Gajser and de Wolf on top at MXGP of Czech Republic

2024 FIM Motocross World Championship
Round 13 – MXGP of Czech Republic
Loketske Serpentiny circuit

The daunting slopes of the Loketske Serpentiny circuit presented an tough challenge for riders at the MXGP of Czech Republic, where overnight rain added to the brilliant track preparation, for the over 250 riders giving their all over the two GP classes and multiple EMX races.

MXGP World Championship leader Tim Gajser claimed his first ever overall Grand Prix win at the classic Czech circuit, bouncing back from third in race one to claim the second race and victory on the day for Team HRC.

MX2 saw another epic battle throughout the leading positions, and ultimately the red plate holder Kay De Wolf prevailed to take his fifth GP win of the year for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing, and extend his points lead over his teammate, and first race winner, Lucas Coenen.

2024 MXGP of Czech Republic Highlights

MXGP – Qualifying Race

Plenty of Slovenian supporters had made the trip to Loket to cheer on their hero Tim Gajser, and they were not disappointed as the Team HRC star snatched the lead on the opening lap and kept it until the end and he has now won six times on Saturday this season. Jorge Prado and Jeffrey Herlings rounded out the qualifying top three.

MXGP – Top 20 Qualifying Race Results

MXGP Race One

It was all green at the top of the morning Warm-Up time charts and the green trend continued in the opening MXGP race, as Seewer fought off the challenge from Jorge Prado to claim his fourth Fox Holeshot Award of the year, with De Baets Yamaha man Benoit Paturel running in third early on.

While the Frenchman was quickly pounced on by both Gajser and Herlings, Seewer led for several corners before the reigning Champ took control for Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing with a forceful move at the bottom of the circuit.

Behind, Herlings passed Gajser to move into third halfway around the lap, then muscled his way past Seewer to claim second and give chase to Prado.

On the second lap, Gajser also made a move on Seewer, so the big three were out in command once more. Prado wasn’t making a mistake as Herlings was finding out as he tried time and again to pass.

Their efforts to better each other left Gajser a lonely third, and Seewer a similarly solitary fourth in a consistent ride. Paturel had to yield to Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP rider Calvin Vlaanderen and Febvre in the second half of the race, but still scored a seventh place finish, his best since October 2021.

As for the leaders, Herlings generated one of his bursts of speed to fire alongside Prado and make the Spaniard back off, after which “The Bullet” powered away to win by over 8 seconds at the chequered flag. In his first visit to the track since 2018, he looked to be in dominant form.

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MXGP Race One Results

MXGP Race Two

The second race started disastrously for the Dutchman, as a poor jump from the gate left him having to avoid a first corner crash, then in turn two a domino effect of collisions saw him on the floor.

His main rivals were soon first and second, as Prado rediscovered his starting touch to claim his twelfth Fox Holeshot Award of the year, and Gajser moved past Vlaanderen to grab second.

Febvre was a solid fourth ahead of Fantic Factory Racing’s Brian Bogers, back from his Indonesian shoulder dislocation, and veteran Valentin Guillod.

All eyes were on Herlings, as he sliced through to twelfth on the second lap, before tripping over the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP machine of a sliding Andrea Bonacorsi, clipping the Italian’s back wheel and tipping over again.

Undaunted, the Dutchman was back with the same rider two laps later, and continued to advance. As Seewer recovered from his poor start, he clashed with Bogers, who fell from fifth, and suddenly Herlings was up to sixth spot and getting a pit board of “17 seconds to the leader!”

He passed Seewer on lap seven, then crossed the gap to Febvre by lap 14 and made an easy pass for fourth as the Frenchman struggled with a bike problem.

Meanwhile, Gajser had taken the lead, after out-foxing his rival with an inside pass on the cambered corner before the Pit Lane, actually banging bars as they passed their pit boards.

The Slovenian held the inside line and took the lead, to the roar of the many fans who had made the trip up from his homeland. Prado seemed to have no answer, and on a circuit where he had never had overall success before, “Tiga” won the race by three seconds to secure his 48th career Grand Prix victory.

Once more, Herlings stole the limelight as he attacked Vlaanderen on the final two laps, raising excitement with two near crashes as he closed to within striking distance.

Ultimately, the Yamaha man held on for third in the race, and Herlings had to settle for fourth, ahead of Romain Febvre.

MXGP Race Two Results

MXGP Overall

At the end of the day it was Tim Gajser taking a narrow win for the weekend on 45-points to Jorge Prado’s 44, while Jeffrey Herlings nipped at their heels on 43-points, Calvin Vlaanderen and Jeremy Seewer a more distant fourth and fifth on 36 and 33-points. Rounding out the top 10 was Febvre, Coldenhoff, Van Doninck, Paturel and Bogers.

The round overall ensured minimal movement in the standings top three, Gajser leading on 663-points, Prado second on 627 and Herlings third on 608. From there it’s a hefty drop to Vlaanderen in fourth on 471, while Seewer is fifth on 451.

