good and my riding was strong for most of the races in what were very difficult conditions, so very happy.”

Tim Gajser – P7

“After having such a consistent season, to have a day like today at such a crucial time is hard to take. To lose the championship red-plate with one round left is definitely not what I wanted to happen and now I know that with three races to go, I have to win them all. It isn’t an ideal situation but I will keep fighting and give my all until the very end.”

Mattia Guadagnini – P9

“It was a challenging weekend with the changing weather and track conditions, but I’m pleased with my consistency. I managed to finish 9th in both motos, which earned me valuable points in the championship. The humidity and winds made it tough, but I felt strong on the bike. Now, it’s all about finishing the season on a high note in Spain and securing the best result possible in the final standings!”

Andrea Bonacorsi – P10

“With the travel and the jet lag it was quite a tough morning, but by the races I felt pretty good. In Race One, I was just outside the top 10, and then Tim Gajser block passed me and we both went down. That was a real shame as it damaged my bike a little but I was able to bring it home in 12th. In the second race my start was good and I pushed hard to get into eighth. Then a couple of laps later I moved into seventh. I felt good and I was closing in on the leaders but then the humidity really got to me. I was able to keep my position though so that was good, and now it’s on to Spain and then the Nations to finish the season off.”

Maxime Renaux – P12

“Today in the first race I didn’t get a great start but moved up to sixth pretty quickly. I did have a small crash but got up as fast as I could and held on to sixth to the end. Then in Race Two I crashed with a couple of other riders and got ridden over. Besides a few grazes I’m ok and I’m looking forward to Spain in two weeks’ time.”

Jeremy Seewer – P17

“The day started so well with the holeshot and some good laps in race one, but then we had a small problem and I just had to survive. I kept myself hydrated and felt fit and ready for race two despite the tight schedule. I was looking at another top-three start but I just got unlucky when the guy directly in front of me tried too much. Hopefully I should be fine; we’ll see in a few days.”

MXGP Round Overall

MXGP Championship Points – Top 20

MX2 Race One

In the morning Time Practice session of the one-day format, Simon Laengenfelder set the best time to secure first gate pick for Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing, just ahead of Lucas Coenen, with Liam Everts third for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.

With his twin brother Sacha absent through injury, but already uncatchable in the 2024 Fox Holeshot competition, Lucas fired into the lead in race one from the very start, with Laengenfelder and Everts giving chase.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 rookie Karlis Reisulis was fourth ahead of De Wolf, but on lap three the Latvian pulled a surprise out-braking move on Everts to take third place.

With Coenen and Laengenfelder streaking away out front, not to be caught, De Wolf played a waiting game in fifth place, with Reisulis’ teammate Rick Elzinga in sixth and Everts’ teammate Andrea Adamo in seventh. The two Monster Energy Triumph Racing riders, Mikkel Haarup and Camden McLellan, were up next as the positions stayed static… until the halfway point.

On lap 10, halfway through, Everts chopped back around the outside of Reisulis to reclaim third place. A lap later, De Wolf caught the Latvian unawares by dancing through the waves brilliantly to take fourth.

Adamo passed both Yamaha riders, one lap after the other, in the same left-handed corner, and ultimately the Triumph riders would both get through as well. In fact, the entire Yamaha squad finished 8th to 10th, in the order of Elzinga, Reisulis, and Thibault Benistant.

Haarup brilliantly jumped over Adamo to snatch fifth away from the outgoing World Champ on the final lap, with McLellan taking seventh. De Wolf had forced past Everts for third on lap 14 but was unable to catch Laengenfelder for second. With Lucas cruising to a five-second win, it chipped the gap down to 39 at the end of race one.

MX2 Race One Results

MX2 Race Two

In race two, with a shortened break between races, the irrepressible Reisulis showed that he was more than ready for the fight with a stunning Fox Holeshot, his second of the season.

Laengenfelder and Everts were directly in his wake, and then the two Nestaan Husqvarnas. De Wolf bolted to the inside of Coenen and was soon past Everts as well in the process. Coenen followed him past, but the two went for the same rut in a right-hander and tangled, causing Everts to crash out of the race. His social media is reporting a neck injury, so we wish him all the best for a rapid recovery.

