Prado & Adamo win 2023 MXGP of Trentino

MXGP 2023

Round Four – MXGP of Trentinto

The MXGP of Trentino in Italy heralded the fourth round of the 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship, with Jorge Prado claiming his first Grand Prix win of the MXGP season, ahead of Maxime Renaux and Jeffrey Herlings.

In MX2 KTM’s Andrea Adamo took his career first GP win, with teammate Liam Everts second overall, while Jago Geerts rounded out the top three for Yamaha.

Highlights of the 2023 MXGP of Trentino

MXGP Race 1

In the MXGP Race 1 in Pietramurata, Jorge Prado took the FOX Holeshot and kept going with the lead. Prado displayed a strong and composed race to win by a good margin.

The start of the race was marked by a big crash involving many riders including Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings, Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Jeremy Seewer. The incident hindered their chances to score maximum points in race 1. In the end, Seewer had to settle for 16th place while Febvre finished 12th.

Behind Prado were Team HRC’s Ruben Fernandez and MRT Racing Team Beta’s Ben Watson 2nd and 3rd after lap 1. Unfortunately for Watson, after a great start he couldn’t hang on to the top 10 in the end as he settled for 11th but still earned good points.

Fernandez looked very comfortable as he got close to Prado over three laps. After that, the Spaniard looked to settle for the 2nd place but Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Maxime Renaux had other plans. Renaux went 6th after lap 1 but looked determined to chase after the top points.

He overtook Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini on lap 1 and then battled with De Baets Yamaha MX-Team’s Benoit Paturel between lap 5 and 10. Paturel who started very well was not ready to give up his 3rd place easily but eventually had to concede to Renaux on lap 10. Renaux went on to get closer and closer to Fernandez and finally pounced 2 laps before the end to reach 2nd. Fernandez settled for 3rd.

Paturel was overtaken a few times after that and moved down to a decent 10th place in the end. Guadagnini battled his way upwards a few times during the race to reach 4th in the end.

Guadagnini, Team Ship To Cycle Honda SR Motoblouz’s Valentin Guillod, SM Action Racing Team Yuasa Battery MXGP’s Alberto Forato and Team Gebben Van Venroy Yamaha Racing’s Calvin Vlaanderen all found themselves fighting from lap 12 until the end.

The advantage got to Guadagnini as he finished 4th. Then Forato finished 5th in the end coming up from 9th on lap 1, right in front of 6th place Vlaanderen, who shadowed him the whole race. Guillod settled for 7th after showing some skilful riding the whole way.

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Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Glenn Coldenhoff had to battle his way up as he got to 13th after lap 1. The Dutch methodically made his way up the ranking order, displaying some solid riding while never being overtaken after lap 1, to ultimately finish 8th.

The performance of the race was definitely from Herlings, who after being involved in the multiple riders’ collision, showed why he has already achieved the 100th GP win of his career.

From being last when he picked up his bike, the “bullet” incredibly and quickly passed most of the riders in front of him. On a mission not to lose too much ground in the championship, his determination saw him overtake no less than 20 times in the space of 18 laps to get 9th in the end.

MXGP Race 2

In race 2, Prado made it 100% for the weekend as he cliched the second FOX Holeshot, making for a total of 5 this season already. Prado quickly led in front of Renaux and Febvre, who did not let the Red Plate holder relax for a second. It looked like a three-way battle for the lead until Herlings came through to disrupt the order.

Herlings found himself 7th on lap 1 and began his charge to the top as he successively overtook Seewer, Guillod (who finished 11th) and Fernandez to get to 4th place on lap 6. He then passed Febvre on lap 7 and inched closer to the front two, Prado and Renaux while also setting the fastest lap time.

While Prado was defending against Renaux, Herlings made a move to attack them both, making an impressive double overtake over three turns on lap 11. Herlings then quickly pulled away to fly to his first race victory of the season. In the meantime, Renaux also passed Prado to finish 2nd while Prado finished 3rd.