Tim Gajser – P1

“It’s amazing to finally get a win here in Loket. I’ve had some good moments here, but never been able to take the victory so this is just a great feeling. I didn’t have the best first moto, but we worked together as a team to improve things for race two and I immediately felt a lot better. I got a good start, put pressure on the leader and then made a move midway through and controlled the rest of the race. A big thank you to all the team, and to all the fans Slovenian fans who create such an awesome atmosphere and who support me around the whole track. I’m glad I could finally repay them here in Loket.”

Jorge Prado – P2

“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!”

Jeffrey Herlings – P3

“I felt like my old self from a few years ago today. I am still improving, and these kinds of tracks are not easy for me. I went from 5th to 1st in the first moto and wanted to make another statement in the second but I messed up; maybe a bit too much confidence. From dead last to 13th and then I hit someone’s rear wheel and had to do it again. Speed was good, fitness was good but luck was not on my side today. So, not great, not bad and to win my 200th moto was pretty special, nobody else has reached that amount. Still seven races to go and I’m looking forward to the next one.”

Calvin Vlaanderen – P4

“It’s been a physically tough weekend. Unfortunately, I picked up a sickness bug after Indonesia but I still came here with high expectations. I knew today would be challenging, and I didn’t have a great start in Race One, but I battled through for fifth. In the second one, I had a much better start and tried latching onto the front guys. I was able to stay third all race, and near the end, I could see Jeffrey Herlings closing in, so I dug deep, gave it everything I had, and pushed to the end to stay in third. Overall, I’m satisfied with today and happy to keep this momentum going.”

Jeremy Seewer – P5

“I have won races here in the past and been on the podium a few times so the final result was a little frustrating. It’s always nice to get a holeshot but those three are on a high, high level at the moment and they have a little extra, especially in the first two laps. I managed a good fourth place but I take too long to get into the race. My start was not quite so good in the second race; it’s always tough to pass here and I was felt a little empty in the end. But I was happy I get through this GP safe; I didn’t make any mistakes and a lot of riders are going home in pain. Now on to Lommel; I think we are fit enough so we just need some laps in the sand this week to get the feeling.”

Romain Febvre – P6

“It’s never easy to jump back into the championship mid-season after a break, so overall the result was not too bad with a sixth and a fifth. I was missing just a little physically but I had hoped my speed would be a little better in the first race. In the second race I could match the speed of the leaders until I overstretched my ankle on a jump; I had to slow down for two or three laps and that cost me fourth.”

Andrea Bonacorsi – P13

“I struggled out there this weekend. In the first race I didn’t find my flow at all, and then in Race Two I fought hard for 11th, but it wasn’t easy. The track was really tricky in Race Two and much more difficult than what we usually see, so it was a bit of a learning experience. It was also my first time racing here, so everything was new. For next weekend we head to Lommel, and I love the sand, so I can’t wait to head there and I’m really looking forward to it.”

MXGP Round Overall

MXGP Championship Points – Top 20

MX2 – Qualifying Race

Lucas Coenen took his third consecutive RAM Qualifying Race win for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing with a stunning performance that included multiple overtaking moves. Teammate Kay de Wolf suffered a big crash in the early laps but recovered to sixth. Between the two were Sacha Coenen, Liam Everts, Simon Laegenfelder and Rick Elzinga.

MX2 – Qualifying Race Results

MX2 Race One

The first race began with Sacha Coenen taking yet another holeshot, in front of his two Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammates, Adamo and Liam Everts.

Unfortunately however at the start of the second lap, Bike It MTX Kawasaki rider Jack Chambers crashed in front of the Pit Lane and the race had to be stopped as he was treated for concussion.

On the restart, Sacha Coenen once more emerged in front to claim his twelfth Fox Holeshot Award of the season, this time with his brother Lucas, who had been buried in the pack before the restart, right in his wheel tracks in second. Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 star Rick Elzinga was into third and looking good on a surface which is not his usual favourite.

On the third lap, Lucas Coenen moved past Sacha into the lead, before the KTM-mounted twin hit the floor to lose second place to Elzinga.

Simon Laengenfelder held third for Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing, urged on by his many fans who had made the short trip over the nearby German border.

Everts battled past Laengenfelder after a couple of attempts, before making a particularly sweet pass on Elzinga. The Belgian fell a lap later, and would have to settle for fifth at the flag. Elzinga slipped back to sixth as Sacha Coenen crashed out of the race on lap 12.

In the frantic battle, Mikkel Haarup had worked his way up to third for Monster Energy Triumph Racing, behind Laengenfelder, but a late charge from Kay de Wolf led to a last lap pass by the red plate holder. Nobody could stop Lucas Coenen, however, who won by nearly ten seconds at the flag.

MX2 Race One Results

MX2 Race Two

Race two was like a representation of the whole MX2 series so far, with frantic action all through the pack. Passes and crashes were taking place almost every lap, but somehow the series leader prevailed to take the victory again.

