Gajser tops MXGP of Turkiye | Everts wins MX2

MXGP 2023
Round 17 – MXGP of Turkiye

Round 17 of the 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship took place over the weekend with the MXGP of Turkiye. Rain compicated things on Saturday while come Sunday Team HRC’s Tim Gajser marked his big return to the top step after one year since his last podium.

Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre claimed his seventh podium in a row in second, closing in on Championship leader Jorge Prado. Rounding the podium was Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Maxime Renaux for the first time since coming back from injury.

In MX2, Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Liam Everts won back-to-back Grand Prix to keep his title chances alive, F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo claiming a well-deserved podium in second, thanks to his first race win of the season. Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team’s Jago Geerts rounded the podium for the first time since his return from injury.

A storm had earlier hit the MXGP of Turkiye track in Afyon, just moments before the MXGP riders headed to the gate for their qualification race, and after waiting to see if conditions improved, the decision was made to cancel the race and take the results from the timed practice into the two GP-scoring motos on Sunday.

Aussie Mitch Evans raced to a solid twelfth place in race one, significantly denying his team-mate’s championship rival a point through the closing laps of the moto, and was looking for a top placing in moto two as he raced in the wheel tracks of his Kawasaki colleague through turn two.

However the Australian was soon losing positions and it became clear only at the completion of the thirty-five minute moto that he had ridden in great pain in his wrist to salvage points for a brave seventeenth. He remains twelfth in the series standings.

2023 MXGP of Turkiye Highlights

MXGP Race One

Valentin Guillod stole the FOX Holeshot from Jorge Prado in race one, but the Red Plate holder took the lead straight back after that only to uncharacteristically fall in the second corner, an error he wouldn’t recover from, finishing 13th.

Tim Gajser took the command of the race in front of Guillod and Romain Febvre, only for Febvre to overtake Guillod on lap two. Febvre set the fastest lap on lap 4 and got closer to the Slovenian. Febvre tried to pass Gajser on lap six but Gajser shut the door.

After regrouping, the Frenchman got the best drive and successfully passed Gajser on lap seven to take the lead. Gajser stayed in touch with the new leader for a couple of laps but Febvre then pulled away to sign a solid race win.

Gajser went on to an excellent second place, however Guillod crumbled and dropped down to ninth.

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Maxime Renaux was eighth on the opening lap and powered forward overtaking teammate Glenn Coldenhoff, Alberto Forato and ultimately Calvin Vlaanderen to finish third.

Vlaanderen rode solidly after a good start, finding himself in fifth over the first half of the race, passing Guillod for fourth on lap eight and found himself behind Mattia Guadagnini. Guadagnini eventually finishing seventh, struggling with arm pump and fitness.

Vlaanderen conceded third to a charging Renaux and settled for fourth. Forato showed consistency, riding around sixth place the whole race and even managed to pass countryman Guadagnini for fifth on lap 14 where he finished.

For Glenn Coldenhoff and Jeremy Seewer, the race did not go as planned. Coldenhoff stayed consistent and passed Guadagnini on the very last lap to finish sixth. Seewer made an impressive comeback from 15th on the opening lap after a bad start. Seewer charged forward incessantly to salvage an eighth.

Benoit Paturel made a good start and eventually dropped a few places to finish 10th, in front of Rubén Fernández who could not find his usual speed and settled for 11th.

MXGP Race One Results

MXGP Race Two

In Race 2, Prado took the FOX Holeshot only to stall in a second corner and drop to 16th, a position he’d only be able to recover to ninth from.

Gajser took that opportunity to take the lead and pulled away quickly in front of the two French riders, Renaux and Febvre. Gajser rode fantastically mimicking his last appearance in Turkiye where he won the GP.

With the gap increasing to nine-seconds Gajser seemed unreachable for Renaux but all of that changed when the Team HRC rider lost control with few laps to go and fell off his bike. By the time Gajser got back on the bike, the nine-seconds cushion melted and Renaux was on his tail.

Gajser regrouped quickly and kept his well-known composure to keep the lead until the checkered flag. Renaux a remained second for the whole race to clinch his first podium since Trentino.

Fernandez came back to his best with a solid race and consistent pace that saw him finish fourth, behind Romain Febvre, who rounded out the podium.

Vlaanderen overtook Pauls Jonass for fifth and Jonass – who had to retire in race 1 – showed that he has the speed to be in the top 10 as he settled for sixth.

Behind him, Forato also rode confidently in seventh place, while Coldenhoff who didn’t show the kind of speed we’re used to seeing from him, gained a couple of positions during the race to finish in front of Prado in eighth.

Jeremy Seewer rounded out the top 10 meanwhile.

As a result, Tim Gajser took the round win, Romain Febvre having to settle for second with a two-point deficit, while Maxime Renaux was consistent in third, well clear of fourth and fifth placed Vlaanderen and Forato.

Prado retains the MXGP standings lead, Febvre closing in, the duo on 841 and 774-points respectively, Seewer third on 676.

