Prado does the MXGP double in Germany – Weekend recap

2024 FIM Motocross World Championship
Round Eight – MXGP of Germany – Teutschenthal

Wet weather put a damper on things as the MXGP World Motocross Championships reached the MXGP of Germany in Teutschenthal over the weekend, put couldn’t lessen the enthusiasm of the German fans, as reigning World Champion Jorge Prado took his sixth GP win of the season.

That was with two race wins for Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing, leaving the German with the red plate back on his machine, and a slender two-point lead in his pocket heading to Latvia.

In MX2, the Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing duo of series leader Kay de Wolf and Lucas Coenen battled hard, with the Belgian teenager coming out on top to make it three straight GP wins for the #96 rider. This moves him up to second in the Championship table, 59 points behind his teammate.

News Highlights MXGP of Germany 2024

MXGP – Qualifying Race

The battle on the timesheets in both Free and Time Practice kept everyone on the edge of their seats, as Jorge Prado kept moving the bar to eventually top both sessions, but Gajser and Jeffrey Herlings were both right behind him, albeit a little over a second behind.

Although the holeshot went to Mattia Guadagnini, Prado took over the lead exiting the second corner, as Gajser got held up briefly in a battle with fast-starting home hero Henry Jacobi.

The big four of the series eventually finished in their Championship order – Gajser, Prado, Febvre and Herlings rounding out that line-up, while Febvre’s teammate Jeremy Seewer fought through to fifth position, and Pauls Jonass just kept his Honda ahead of a charging Calvin Vlaanderen, who had to fight through from outside of the top twenty on lap one.

The victory puts Gajser level with Prado on three RAM Qualifying Race win each, Febvre just behind them on two.

Tim Gajser

“It was good! I think I didn’t get the best jump out of the gate but it was helping that I was on the inside and I came out 3rd/4th. Then I make passes and I was behind Jorge (Prado) and he was riding good at the beginning but then I could sense that with the track becoming slippery that I could pass which I managed to do and than made a little gap to control the race. So… Yeah I’m super happy!”

MXGP – Qualifying Race Results

MXGP Race One

For the first time this year, Glenn Coldenhoff took the Fox Holeshot Award for Fantic Factory Racing, Henry Jacobi again involved on his Sarholz Racing KTM with the front runners, as Prado ran the German hero wide, allowing Gajser to briefly grab second from the reigning Champ.

Prado was having none of it and the pair got aggressive with each other in the first few corners and just after completing the move on Gajser, the Spaniard made a decisive move up the inside of Coldenhoff to take the lead halfway around the first lap.

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Gajser took some time to get past Coldenhoff, and when he finally did on lap four, Prado was already eight seconds down the track. Leading as well as usual and setting the fastest lap on lap four to immediately squash Gajser’s hopes of catching. Gajser seemed to not have his full speed available to him, and later confessed to suffering with intense arm-pump issues.

There was more battling going on behind him, Calvin Vlaanderen worked his way forward, along with Jeffrey Herlings, who was outside of the top ten around the first corner. Romain Febvre, meanwhile pulled out of the weekend’s racing, turning straight into the Kawasaki Racing Team paddock on the third lap.

Herlings fought past both the Slovenian and, on lap 14 of 17, Vlaanderen to take what would be a solid second place. Calvin passed Tim, but fell in a right hander by the start straight and gifted the position back. They swapped places twice more, a loss of traction on a jump costing the Dutchman, and keeping the Honda man in the Championship lead by a single point going into race two.

Pauls Jonass made a late move on Coldenhoff to claim fifth, but ultimately no-one could touch Prado who took a win by 13 seconds from Herlings after backing off for the last few easy laps.

MXGP Race One Results

MXGP Race Two

For race two the rain held off and let the track dry out, making it around five or more seconds per lap faster than race one, and with the confidence to move to a slightly more outside gate, Prado grabbed his 9th Fox Holeshot Award of the season.

He had company this time in the shape of “The Bullet” as Herlings held an inside line in turn two to pass Jeremy Seewer for second. Gajser and Vlaanderen also got past the Swiss veteran to give chase to the flying Prado.

It looked like Herlings had his claws into the reigning Champ with a series of faster laps that put him just a second shy of the leader. Then he hit a rut a little too hard and although he didn’t crash, it hurt his momentum and he was almost immediately under attack from Gajser.

