Seewer & Langenfelder top MXGP of Sweden

MXGP 2023

Round 15 – MXGP of Sweden, Uddevalla

Round 15 of the 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship took place in Uddevalla, Sweden over the weekend, where changing weather conditions added to the challenges faced by competitors.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Jeremy Seewer finally got back on top of the MXGP podium for the second time this season. Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre who dropped his winning streak but still claimed second place while rounding out the podium was the Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado who won one race to keep a cushion at the lead in the Championship Standings.

In MX2, Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Simon Laengenfelder won his second Grand Prix, extending his podium streak to five in a row. A solid second was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Liam Everts who took a back-to-back podium in front of team-mate Andrea Adamo who had to fight hard for the third step.

Mitch Evans launched his KX450-SR out of the outside gate in the first moto to hold down sixth place for half the race; small errors started to creep into his riding as the race continued and he eventually slipped back to ninth suffering with arm pump.

The Australian was forced to make two early pit-stops for fresh goggles in the rain-affected second moto but bounced back to finish 17th. He has now moved up to 12th in the series standings.

Mitch Evans

“The bike is strong off the line so I knew I could still get a start from the outside and redeem myself for yesterday. I felt really good in the first moto in sixth but then mid-race I got really bad arm-pump. I don’t know why – I haven’t had that for a long time – but the bike was riding me. The second moto was just unfortunate because I was feeling good despite the weather but I had to stop for fresh googles twice in the conditions.”

2023 MXGP of Sweden Highlights

MXGP Race One

Romain Febvre took the FOX Holeshot and the lead in front of Jorge Prado, as Race 1 got underway. Perhaps due to the pressure applied from Prado or a loss of focus, Febvre made a mistake on lap 7 of 17 and crashed, leaving Prado to take the lead. Prado didn’t need another opportunity and went on to win, Febvre recovering to second.

Jeremy Seewer made a great start into third, showing speed and control throughout the race and staying clear of a charging Standing Construct Honda MXGP’s Pauls Jonass, who finished fourth.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Glenn Coldenhoff showed determination after an average start, going from ninth and capitalising on mistakes by Team HRC’s Tim Gajser and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Maxime Renaux to move into seventh.

Coldenhoff then passed Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP’s Mitch Evans and eventually overtook Team HRC’s Rubén Fernández to claim fifth.

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Fernandez a solid sixth, Gajser landing in 10th place. On his side Renaux had to settle for 13th after another mistake as he tried to make a move on Jere Haavisto on lap 11. Haavisto finished 11th.

SM Action Racing Team Yuasa Battery MXGP’s Alberto Forato pushed relentlessly to claim seventh, overtaking Evans who settled for ninth, after being overtaken by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings on the very last lap.

MXGP Race One Results

MXGP Race Two

Rain fell on Uddevalla between the two races, making the start vital and it was Seewer who clinched his 11th FOX Holeshot of the season, in front of Febvre.

The Swiss rider made a slight mistake mid-race but managed to stay on the bike and in the lead, retaining a three-second lead to Febvre.

Febvre couldn’t close that gap and had to settle for another second placing, in a strong result.

Renaux made a great start and managed to hold his nerve and finish third, holding off Herlings for the final podium position.

It was a similar story for Gajser, Prado, Forato and Fernandez who kept their position from start to finish in the trying conditions, despite following each other closely.

Gajser finished fifth, Prado sixth, Forato seventh and Fernandez eighth.

Coldenhoff was one of the few who gained a position, making a great move stick to squeeze past Jonass for ninth, leaving Jonass to round out the top 10.

Mitch Evans had a rough second race, finishing 17th after having to stop twice for fresh goggles.

Seewer took the round overall on 45-points, just ahead of Febvre on 44-points. Prado was third on 40-points, and from there it was a big drop to Herlings in fourth on 31-points, Jonass on 29 in fifth. Mitch Evans settled for 12th.

Prado holds a generous standings lead of almost 100-points, Febvre second and Seewer an even more distant third a further 69-points in arrears. Evans sits 12th, mirroring his round result.

Jeremy Seewer – P1

“Winning a GP always feels good, and on a day like today, that was very tricky with the weather. The rain made the track very hard to pass on. Usually, our sport is very physical, but today was more about mental strength. Here, it’s just about being in front after the first corner. I had a solid race in the first moto for third, and then just got the holeshot in Race Two and rode some solid laps to get the win. After finishing fourth at the past couple of rounds when I had the speed to fight for the win, it feels good to get it done.”