Tim Gajser – P1

“I felt confident coming into this weekend and once I rode the track, I knew it was going to be a good weekend. Even though the storm meant we didn’t race yesterday, I had the first gate-pick and that really helped me get two good starts on my Honda CRF450R, giving me the opportunity to lead the races early on. The first race I had arm-pump so I had to settle for second, but race two I was just feeling so good on the bike. I had a really good lead, and even though I made a mistake, I was able to stay in front and then pull out a gap all over again. A big thank you to all the team, my girlfriend Spela and all the fans who have supported me this year when things haven’t gone my way. I’m really happy to show everyone that I am back and now I’m really excited for the final two rounds.”

Romain Febvre – P2

“I never had a really good feeling for this track in all the years we have been coming here; I think this is only the second time I have been on the podium. I didn’t feel comfortable yesterday but I have always ridden better in racing than Timed Practice and I managed to turn it around today. There was a lot of drama at the first two turns both motos but I could come out of there third each time. In the first moto I saw that I was faster and had good lines to take the win, but in the second race I was third all moto; I could keep the distance to Maxime but I couldn’t find anywhere to make the difference so in the end I had to settle for third. I have gained many points in the championship this weekend and it’s never over until the end but my only solution is to win what I can and hope Jorge makes mistakes. Anyway, I’m looking forward to the last two rounds. I love Maggiora – I have good memories from there – and I think everyone enjoys England; it is such a great track, so let’s keep it going.”

Maxime Renaux – P3

“I’m happy to be back. I had quite a bad injury on my foot, and even now, I still have some trouble with it. But I’m progressing well and building back to 100%, and today I think we made a good step. It’s only my third round back from injury, and I’m on the podium. I am really happy with that. There are still some things to work on. I still don’t feel 100%, but we are focusing on building toward 2024 to be ready for the title fight.”

Ruben Fernandez – P4

“The second moto was much better for me, and much more the level that I expect from myself. After not getting the opportunity to improve upon my 14th position in timed practice, I didn’t have the best gate-pick but I still had a good start in race one. However, another rider collided into me before the second bend and I was picking my bike up practically last. I got back to 11th but it was a pretty frustrating race. Thankfully race two went a lot better and I was able start well and keep the top three in sight for the entire race. A big congrats to Tim for his victory and I really hope we can see each other on the podium in these last two rounds.”

Andrea Adamo – P6

“Not the best weekend. P11 in the Quali race meant it was quite hard for the start today and if you don’t make the starts then it is not easy to catch the guys at the front. I crashed in the first moto and that was my fault. I need to keep calm and not make these mistake because they cost me a lot of points. I came back very fast in the second moto and was riding good. We have two weeks now to rest, regroup and try again in Maggiora.”

Glenn Coldenhoff – P7

“It was a difficult weekend for me after two weeks on the couch recovering from sickness. The weekend got off to a tough start for me, with the rain cancelling the qualifying race. I didn’t get a good time in Timed Practice, so I already had to start from a tough gate pick. Both my starts today weren’t too good, which made my life difficult. I managed to pass some guys in the end and still scored “okay” points, but I couldn’t really expect more from this weekend while struggling a bit with my health.”

Jeremy Seewer – P8

“I felt so good here yesterday, and although today was a little different after all the rain, I actually liked it because it was a little bit more technical. Although, this made it very one-lined and we were all running the same speed. I feel like I rode well today, but in Race One, I got a good start but got cleaned out by another rider at turn three, and then in Race Two, I got caught out by the track preparation massively. It’s difficult to catch up here, but I had a good ride. I really think that if I rode the same as I did today, without the issues, I would have fought for the win. At the end of the day, after the crash in Race Two, I have to be happy that I come away from here in one piece because it was a really big get-off, and I got run over by a lot of riders too, but still, I managed to get points and finished both races. Now, I will regroup and be ready to get some good results at the next two GP’s.”

Mattia Guadagnini – P9

“I did not know what to expect this weekend. I was off for a long time! I felt good on my MC 450F. I found my way into third in the first moto, which was a bit surprising. I struggled with arm pump after that and did not want to make any mistakes. I was seventh in moto one – I was happy with that. We can take some positives from this weekend. I will be more ready when we head to Maggiora in two weeks.”

Jorge Prado – P10

“It was not a perfect weekend! I think that I could have been on the podium, had I got good starts. I had to charge hard today. It is very hard to pass on this track – I struggled with that today. I am hungry to get back to winning motos.”

MXGP Race Two Results

2023 MXGP of Netherlands, Round Overall

MXGP Standings – Top 20

MX2 Race One

In MX2 Race 1, the FOX Holeshot was clinched by Simon Laengenfelder but the lead was quickly taken over by Isak Gifting in the second turn. Gifting led Jago Geerts and Laengenfelder, with Geerts struggling to put pressure on Gifting, Laengenfelder closing in on the Belgian to overtake him on lap eight.

The German kept charging and made an excellent move on Gifting , that almost caused both riders to go down, with Gifting keeping the lead. It was only a matter of time for Laengenfelder as he charged again on lap 10 and this time took the lead off Gifting, going on to victory.