It was Everts who claimed the Fox Holeshot Award this time, only his third of the series, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 new rider Karlis Reisulis held second early on, before being passed by Haarup on the first lap. Everts suddenly fell on the first corner of the second lap, but recovered quickly enough to re-pass Haarup on the big right-hander alongside the start straight.

That corner would be a problem for Haarup, as he was later passed there by both Laengenfelder and Lucas Coenen, on his way to a fifth-place finish. De Wolf had advanced steadily, past an impressive Reisulis on lap six, then Haarup a lap later. He had pressure from his teammate, who had started poorly, until Lucas collided with the bank coming out of turn two and crashed heavily.

Laengenfelder reeled in Everts, to take a loudly cheered leading position from lap eight, and he looked in control on his favoured hard-pack, but De Wolf suddenly lit the afterburners, battling back and forth with Everts for second place.

Finally getting the pass to stick on lap 13, their battle had brought them to Laengenfelder’s rear wheel, and with a stunning move on lap 15 the Dutchman took a convincing win in brilliant style, depriving the German of his first GP victory of the year in the process.

With Everts third, Lucas took fourth from Haarup. Elzinga, Reisulis, Mc Lellan, Sacha and Oliver rounding out the top-10 respectively.

MX2 Race Two Results

MX2 Overall

De Wolf took the MX2 round win on 45-points to Laegenfelder’s 44,and Lucas Coenen’s 43; Everts and Haarup rounding out the top five.

The result sees de Wolf continue to lead on 626-points, L.Coenen second on 580 and Laegenfelder third on 560.

Kay de Wolf – P1

“It was amazing to get the victory. I was a bit emotional on that podium. From last year I was in so much pain standing on the podium and also in 2018 when I missed the EMX85 win and finished 2nd so I’m so happy to finally get the win here as this place is amazing. I couldn’t do it without this team. They do a great job! My mechanics yesterday had to do so much job to the bike as it was in bad shape after my crash so big shout out to them, I appreciate it a lot!”

Simon Laengenfelder – P2

“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.”

Lucas Coenen – P3

“For the first race nothing to say as it was good. In the second race, my stsart was good but got pushed wide from the inside found myself far but I came back well and was behind Kay (de Wolf) and wanted to pass him. It was a bit sketchy at some points but then I crashed and try to come back as fast as possible. Now we don’t quit and want to go to Lommel to win so see you next week!”

Liam Everts – P4

“A good qualifying moto on Saturday and it was enough for a decent pick in the gate. We had two starts and I had a tip-over for the second one, the full race, and 5th was alright. The holeshot helped in the second moto but I rode a bit tight. I’m not super-happy about some things but I was quite happy with my riding today. I just need to cut down the mistakes and hope for better at my home GP.”

Rick Elzinga – P6

“I’m really happy with the progress I’ve made since Indonesia, and it’s been a good weekend overall. In the first race, I was lucky because it was restarted, and I started third with Karlis fourth before I moved into second pretty quickly. But I pushed a little too hard and lost my flow near the end and slipped back to sixth. My start in Race Two wasn’t as good but my riding was much better. I had good speed, found my flow, and I was able to push all moto. We’ve made some good improvements this weekend and thanks to the team for their support.”

Karlis Reisulis – P8

“It’s been a really good weekend for me here in Loket, and things are going in the right direction. In Race One I felt really good although I crashed with another rider, but I was happy to finish in 10th. I had a great start in Race Two, and I was running in second for a while, which was really good, but I got a little tired towards the end. Overall, my progress in the class has been positive, and I’m looking forward to Lommel next weekend.”

Ferruccio Zanchi – P12

“I was happy with the majority of my riding, but a few moments cost me once again. I made a lot of passes over the weekend and that is something to be happy about, but I also wanted to be better in the first few laps so that I don’t have to make so many moves. Still, I am healthy and learning all the time and although I’m not getting the end results I want, I still think I am progressing and moving in the right direction.”

Sacha Coenen – P15

“Two holeshots but only one counted and I was riding with my brother at the front until I had a small tip-off that was really strange. I got back to 5th but had to bail off the bike on the jump at the bottom of the hill. I was lucky to have just a few scratches. My riding was good in the second moto although I had some pain and the start wasn’t great. I’m really looking forward to racing Lommel; I wish the race was tomorrow!”

Andrea Adamo – DNF/DNS

“This morning I had a scary crash and I was 50-50 for the races but I said I wanted to try, I wanted to give it a go. I had a pretty good start but then we had the red flag, and I hope everyone is OK. We had to re-group and it was not so easy because I was feeling a bit weak. I fought as much as I could the whole moto but towards the end I made one small mistake and hit my head and also my torso where I had a cut and it re-opened. I had to go to the hospital because my blood pressure was very low. I had some stitches and things are well now. To go home with only five stitches after the fall from the morning is positive and I hope to be back on my bike as soon as I can.”

MX2 Round Overall

MX2 Championship Standings