Febvre showed his qualities too as he finished comfortably in 4th position. On his part, Seewer had a better start, which is what the Swiss needed to feel confident on the bike. Being 8th on lap 1, Seewer benefitted from JM Honda Racing’s Brent Van doninck’s mistake to get up to 7th and then showed his well-known speed to overtake Guillod for 6th on lap 8.

He didn’t stop there as he also moved on Fernandez on lap 10 to get to 5th where he finished in the end. His teammate Coldenhoff shadowed him the whole race and he also delivered a good performance to finish 6th. Fernandez would settle for 7th in the end.

Behind them, Van Doninck who started very well and got to 6th on lap 1 had to concede a few positions along the way to finish 8th, which means good points to stay in close reach of the top 10 in the championship, in 13th place overall. Standing Construct Honda MXGP’s Brian Bogers also had a good race 2 as he entered into the top 10 for the first time of the day.

Bogers went from a decent start in 11th place on lap 1 to get to 10th on lap 4. On lap 14, Bogers found a way to pass Guillod for 9th where he remained until the end. Guadagnini experienced a similar race to Bogers as he went from 12th on lap 1 to end up 10th in the end. Guadagnini, who went 4-10 this weekend was the first Italian of the GP as he finished in a really promising 5th place.

The other home riders Forato and MRT Racing Team Beta’s Alessandro Lupino finished 10th and 14th overall, while SDM Corse MX Team’s Nicholas Lapucci experienced some bike problems and could not get into the points.

In the end, excellent throughout the weekend Jorge Prado clinched his first GP win of the season with a 1-3 and keeps the Red Plate for the next stop in Portugal while Maxime Renaux continues his current form to go 2-2, with a back-to-back podium and got to the second step of the podium. Jeffrey Herlings closed the podium with an excellent comeback and a 9-1.

Jorge Prado – P1

“I am super happy with the victory! I was struggling with the track a little bit, so to get a win was very important. I had two solid starts on my MC 450F. I could make a gap in the first moto, so I just managed the race. I tried to do the same in the second moto, without making mistakes, and finished third. I am really happy with this result.”

Maxime Renaux – P2

“I have to be happy with this weekend. I was inside the top-three in every session, so it was a great weekend. I’m obviously a little bit disappointed because I missed the win by 1-point, but this is part of the game. We cannot win every weekend. I’m just happy we’ve finally got the ball rolling and I am feeling very comfortable, so from here we will keep working and try to keep the same momentum going forward.”

Jeffrey Herlings – P3

“In the first moto I had a good start but I think Romain’s front wheel washed and I just went into him. Second moto I started around 8th-10th but then I pushed ‘Beast’ mode. Being defensive has not always been working. So, I thought ‘let’s go back to the old Jeffrey’ and push for it: I showed what I am capable of. We lost a few points this weekend but I hope I can make them up again in Portugal in a couple of weeks.”

Ruben Fernandez – P4

“Although I came fourth overall, I am a bit disappointed with how things turned out. I was in second place for the whole of race one, but then I made a small mistake and finished third. I know it was still a good ride but to lose that right at the end was tough to take. Then in race two another small mistake cost me while I was riding in fifth place and I dropped another couple of spots. However, I am very happy with my first lap of both races, with decent starts and moving through the field in those hectic first few corners. Fourth is a good result and I should be pleased with that, but I know I need to fix those small errors for the upcoming rounds of Portugal and Spain, which I am really looking forward to.”

Mattia Guadagnini – P5

“The riding was so, so good today. I really believed that I had a chance to be on the Grand Prix podium. Fifth overall was really good, sure, but I am just a bit disappointed. I did not have the best start in moto one but did really well on lap one. The start was really bad in the second moto. I pushed so hard and made many, many good passes. I had a small crash around halfway through and finished tenth. This is a step forward, but I wanted a podium. I think it will come soon.”

Glenn Coldenhoff – P6

“In the first race I had to come from so far back after the crash at turn one. The results are nowhere near what I want. Two solid results, some good points and some damage control today, but we want more, we want to do better.”