Geerts managed to muscle his way past Gifting on lap 11 to finish second, while Gifting could not hold off the charges from Liam Everts and Roan Van de Moosdijk, finishing fifth. Everts had a solid race and stayed consistent with a strong pace as he pressed Geerts towards the end for second place, but settled for third in front of Van De Moosdijk who shadowed him the whole race.

Kevin Horgmo showed determination and speed, as he didn’t have a great start going from 11th, to finish sixth.

Rick Elzinga and David Braceras rode solidly to finish seventh and eighth respectively, Oriol Oliver showed good speed after an average start to ride from 13th on the opening lap to finish ninth.

Things didn’t go as planned for Andrea Adamo who got a decent start from sixth on the opening lap and was battling Van De Moosdijk for fifth over the first couple of laps.

However, the race took a turn for the Red Plate as after getting passed by Lucas Coenen on lap three, Adamo crashed and moved down to 14th. The Italian managed to get back up to 10th in the end while L.Coenen also crashed on lap 4 and had to retire from the race.

MX2 Race One Results

MX2 Race Two

In Race 2, Van De Moosdijk came out of the gate fastest to clinch the FOX Holeshot and the lead. Van De Moosdijk looked solid and comfortable but on lap 3, Everts launched a successful attack to take the lead while Horgmo also took the opportunity to cleverly move past Van De Moosdijk.

Van De Moosdijk would stay solidly in third until the finish, Everts left to try and keep the fast Horgmo at bay who set two fastest laps in a row. Everts answered with fastest laps of his own and defended brilliantly until lap 13 when he made a mistake and fell.

This was all that Horgmo needed, taking the lead, bringing home first race win of the season as well as his first podium. For Everts, the little mistake costed him a race win but he finished second.

The other great performance was from Geerts raced the whole race in fourth and showed great speed to keep Laengenfelder at bay and then Adamo for the second part of the race.

Adamo showed better rhythm in race 2 as he passed Laengenfelder for fifth on lap nine but could not find a way past Geerts despite showing one of the fastest paces of the race.

Adamo settled for fifth, Laengenfelder having to settle for sixth. Rounding the top 10 in race 2 were Oliver, Elzinga, Emil Weckman and Jan Pancar respectively.

The round overall went to Liam Everts, and although Horgmo and Geerts took second and third respectively, they were tied on points with Laegenfelder, all three on 40-points, Van de Moosdijk just two points off in fourth.

Adamo retains the lead even after a mediocre sixth place finish, now of less than 50-points to Liam Everts, with a generous buffer back to Geerts and Laegenfelder.

Liam Everts – P1

“Super-happy. I made a little mistake in the second moto but otherwise I felt comfortable all weekend and that’s not normal because these high-speed tracks are not my thing, but I was fast and in control. As I’ve said before, the championship was not really my goal coming into the season; just to get on the podium was good and then a GP win was unbelievable but I’m a believer, and I will never stop until the last lap and last corner!”

Kevin Horgmo – P2

“We have been working hard for this moment all season. It should have come much earlier; little things always seemed to go against us, but we have kept working and turned it around. My only regret is that my mom and dad were not here this weekend, like they usually are, to enjoy this moment. It’s a pity for that one small mistake in the first moto but I had the best times all through the last few laps of that race and I still believed in the podium. That career-first GP moto victory was special; I rode smooth and consistent, stayed second and kept pushing so I was able capitalise on Liam’s mistake.”

Jago Geerts – P3

“I’m happy to be back on the podium. Despite the circumstances with my shoulder and also my physical condition, I can be proud of what I did today. It was not easy, but it feels good to be back on the box, and I look forward to making more progress in my recovery to be fitter in Maggiora.”

Simon Laengenfelder – P4

“There were positives and negatives from my weekend. I had good speed in the first moto, and I managed to win that. I did not feel the best heading into the second moto and my start was not great. I could not find the good lines in that one – I struggled for rhythm on the fast track. I am looking forward to the next race.”

Roan van de Moosdijk – P5

“There were good and bad points about my weekend. I am happy with my speed and the fact that I led laps, but it was a shame to miss the podium. We have made good progress in my second race back from injury – we will keep working to improve.”

Rick Elzinga – P7

“I bounced back from a difficult day yesterday, but starting from an outside gate today was quite hard. In the first race, I tried to cut to the inside at turn one, but a few riders were already on the line, so I was forced to start from the back. The track here is a bit one-lined, but I made a couple of good passes and fought my way from 11th to seventh. In the end, I was a bit tight and my shoulder was tired. I rode much better in Race Two, although the result was not as good. But, my technique was quite good; I just struggled to pass. It was still decent to end like this, and I look forward to seeing what I can do in a couple of weeks when my shoulder is stronger.”

David Braceras – P9

“We keep improving every weekend, but of course I am just a little disappointed about my mistake in the second moto. My start was not so good in the first race but I passed a lot of riders already on the first lap to finish eighth; my distance to the winner was the closest of all season so I knew I could improve even more in race two and I was comfortable in seventh until that one stupid mistake cost me a lot of places. But we will keep working for Maggiora and England … and my congratulations to Kevin and the team; they really deserve it !”

MX2 Race Two Results

2023 MXGP of Turkiye, MX2 Round Overall

MX2 Standings –  Top 20