On lap twelve the Slovenian made his move in the middle of the valley, and took up the chase to Prado. Vlaanderen and Coldenhoff held on to fourth and fifth, and Seewer made a late move to grab sixth from Valentin Guillod.

Gajser, just as Herlings before him, got to within a second of Prado, but the Spaniard simply would not crack and kept up his pace to break the pursuit, eventually winning by just over three seconds. The Spaniard moves onto 44 Grand Prix wins for his career, two behind Gajser for sixth in the all-time win list.

MXGP Race Two Results

MXGP Overall

The round overall went to Jorge Prado 1-1, with Gajser and Herlings tied on 42-points a-piece with a second and third place each. Vlaanderen and Coldenhoff rounding out the top five.

Prado now leads the standings on 402-points, to Gajser’s 400, Herlings a distant third on 336-points, and Febvre next closest in fourth on 327. From there it’s a larger gap to fifth, held by Jonas on 274-points, followed by Seewer (267) and Vlaanderen (263).

Jorge Prado – P1

“It was a perfect weekend. I felt great all weekend long – the bike was great, and I enjoyed the track. We had so much rain on Saturday that track conditions were actually quite tough. It was easy to make mistakes; Tim and Jeffrey were always right behind me, so I couldn’t afford any errors. I worked on my starts and just tried to push to the end of the race. I’m super happy and want to give a big thank you to the whole Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing Team. The championship lead is back, and the red plate is back! Latvia next – let’s get some good sand riding done there!”

Tim Gajser – P2

“It was a solid weekend of racing, winning the qualification race and then going three-two here. I’m a bit disappointed in the first race, getting arm-pump and not being able to push how I wanted but I was still third. And then race two, I was able to ride a lot better and was a lot closer to the lead but I couldn’t quite get close enough to make the pass. Still, the championship is very close and I am happy, and healthy and I’m looking forward to Latvia next weekend.”

Jeffrey Herlings – P3

“My speed is getting better and better. We changed my set-up today and it was an improvement. I got unlucky with the lapped riders twice today but I guess they were having their own race! Anyway, 2-3 for 3rd: not bad. In the past I’ve left here a few times straight to the hospital and now I’m going home! It’s not my favorite track and there are some better ones for me coming up. We’re 3rd in the championship and it’s still a long season ahead. I’m proud of today but I’m hoping for a GP win at some point.”

Calvin Vlaanderen – P4

“Overall, this weekend has been pretty good and I was really consistent. I was a little disappointed to crash in Race One though as that cost me second place. In Race Two I was third early on then Tim (Gajser) passed me. I really tried to stay with the top three then, but their pace was really high. I had no one close behind me so I just rode my own race and put some good points on the board. I’m happy with my riding so now it’s onto Latvia next weekend.”

Jeremy Seewer – P6

“Luckily it wasn’t quite as muddy this weekend as in Portugal and France but it was not easy in the conditions; the track was different every session with the weather continually changing – rai , no rain, and they were always out there with the bulldozer. All those tight corners made it tricky with the set-up; there was no flow. I was simply not satisfied with my first race, but the second was better; it was just a shame I had that small crash. Mentally it was frustrating because I am normally really strong on this type of track when the weather doesn’t play tricks, but that’s life.”

Mattia Guadagnini – P10

“I can be quite happy with today! I didn’t feel great yesterday and couldn’t find my flow, but I took the holeshot in the qualifying race and did my best to finish in a respectable 10th place. Today was much better; unfortunately, I had two really bad starts, but I managed two solid comebacks and can be satisfied with my riding and determination. Things are getting better and better, and soon we’ll be closer to the front.”

Andrea Bonacorsi – P12

“Besides Race Two, it’s been a good weekend. I got my first Qualifying Race points of the year yesterday and then seventh in Race One today. I had a really good jump off the line in Race Two but then there was a big crash in the first turn, and I couldn’t avoid it. I did what I could to get back in the points and now my focus will be to recover quickly for next weekend.”