Romain Febvre – P7

“It was a very tough Sunday with a crash at the start of the first moto. I can’t blame myself as another rider crashed on me and I couldn’t do anything about it; I was under several bikes and started the race dead-last. With forty riders on the track it’s a big challenge to pass them, especially as there were less lines than on Saturday after they flattened the track. It wasn’t easy to pass, but that’s racing; I didn’t get a single clear, fast lap in the traffic. My second start was good but I couldn’t find my rhythm at first and made a few mistakes; when I found my lines I had the same speed as the riders in front of me but, as I wasn’t faster, I couldn’t join them.”

Jeremy Seewer – P11

“I had a good day yesterday. It was solid. I had good speed this weekend, I feel good, but we are missing the starts at the moment, and this makes it difficult. I feel like I have the speed, maybe I am not 100%, but I know I am good enough to finish inside the top three. We had more bad luck this weekend. I went into the first turn in fifth, and the other riders crashed in front of me. My second race was solid, but it was far from easy, because after the crashes I have had this year, my body feels empty, I don’t have the energy to fight for wins. To be where I am in the championship after four rounds is so far from where I want to be, but I will try to get back to 100% and regroup for Portugal.”

2023 MXGP of Trentino Round Overall

MXGP Standings after Trentino

MX2 Race 1

In MX2, Jago Geerts took the first FOX Holeshot of the day and kept leading the race until the end. The Belgian displayed a solid performance, never under pressure despite having Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Liam Everts behind him for most of the race.

However Everts, who looked like he was set to finish 2nd, was overtaken by his teammate, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Andrea Adamo on the last lap. Adamo finished 2nd and Everts 3rd.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team’s Thibault Benistant looked sharp and was 3rd after lap 1 as he attacked a few time Everts for 2nd.

Benistant was attacked by Adamo on lap 10 and would settle for 4th in the end. Behind him, Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kay de Wolf who was 7th on lap 1 did everything he could to get to the top points.

De Wolf also used the famous triple jump of Pietramurata to overtake, like he did to pass WZ Racing team’s Mikkel Haarup on lap 3 for 6th (Harrup finished 10th in the end).

He kept going and squeezed past on the inside of Team Ship To Cycle Honda SR Motoblouz’s Emil Weckman on lap 7 for 5th where he would finish in the end. Weckman managed a very good race as he finished 8th for his first top 10 of the season.

Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Roan Van de Moosdijk maintained his consistency, as he rode into the top 10 the whole race going from 8th on lap 1 to 7th after passing Haarup on lap 5.

Van de Moosdijk also passed Weckman for 6th on lap 10 to remain in that position until the end. His teammate Lucas Coenen made some good passes throughout the race. He was 11 on lap 1 but showed his quality as he overtook few riders to get to 7th in the end.

Finally, Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Simon Laengenfelder made an amazing comeback after getting down early in the race and found himself 18th on lap 1. The German exhibited great determination to finally get into the top 10 on lap 10 and even got to 9th by overtaking Haarup on lap 14, where he stayed

MX2 Race 1

In Race 2, Laengenfelder started very quick as he took the FOX Holeshot and rapidly edge away from Benistant 2nd. Laengenfelder showed imperious control as he won race 2.

Adamo who got the better of Everts in lap 4 to get 3rd, went for Benistant 2nd in lap 6 as the Frenchman could not match Adamo’s pace, eventually Adamo finished comfortably 2nd for a very good 2-2 to win the GP.

Everts also dug deep to first overtake Benistant for 3rd in lap 9 and then to maintain his 3rd position in front of de Wolf. Everts held his ground to finish 3rd, synonymous of the first podium of his career. De Wolf settled for 4th in the end. Benistant had to see de Wolf passed him too on lap 10 and finished 5th.

Van de Moosdijk, who found himself 7th on lap 1, went on to another solid riding to overtake Weckman in lap 4 to stay 6th until the end. Weckman had to stop the race on lap 11.