Coenen had allowed McLellan through into fourth on lap two, with Haarup behind them both. Once more unwilling to put everything on the line immediately, several riders seemed to just hold station in the heat until it got really interesting. By lap twelve, De Wolf had caught up to Laengenfelder and just as he made a move, so Reisulis ran wide and toppled over a soft berm.

McLellan had dropped behind Adamo and battled with Fantic Factory Racing rider Kay Karssemakers. The Dutch teenager took tenth at the flag, behind Team HRC’s Ferruccio Zanchi, while McLellan claimed eighth.

After his fall, the tiring Reisulis was caught and passed by both Adamo, who took fifth, and Benistant, who took sixth, with the Latvian ultimately landing in seventh. His speed showed much more than his results this weekend.

Haarup had to settle for a lonely fourth, as the two Nestaan Husqvarna men debated the win, Coenen breezing past Laengenfelder, who was suffering with abdominal issues.

As with many overtaking manoeuvres on the well-designed circuit, the leading pair went back and forth before Coenen was finally able to rail around the outside of his title rival to claim a stunning 16th race win of the season, and ninth GP win of his career.

With De Wolf settling to take the second-placed points home, it still sees the points gap at 36, not insurmountable in the chaos of the final round.

MX2 Race Two Results

MX2 Overall

The final round of the 2024 MXGP World Motocross Championships will take place in south-eastern Spain, near the village of Cozar, for the MXGP of Castilla La Mancha, round 20, the finale of both main adult series, plus the EMX 250 & EMX 125 classes too, and a whole host of scenarios mean that the final GP is not one to miss

Lucas Coenen – P1

“I need to push. With a temperature like this I thought it would be really difficult. The heat gets you more when you stop, but I got to fight on. I want to beat Kay (de Wolf) and I just want to win every race. I’m doing it, so let’s see on the final round if we get a win. I apologise for Liam (Everts)*. I thought he would go more outside and I hit him but I’m so annoyed =and the whole race I was not in my rhythm because of that but I hope he’s okay and best of luck to him. I apologize for Leon. I thought he would go more outside and I hit him but I’m so pissed off because I saw his father and I was like shit what did I do and the whole motor I was not in my rhythm because of that but I hope he’s okay and best of luck to him.”

Kay de Wolf – P2

“First of all I hope Liam is okay. It’s a bummer to see someone down especially like that for so long. So yeah, I hope he’s okay. For the rest, second race felt quite good. The intensity was quite high and I just could just manage the last few laps, but for the big picture this was good and yeah, I’m happy with it.”

Simon Laengenfelder – P3

“We had a different format this weekend because of the typhoon coming in, but I enjoyed the format all the same. The track was great with high speed, and big jumps. The conditions were super tough with the heat and humidity. I tried to stay consistent and fight as hard as I could in both motos. Finishing with P2 in the first moto and P3 in the second is great and of course to get another podium feels great, and it puts me in a strong position heading into the final round. Now, I’m focused on giving everything I have in Spain.”

Andrea Adamo – P5

“The weekend was OK but the plans changed a lot and the one-day format was strange and meant everyone had to adapt. I prefer the two days and it was hot and a lot to deal with in one morning here. Anyway, not too bad, not amazing and we’ll focus on getting better in Spain and ending the season strongly.”

Thibault Benistant – P7

“Today was OK, but I had bad starts and felt a little tight. I didn’t ride very well in Race One, and then in Race Two, I tried not to be so aggressive when braking and that seemed to help a lot. With the short time between races today, it wasn’t too bad as I’m in pretty good shape. It was hard for sure, but it was OK.”

Karlis Reisulis – P8

“The last couple of weeks I’ve had a fever and I’ve not been sleeping very well, so I got tired at the end of each race, which is to be expected. I had a good first race going as I started fourth and then moved into third, but then my fever caught up with me and I’ve never been so tired in my life. Race Two started better with a holeshot, and then I led for around 20 minutes until I crashed. I lost a lot of places and ended up seventh in that one. Considering that I’m not 100%, I’m happy with how today went.”

Ferruccio Zanchi – P10

“Difficult weekend but there were still some positives with my riding here in China. I got 10th overall, which isn’t where I wanted to be coming into the weekend, but with all the changes in the schedule and the weather conditions it became a very difficult day. I kept pushing though and it was good to experience the race here and having done all the overseas now, it has certainly given me a lot of things I know I can improve upon.”

MX2 Round Overall

MX2 Championship Standings