MXGP Round Overall

MXGP Championship Points – Top 20

MX2 – Qualifying Race

Series leader Kay de Wolf was fastest in Free Practice ahead of brothers, Sacha and Lucas. That was until Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Simon Laengenfelder, inspired by circuit-wide trackside support, leapt to the top of the Time Practice scoreboard by ninety-thousandths of a second over De Wolf. Sacha was third, although a frustrated Lucas fell on his final flying lap to only go to the line in fifth.

De Wolf pulled a stunning holeshot from the inside gate,  Rick Elzinga challenging and briefly taking the lead due to a small mistake on the first lap by his fellow Dutchman, who edged back ahead across the finish line jump. Lucas Coenen fell on the second corner, holding up his brother in the process.

Meanwhile, the crowd favourite Laengenfelder charged into third place, but charged a little too hard and tipped over, not for the last time either, as he dropped down to eighth position by the flag. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo of Andrea Adamo and Liam Everts were making progress, the Belgian pulling quite possibly the pass of the season on Elzinga in a sweet cutback move.

Elzinga tried to fight off Mikkel Haarup in the final laps, but ultimately the Dane on the Monster Energy Triumph Racing machine got through to finish fourth. De Wolf was battling a small technical issue and Adamo closed to within 1.2 seconds of the leader by the finish, with Everts holding on for third.

Kay de Wolf

“It was a very difficult race! I struggled with clutch issues and so I didn’t have a clutch. That’s why Rick (Elzinga) passed me, I was really struggling. I’m really happy to get that win in the end! I’m still a little bit confused as there was so many things happening but this win really mean a lot to win without a clutch, so I’m very happy.” 

MX2 – Qualifying Race Results

MX2 Race One

The MX2 class held the main hopes of the German crowd for some home success in the form of Simon Laengenfelder. It was however Lucas Coenen who took his first Fox Holeshot Award of the year to lead immediately in race one, but crowd favourite Laengenfelder was in second, and after disposing of Andrea Adamo around the first lap, so too was De Wolf – the top three in the series briefly in reverse order.

It didn’t take the Dutchman long to get around the German and take up the chase to Lucas Coenen. The top five stayed in their order throughout the race, with Adamo fourth, and Rick Elzinga fifth.

After carving past the Fantic Factory Racing MX2 machine of Kay Karssemakers on the third lap, Quentin Prugnieres was sixth, despite holding off several attempts from Team HRC rookie Ferruccio Zanchi. Liam Everts had a race to forget with a poor start and a further crash, just to nip past Zanchi on the final lap to salvage seventh.

De Wolf made several runs at Lucas, but this time the Belgian did not crack, and in fact it was Kay who made the mistakes as he chased, ultimately having to settle for second despite claiming the fastest lap of the race. It was Lucas’ fourth straight GP race win.

MX2 Race One Results

MX2 Race Two

A fired up Laengenfelder took the Fox Holeshot Award ahead of Adamo and Elzinga in race two, but De Wolf and Lucas Coenen battled past the Dutch Yamaha star and the reigning World Champion to try and chase down the crowd favourite as the valley vibrated to the sound of horns, hooters, and revving chainsaw engines.

Despite this, De Wolf was through into the lead on the second lap, and Lucas got through on lap six. Adamo also took advantage of a mistake by the German to grab third, but a few corners later he was on the ground after over balancing on a corner jump. He would recover to finish sixth.

Just in front of the pit lane a lap later, De Wolf tipped over in a deep rut and handed the lead to his teammate. As Mikkel Haarup moved up to a fourth place finish for Monster Energy Triumph Racing, a pitched battle between the leading two men in the series took place.

De Wolf had issues in several deep ruts just as he was looking to attack, then in front of a bank of spectators on a long left-hander made a stunning move around Laengenfelder on lap 15.

It wasn’t over there, as the red plate holder again made a mistake in a rut and allowed the German back past, only to repeat his earlier move to the anguish of the crowd, finally clinching second place.

It was all too late to stop Lucas Coenen, who cruised to a win that buried the memories of a broken chain denying him his first GP win here 12 months ago. It was a 9.5 second win that builds his streak to five straight race and three Grand Prix overalls.

MX2 Race Two Results

MX2 Overall

Lucas Coenen took the round overall for 50-points, with a 1-1, de Wolf second on 44 and Laegenfelder third on 40 running 3-3 for dual podiums in front of the home crowd. Adamo and Elzinger rounded out the top five.