Romain Febvre – P2

“Today I got two good starts… and a holeshot in the first race. I knew the starts were vital today in these muddy conditions and everything was going well in the first moto until I made a mistake and crashed in a corner. It only cost me a few seconds but Prado was able to go past me and I had to settle for second. In the second race I was second again after a couple of corners; in the first few laps I was behind Seewer and tried to find a spot to pass him but there was no possibilities! I was faster and I tried to open up some lines to pass him but in the end I nearly crashed. Today it was easy to make mistakes and the starting line was really muddy. I’m satisfied with my races; I finished twice second and I was consistent once again.”

Jorge Prado – P3

“I am so happy with my riding! I had a good rhythm, already starting from yesterday. I felt great on the track with my MC 450F. It was tough to pass in the second moto and, unfortunately, I started in sixth. I was faster than the riders in front, but I could not pass.”

Jeffrey Herlings – P4

“So-so. The track was not the best today and I think many will share this opinion. I didn’t get the start in the first moto and came from 15th to 8th but it was almost impossible to pass: I think you could see a lot of the top guys were stuck. Second moto I was 4th at the start and had the pace for the leaders but I couldn’t pass [Maxime] Renaux. He was riding really good, didn’t make any mistakes and was always on the line! 4th overall is not good, not bad. I hope the tracks will get a bit better for us and we can put on a better show. I’m looking forward to my home GP now: it’s gonna be hard, gonna be rough but it should be good! Two decent starts and I hope we’ll be fighting for a podium spot.”

Maxime Renaux – P6

“I’m far from 100% right now, both with my foot and physically. I only rode a few times before coming here, so I couldn’t expect much from this weekend. The hard part was to stay calm because when your life is fully focused on chasing a world title, it’s not easy to accept p.10 on the pit board. I did what I could this weekend. I got good starts in both races and in the first moto, I made too many mistakes and too many crashes. In the second race, I started in third and just rode my own race to finish third. I would say that it was a great comeback; I couldn’t expect much more after being out for so long. So, we can build from here.”

Ruben Fernandez – P8

“Honestly, I’m glad to get this GP done, and still score some good points. I didn’t have too many expectations coming into the weekend, but to have two races inside the top 10 was good for me and gives me some confidence for next weekend that I can do better, when I’ll be feeling closer to 100%. Both races were very similar, just riding solid, consistent laps without too many passes happening on this track meant I could concentrate on my own riding and do my thing. Arnhem will be tough but I have a bit more time to get ready and hope to have a strong GP.”

Glenn Coldenhoff – P9

“We struggled with some issues yesterday, and I didn’t have a good feeling on the track. I started to feel better today. In the first race, I had a terrible start and had to come from the very back of the pack. I managed to make some good passes and actually felt really good on the bike in Race One. In the second race, I had a much better start, but I had some issues with my goggles, and I really struggled with this on the opening lap. From there, I lost a lot of positions and couldn’t find my rhythm. The track was also very heavy and really difficult to pass on, and the result couldn’t be further from where I want to be. But, focusing on the positives, Race One, I had good speed and felt good, and I will take these positives into next weekend.”

Tim Gajser – P10

“The start was so important here, with the only passes happening due to mistakes and unfortunately I was the person that made the mistake in race one. I didn’t get the best start in either race and tried to recover the situation as best I could but the mistake on the third lap really cost me. I fought back to 10th and that was as good as it could get. Race two was similar but I was able to make a lot of passes on lap one to get up to fifth, however once there, that was it for the rest of the race. There was nowhere to pass so I finished fifth. Not a great day, especially after my second place yesterday, but that was all that we could do.”

MXGP Race Two Results

2023 MXGP of Sweden, Round Overall

MXGP Standings

MX2 Race One

The opening MX2 FOX Holeshot went to Simon Laengenfelder, just ahead of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team’s Rick Elzinga. The muddy and tough conditions were ideal for German Laengenfelder, leading from start to finish.

Liam Everts placed himself second after few corners, passing Elzinga. Everts’ pace gave him the edge over Elzinga, but he never got close to Laengenfelder, the Belgian comfortably finishing runner-up. Elzinga raced to a third place finish, well clear of the chasing pack.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Sacha Coenen kicked off in fourth, in front of F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo. In a remake of the RAM Qualifying Race, Horgmo closed in and showed strong speed, pressuring S.Coenen with both riders making mistakes.

Horgmo was denied a first attempt to pass by S.Coenen but the young Belgian fell on the exit of a turn leaving the door open for Horgmo to pass, moving up to fourth, where he finished.

S.Coenen held onto fifth, although he was put under pressure in the last laps by Team Ship To Cycle Honda SR Motoblouz’s Emil Weckman and home rider VHR Racing Team’s Isak Gifting.

Finnish rider Weckman held on to finish sixth in front of Gifting in seventh. F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s David Braceras maintained eighth for the entire race.

JM Honda Racing’s Camden Mc Lellan followed the Spaniard in ninth, having passed Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Andrea Adamo earlier in the race.

