Herlings & Coenen dominate MXGP of Lombok

2024 FIM Motocross World Championship
Round 12 – MXGP of Lombok
Selaparang Circuit

The MXGP of Lombok took place at Selaparang Circuit over the weekend, this time running in reverse direction in the heat and humidity, and marking the fourth Indonesian double header in the last seven years.

In MXGP, Jeffrey Herlings, completing a perfect weekend winning every race and topped every practice session for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, despite facing stiff opposition from standings leader Tim Gajser, Calvin Vlaanderen earning his second trip to the podium in as many weekends.

MX2 was dominated by Lucas Coenen, enjoying his own perfect weekend and fifth career Grand Prix win, and eating into team-mate Kay De Wolf’s points lead in the process. Mikkel Haarup equalled his best career result with second overall, ahead of Simon Laengenfelder who took third.

2024 MXGP of Lombok Highlights

MXGP – Qualifying Race

The MXGP World Motocross Championship riders tackled the Selaparang circuit in reverse direction on Saturday for the RAM Qualifying Races, although the oppressive heat and humidity remained to continually test the athletes to their limits as they pushed for points and gate selection positions.

In MXGP it was a second straight RAM Qualifying Race win for Jeffrey Herlings, who made a strong move on Team HRC’s Tim Gajser towards the end of the race, with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP man Calvin Vlaanderen finishing a fine third.

MXGP – Qualifying Race Results

MXGP Race One

It was Tim Gajser who took his fourth Fox Holeshot Award of the year, defending moves from Herlings at the first corner. Vlaanderen, Jeremy Seewer, and Mattia Guadignini were all ahead of reigning Champion Jorge Prado. However, he leap-frogged them all into third and was snapping at Herlings’ rear wheel in short order.

The Dutchman held off the reigning Champion, and kept the leader just in sight, while a few seconds behind Vlaanderen and Seewer, the battle raged for sixth between multiple riders – Glenn Coldenhoff and Valentin Guillod prevailing for sixth and seventh.

Guadagnini, Guillod’s teammate Kevin Horgmo, and rookie Andrea Bonacorsi played their part in a great battle, but finished in eighth to tenth respectively.

The leading pair stretched away from Prado, who could not rest due to Vlaanderen pushing him all the way.

Just after the 25-minute mark, Herlings closed the gap, initially running off the track as he got one corner a little wrong, before pouncing with a superb inside pass. Gajser then hit the deck a corner later, removing any chance to strike back.

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Just after the two-lap board, Vlaanderen attacked the #1 plate holder, and burst into third with a great run through the top of the circuit. Prado immediately backing it off to eventually finish nearly 14 seconds behind the Yamaha at the close.

The race victory, the 198th of his career, went the way of Herlings, although Gajser increased his series lead further due to the late drop-back of Prado.

MXGP Race One Results

MXGP Race Two

The start of race two was like an action replay, Gajser claiming the Fox Holeshot ahead of Herlings, the Dutchman launching out of the third corner in a wild-looking but decisive pass to take the lead. Guadagnini started strong in third, leading Vlaanderen and Seewer, Prado languishing in ninth.

Vlaanderen and Seewer both got past Guadagnini after half a lap, Seewer suffering an off-track excursion and having to fight back from eighth. Guadagnini also dropped his machine on the second full lap, to eventually finish 12th. Meanwhile, Guillod moved up to fourth, where he’d finish.

Prado worked his way past Bonacorsi on lap five but had to put up with constant attacks by Seewer, and was unable to catch up to Guillod. The 31-year-old Swiss rider celebrated his best result for eight years with a trademark massive whip, a testament to his physical fitness in such tough conditions.

Vlaanderen claimed a lonely third position, over five-seconds back from Gajser, who in turn trailed home race-winner Herlings by six-seconds.

MXGP Race Two Results

MXGP Overall

It was a perfect 50-points for Herlings with the double win, Tim Gajser closest on a 2-2 for 44-points, and two third’s giving Calvin Vlaanderen the final overall podium position.

Prado (34) managed to end the round in fourth, Valentin Guillod (32) round out the top five. From there it was Seewer on 31-points, Coldenhoff on 28, Horgmo (26), Bonacorsi (22) and Guadagnini (22) completing the top-10.

Gajser leads the standings on 608-points, Prado second on 574 and Herlings third on 557, closing down that gap slightly. Vlaanderen and Seewer round out the top five more distantly.