In the standings de Wolf holds a significant lead on 396-points, to Lucas Coenen on 337, with Laegenfelder a closer third on 333-points. Liam Everts and Andrea Adamo round out the top five on 304 and 299-points respectively.

Now the teams and crews head 1,400 km north-east to the sandy terrain of Kegums in Latvia.

Lucas Coenen – P1

“It feels fantastic to get this result, especially here, to be honest. I was concerned we might struggle as we did last year, but now I’ve put that behind me. It was a perfect weekend. In the first moto, I had a great battle with my teammate Kay, and in the second moto, I aimed to do the same. He was ahead of me, so I pushed hard and wasn’t sure if I could get past him. Then I saw him go down in a corner, which allowed me to overtake. It was an easier race from then on, but I’m just delighted to have another great weekend. We will keep building on these results, and I’m looking forward to Latvia.”

Kay de Wolf – P2

“I made a few mistakes in the second moto, but overall, it was a weekend full of positive vibes. We gained crucial points in the championship, which is what it’s all about. The main goal is to maintain consistency every weekend and keep finishing as high as possible. Overall, I’m really happy with this weekend; I think, as a team, we showed great speed and only made a few minor mistakes, which we’ll definitely work on. I’m really pleased and can’t thank the team enough!”

Simon Laengenfelder – P3

“Home GPs can always be challenging, but this was a good one for sure! I wanted to be higher up – but I’ll take two thirds! The crowd was amazing, and I enjoyed every single lap. To be honest, every single lap the crowds were cheering, and I could hear it above the engine noise on my bike! In the later stages of race two, I was fighting with Kay – he overtook me, but I managed to stay close. He made a few mistakes too, so I just kept chasing. It’s great to be on the podium at home. The track was great after so much rain, and I’m feeling very good – so I’m looking forward to Latvia now.”

Andrea Adamo – P4

“Saturday was really good with a P2 and the first moto today was solid, nothing special with 4th. In the second moto I was feeling good and was attacking. I tried to pass for the lead and made a mistake. I got back to a podium position and another crash meant 6th and I struggled a bit then for flow. The track was compacted because of all the rain and the ruts were tight and not so round. Not the best…but it was the same challenge for everyone. We’ll regroup and try again in Latvia.”

Rick Elzinga – P5

“It was pretty muddy this morning after the rain, but I don’t mind the mud and I was feeling good and placed third in Warm-up. In Race One I had a really good start but then I was shuffled back a little bit. I got into fifth and then there was a big gap to the leaders and a big gap behind me, so it was a little bit like a training moto to the end. For Race Two they had done a lot of work to the track and I made a few mistakes early on. I passed Andrea Adamo when he fell and then I held him off to the end so that was good. The intensity in Race Two was really high so I’m happy with my performance in that one.”

Liam Everts – P7

“Difficult weekend. P3 in quali was a decent result and I thought there was so more today and my speed was OK but the two crashes cost me time. Not much more to say but I didn’t perform my best. We’ll review what went wrong and look to bounce back next week.”

Ferruccio Zanchi – P8

“Today was a much better day, riding consistently throughout in what were difficult conditions. Going eight-eight is a fair reflection of my speed and although I missed out on points in the qualification race, I am on a good run of form and each weekend is another chance to show everyone what I am capable of. And that starts in Latvia next weekend which will be a completely different challenge to this, as it is a lot softer and sandier but one that should be good.”

Sacha Coenen – P12

“Not so good this weekend. I couldn’t find my rhythm in the wet. The track was really rough and I had a few tip-offs. I made my motos difficult! Too many mistakes…but the speed was good and I could recover a bit in the second moto.”

Jack Chambers – P14

“The first moto was good with no falls and riding smooth, but I still need to work on a few things; I feel like I’m riding too safe and cautious. I got a good start in tenth in race two and was making good progress but I made a mistake, fell and went back to nineteenth. I made some good passes to come back to fifteenth but the next guy was making crazy line-choices, all over the track. Eventually I almost passed but I hit him pretty hard and broke off my front brake lever so I had to ride the last three laps with no brake and my teammate passed me. I’m looking forward to Lavtia now; the track has more flow and speed, and that suits me.”

MX2 Round Overall

MX2 Championship Standings