Finishing 6th and getting on the podium, Geerts made outstanding effort as he got caught on the first lap twice to find himself 21st. However the red Plate holder is a ferocious competitor and was not to give up easily. A heroic come back saw him methodically overtaking riders lap after lap to finally got to 7th place on lap 11 to stay there until the end.

Horgmo rode a pretty consistent race as he kept his 8th place from start to finish for a good 8th place. Jan Pancar from TEM JP253 KTM Racing Team also managed to get into the top 10 as after a decent start he was 10th on lap 1 and oscillate through the race to end up 10th in the end.

Coenen had to fight for his place as he got an average start as he went 14th after lap 1. He had to push as we saw him do this season already to get to 9th in the end.

In the end, Andrea Adamo clinched his first GP win on his home soil while Liam Everts also got onto his first podium of his career. Jago Geerts managed with his outstanding riding in race 2, to get to the 3rd step of the podium and keep his Red Plate.

Andrea Adamo – P1

“I’m so happy. I did not expect this and what a place to get my first victory. My starts were good, but not perfect, and I passed who I needed to win, I tried to control the race and take P2 for the overall! An ideal weekend. I am still not thinking about the championship but going race-by-race and to bring as many points as possible. I don’t want to think too far ahead.”

Liam Everts – P2

“Very cool. The second moto was much better than the first and I had a lot of fun out there. My first podium: I did not expect it to come at this GP. I had two great starts but I had a wake-up call from Andrea in the first moto! My transition to the team and the bike is going well. I’m happy.”

Jago Geerts – P3

“The first heat was really good. I took the holeshot and got the win, so that was really nice. In the second heat, I didn’t have the best start, but made some good passes in the first few corners before someone hit me and I fell. I got up quite quick, but then somebody hit me again, so then I had to start from dead last. I still got back to seventh. Overall, it was a good weekend, and I am happy with my speed. I’m looking forward to Portugal where we will hopefully have two good results.”

Simon Langenfelder – P4

“I am happy with my weekend at Pietramurata. I was very, very happy with my bike. It was unbelievable, just how well everything was working together. I think that was clear in the second moto. It was nice to get my first moto win of the season, so we’ll keep on building from here. I am really happy.”

Kay de Wolf – P5

“I gave it everything that I had today, but it was difficult to make progress. My starts were not the best. I want to work on that and keep getting better, so we will focus on the upcoming races.”

Thibault Benistant – P6

“It was not an easy weekend. Normally I like this track and I ride good on it, but this weekend was a bit strange. I started with good speed and a good feeling yesterday, but today didn’t feel the same. I struggled all day to find ‘the feeling’, so I was not able to go fast. I tried to change lines, push hard and stay relaxed, but nothing worked. With a bad feeling on the track, 4-5 is not too bad. We still took some good points, and we will work to be better in Portugal.”

Roan van de Moosdijk – P7

“It was a decent weekend. I was sixth in every race this weekend, so it seems that I was the sixth fastest this weekend! I struggled a bit in the first moto and made improvements for the second moto, which worked. The result does not really show that though! We will get back to work for Portugal.”

Lucas Coenen – P8

“I was at the back at the start of moto one, but came back to P7. I did all that I could on this track. I made a mistake in the second turn of moto two and had to come from last, so there was more work to do. I came back to P9. We made some good improvements this weekend, so we will get back to work and come out swinging in Portugal.”

Kevin Horgmo – P9

“It’s been a difficult weekend for me. The team is working really hard to help me and I am so sorry that I couldn’t reward them; eleventh and eighth are not what we’re aiming for. I just need to build my confidence back and feel comfortable again. We go home now and look for good training before Portugal.”

Rick Elzinga – P11

“I felt much better on the bike than I did in Switzerland. I am getting closer to where I want to be. I started this weekend with a good feeling but did not ride well in the first race. In the second race, I was quite unlucky because another rider fell, and their bike got stuck with my bike. I rode quite decent to come back to 11th , so I am happy with that. There are still things I need to improve, and we will keep working.”

2023 MXGP of Trentino MX2 Round Overall

MX2 Standings after Trentino