Adamo didn’t have the best start, then goggle issues saw Adamo lose a position to Mc Lellan to move down to 10th.

MX2 Race One Results

MX2 Race Two

In race 2, Horgmo got off to a great start, claiming the FOX Holeshot and the lead – in front of Adamo and Laengenfelder. The Norwegian looked composed but Adamo showed determination and hunger as he closed down that gap to Horgmo.

By lap 5 Adamo caught up with Horgmo and made an excellent pass stick, to take the lead. Horgmo was distracted for a second and also overtaken by Laengenfelder a corner later.

Adamo kept that pace up till the finish, to claim the race win. Laengenfelder kept charging but had to settle for second.

For Horgmo, things went from bad to worse, his bike failing him and completely stopping, crushing his dream of a possible podium. A chasing Everts moved into third as a result where he finished.

McLellan overtook Braceras with a great move up the inside on lap 11 of 17 and gained another position with Horgmo out of the race, then held Elzinga at bay behind him.

Elzinga made a great comeback gaining four positions, going from ninth to fifth.

Braceras had another solid race despite being overtaken twice, to finish 6th. A consistent Gifting showed up again in race two to go seventh.

S.Coenen struggled out of the gate to find himself seventh and would eventually drop to eighth.

Brother Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Lucas Coenen unfortunately did not take part in the racings after his crash in timed practice on Saturday, as he suffered from a concussion that prevented him from getting the green light for racing on Sunday.

Simon Laengenfelder took the overall with his 1-2 result, Liam Everts second and Andrea Adamo third.

Adamo still holds a generous buffer in the standings, clear of Everts and Geerts.

Simon Längenfelder – P1

“I felt so good this weekend! I really enjoyed the conditions here in Sweden – it was technical. I am happy with how things have gone since I got back from my injury. The team and I are working very well. We keep improving, so let’s continue like this next weekend.”

Liam Everts – P2

“Fun racing. Another podium and I’m super-happy. I had a great feeling all weekend. It was very hard to pass, even in the dry but still fun and I’d been waiting for a mud race! P2 is pretty good in the championship. I wasn’t really expecting to be in this situation but it’s nice of course! There are still four GPs to go and anything can happen. I won’t let my teammate off the hook! I just want to look weekend-to-weekend and finish strong.”

Andrea Adamo – P3

“Not a satisfying GP but it was a good second moto. I really pushed. I went all-in. 10th in the first race was all I could do. I had my front wheel taken out and I was completely last. I almost crashed hard but managed to save it. I couldn’t really get through the pack. I was trying to take P9 but made one mistake and that put me P10 and finished my moto. Ahead of the second moto knew I would not win the overall today so I thought I would really go for it. A good way to end the weekend.”

Rick Elzinga – P4

“I had a good weekend. In the first race, I just missed out on getting the holeshot. I was third around turn one and stayed there for the whole moto. I think I could have ridden a little bit better if I was more relaxed rather than thinking about saving P.3, but it’s still a personal best, so I am happy with that. In the second race, I don’t know what I did. I think it was the worst start of my life. I pushed hard to come back, even though I had problems with my goggles, pretty much straight away. The track was really one-lined, so it was very difficult to make passes. I finished on the same points as third, so I was really close to the podium, but there are still plenty of chances left to get there, and I am really happy with the progress I am making.”

Sacha Coenen – P6

“We were hoping to fight for the podium but couldn’t quite do it today. My speed was quite good but a few little crashes. I had contact with my teammate at the start of the second moto and I had some pain for a while but my rhythm was good. Another little crash! That meant P8. It’s like this. We’ll keep on working.”

David Braceras – P7

“It was a really solid weekend; I was good in every session and I was really motivated for today after a good Qualifying yesterday. I almost crashed at the first corner in the first moto but I came back strongly to eighth; I rode a little tight in the first few laps but then I found a really good flow. I was riding top-five for a long time in race two but I made a couple of mistakes and two riders passed me on the same lap. I tried to pass back before the end but it was difficult. Still I am happy with the progress we are making together every weekend and today I took the best overall finish of my GP career.”

Kevin Horgmo – P12

“I had three solid motos over the weekend; two holeshots out of three and the riding was good. I was surprised how well the track stood up today with all the rain overnight but it made it more difficult to pass. The lines started to clean up towards the end of the first moto and I had good speed so I was confident for race two. I put myself in the best possible position with the holeshot and felt good in front until I made one small mistake; Adamo came past pretty wild and Längenfelder took advantage to pass me before I could settle again but the podium was still in reach and I had it under control until the bike unfortunately stopped. But we showed I can race for the podium.”

MX2 Race Two Results

2023 MXGP of Sweden, MX2 Round Overall

MX2 Standings