Jeffrey Herlings – P1

“I was very happy to get the win the second race because I had a little clutch issue in this second race but this is testament to how KTMs are built as kept going until the end, and a big thanks also to KTM Factory Racing Team as I could not have won this race without them, so thank you to all the team and the guys at home working on it. All my sponsors, thank you and I’m very pleased with a 1-1-1 for the first time this year.“

Tim Gajser – P2

“I felt much more comfortable this weekend and I think that showed in my riding. Getting three holeshots is a great accomplishment for me and for the team and I must thank all of them for all the work they do. I am very happy to be heading back to Europe with the red-plate and to be fit, healthy and still feeling like I’m riding well. Now we have Loket, which isn’t my best track but I always get a lot of support and I’m excited to see all my Slovenian fans. And also, a big thank you to the hospitality shown by all the Indonesian fans and supporters who really add so much to this race and I hope to see you all again next year.”

Calvin Vlaanderen – P3

“What a weekend and trip it’s been. I’m so, so happy to back things up from last weekend and be on the podium again. I put together two good races and I had to work hard for it in Race One. I could see Jorge Prado fading a little, so I put in a late-race change and got him. Then in Race Two, I put in some quick laps at the start and although I couldn’t quite hang with the leaders, I did create a nice gap behind me. So, 3-3 for third and another podium, so I’m really happy.”

Jorge Prado – P4

“The second round here in Lombok is done – it has been a difficult weekend for me. I didnt have the best feeling from the start of the weekend. P6 in practice and then P4 gate pick from the qualy race. On Sunday I made some fast passes, but I felt my starts could have been better. I didnt have enough pace to run with the guys up front. I was loosing alot of energy for both motos. Fourth overall is not what I wanted – but I gave 100%, and now I’m looking forward to Loket!”

Andrea Bonacorsi – P9

“This GP was pretty tough. I had good starts, close to the top five, so that made things a little easier. But this weekend, the heat really got to me, so it made things difficult. But now, we can head back to Europe, regroup, and get ready for Loket in a couple of weeks.”

Mattia Guadagnini – P10

“Despite the challenges, I’m proud of the progress we made this weekend and securing another top ten finish. The first race went well, and although the crash in the second moto was frustrating, I managed to fight back and make up several places. Crashes are part of racing, but I’m focused on building speed and aiming for even better results in the next one at Loket.”

MXGP Round Overall

MXGP Championship Points – Top 20

MX2 – Qualifying Race

The MX2 Qualifying race saw the same winner as last week with Lucas Coenen recovering from a small crash to take the win for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing, who enjoyed another 1-2 finish for the season with Kay de Wolf finishing in second place. Simon Laengenfelder once more took third for Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing.

MX2 – Qualifying Race Results

MX2 Race One

It was Simon Laengenfelder, feeling much better with both the heat and his sleeping cycle thanks to the extra time between the two GPs, who launched into the lead to claim his fourth Fox Holeshot Award of the year in race one.

In familiar style, Lucas Coenen battled into the lead before the end of the first full lap. Teammate De Wolf followed him past on lap three, as Haarup battled with Sacha Coenen and his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Andrea Adamo.

The reigning Champ hit the deck as he tried to get past his younger teammate, giving himself an additional challenge to overcome. Sacha then followed suit by nose-diving into the floor on the penultimate corner of lap six, allowing Haarup and the third factory KTM of Liam Everts into the fourth and fifth positions that they kept to the flag,

On lap 11, De Wolf, who had just started to eat into the lead of his teammate, made a mistake and allowed Laengenfelder past, and although the Dutchman gave a spirited chase, he couldn’t get back in front of the German.

As Lucas kept his nerve to clinch his first Sunday race win in over a month, it took the Championship lead down to 59 points between the teammates.

MX2 Race One Results

MX2 Race Two

Laengenfelder repeated his holeshot in race two, Lucas Coenen passing his brother almost immediately, just before Sacha lost his wheels from under him on a corner jump. He would eventually finish 13th after a further crash halfway through the race.

Lucas closed in on Simon at the front, causing near contact as the German defended his lead, but then suffered a big moment before the end of the first full lap, allowing the young Belgian to fly past.

Meanwhile, Adamo was looking determined, passing Haarup on lap two, but getting stuck behind teammate Everts who would not yield, the pair coming together in a right hand corner collision that put them both on the floor.

De Wolf was also struggling, a number of mistakes including a crash after the big triple jump demoting him to a sixth place finish.

That came after he had been passed by Haarup, the Danish rider bouncing back from his disappointments of the previous round to force his way past Laengenfelder for second on lap nine. Lucas Coenen was already 12 seconds up the track at this point, but Haarup continued to charge anyway.

The comeback of the race came from Adamo. In the humid conditions he showed a true Champion’s grit, passing Laengenfelder for third on lap 12, before closing in on Haarup to grab second place with just two laps to go.

That move looked to have dropped the Triumph man to third overall, until Laengenfelder tipped over two corners from home, allowing Everts past and promoting Haarup back up to second overall, matching his best career result from Portugal in April 2022. Laengenfelder had to settle for third.

Nobody could get near to Lucas Coenen, however, and the teenage Belgian cruised to a final winning margin of over five seconds, and the second perfect weekend of his season.

MX2 Race Two Results

MX2 Overall

The round overall went to Lucas Coenen, with Mikkel Haarup and Simon Lagenfelder second and third respectively, both on 38-points. Andrea Adamo and Kay de Wolfe rounding out the top five.

Lucas Coenen’s fifth career GP win puts him now 49 points behind his teammate Kay de Wolf, and few would deny that he has the determination to make a run at the 2024 title. Lagenfelder isn’t far behind in third on 509-points, while KTM’s Liam Everts and Andrea Adamo are fourth and fifth on 471 and 455-points respectively.

After everybody in the series travels back to Europe, there is a week off before we head to the classic venue of Loket for the MXGP of Czech Republic on the 20th & 21st of July.

Lucas Coenen – P1

“First race was very difficult like for everybody. The heat was really high but I could cool down quite well between the races. I really did my own race in the second one, just passed Simon (Laengenfelder) and took it easy. I feel good so now we keep on going for the next one.”

Mikkel Haarup – P2

“We messed up last weekend but we kept believing. I put a hell of a ride in the second race but first of all I want to thank Monster Energy Triumph Racing, my mechanics, the whole crew. They kept me motivated throughout the week and kept my head clear so we could focus on this weekend. I also want to thank all the sponsors and everybody at home for supporting us, it means a lot to me and keeps me motivated for the rest of the season.”

Simon Laengenfelder – P3

“The conditions have been super tough, and I’m happy to get this result. I was giving it my all to keep Kay behind me in the final moto. To be honest my energy was just finished at the end of the race. My mechanics wrote ‘podium if you finish’ – so I just went for it. I made it! I’m super happy with the holeshots too – it’s a great way to finish here in Indonesia!”

Andrea Adamo – P4

“We had some ups and downs this weekend. I was pretty fast in the first moto but crashed and my rhythm was not the best. I was fast from the beginning in the second race but I was a bit aggressive with my teammate. I should have waited. I think it was a racing incident and from that I charged strongly to get back to P2. I’m happy to finish the weekend like that but we need to be a bit more consistent and not make those mistakes, which penalized us today. Two weeks and then to Loket.”

Kay de Wolf – P5

“It was a tough day – I really struggled with finding a good flow out on track. I made some mistakes, which I can only blame myself for. But still, I came away from this Indonesian trip with gaining one point overall in the championship; so it’s important to focus on the positive. I still have the Red Plate, and I’m looking ahead to Loket now; and I’m focused on two weeks of hard training to prepare for this. Let’s go!”

Liam Everts – P6

“A consistent top five. I think the second moto was one of my better ones. A bad start in the first. It was good to pass Simon at the end of the second one but still not in positions where I want to be. Happy to go home now!”

Sacha Coenen – P9

“This weekend we were fast but too many mistakes, so we will work on that when we get back home. Also, on my feeling with the bike to find some more improvements. I’m already looking forward to Loket. I really enjoyed this experience in Indonesia. It didn’t finish the way I wanted but, then, I always want to win!”

Rick Elzinga – P10

“Today I was trying to find my flow from Saturday, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite happen. My starts this weekend were good though so that’s a really big positive. Around halfway through Race One my left foot hit the radiator shroud and it came loose, so it was really difficult to ride. Before Race Two I was able to have a quick nap and I ended up getting my best result during this trip to Indonesia. I had a good start, around seventh, dropped back a little bit but then changed back to seventh. We’ll now head back to Europe, keep working, and then head to Czech Republic for the next one.”

Karlis Reisulis – P11

“My speed was there this weekend and I ended up one point from the top 10 so I can be happy with my riding. The beginning of both races was great and felt I could go for the top 10, but my lines weren’t the best, so my rhythm was missing. I was fighting around the top six in Race One, but those guys are a lot more experienced than me, so it was a tough GP but a good one for learning. Overall, I can be happy with my weekend.”

Ferruccio Zanchi – P12

“I’m definitely not happy with doing the same mistake again, and giving myself too much work in both races. I need to work on this in future races because it is making things much more difficult than they need to be and I’m not able to get the results I think my speed deserves. Still, I came through this week, and now know what to expect from Indonesia and I believe this will help me become a better rider. A big thank you to the team and I can’t wait for the next GP in Loket.”

MX2 Round Overall

MX2 Championship Standings