Husqvarna’s historic legacy shone brightly at the 2024 MXGP of Sweden, where Lucas Coenen dominated both MX2 motos, securing his fourth 1-1 victory of the season.
In 1959, Husqvarna secured its first-ever motocross world championship with Swedish rider Rolf Tibblin in the 250cc class. Fast forward 65 years, and with an enviable roll call of results to its name, Husqvarna lined up ready for action in the 2024 MXGP of Sweden at the Glimminge Motorstadion in Uddevalla; sporting a unique blue and yellow livery, inspired by the heritage of the brand’s world championship-winning machines of the past.
Better still, the Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Team celebrated a triumphant home Grand Prix victory, with Lucas Coenen dominating both motos in the MX2 category. Kay de Wolf added valuable championship points, maintaining his lead, while Mattia Guadagnini gained crucial experience for the upcoming races.
Hinting at the form to come on Sunday, Coenen battled from sixth up to 3rd place during Saturday’s qualifying race, positioning himself well for the main motos. In the opening race on Sunday, the young Belgian settled into second place before engaging in an intense battle with Simon Längenfelder. By lap six, Coenen seized the opportunity to pass Längenfelder, quickly pulling a four-second lead. At the final flag, Coenen crossed the line with a comfortable seven-second margin to claim his 10th race win of the season.
In the second moto, Coenen continued his dominant form, taking the lead on the third lap and leaving his rivals in a roost of Swedish mud. By lap 14, he had built a 5.4-second gap over his closest rival, Andrea Adamo. Taking the chequered flag with over five seconds in hand, Coenen secured the race victory and the overall win for the weekend. This marks his fourth 1-1 triumph of the season, adding to his victories in France, Teutschenthal, and Lombok. Coenen’s 12th podium of the season also narrows the championship gap from 65 points to 49 behind teammate Kay de Wolf.
De Wolf himself had an impressive performance on Saturday, where he secured the qualifying race win, but endured a challenging Sunday. In the opening moto, a difficult start saw him pushed wide and drop to the back of the pack. Despite this setback, de Wolf fought his way through the field, moving from 16th to a respectable 7th by the finish. Race two proved equally challenging, with de Wolf squeezed to the inside at the start. Despite these difficulties, he managed to work his way up to 4th place after an intense battle with Liam Everts. While it wasn’t an easy day, de Wolf still secured valuable points for the championship, and retains his place as the red plate championship leader.
In MXGP, Mattia Guadagnini showcased his fighting spirit during a challenging weekend in Sweden. Starting 18th in the opening moto, he held his ground through the early laps. Despite some setbacks that briefly dropped him to 19th, Mattia stayed focused and managed to reclaim his starting position, finishing 18th.
In the second moto, he began in 17th and despite an early crash, steadily worked his way forward, reaching 16th by lap six. His persistence continued as he climbed to 15th by lap 11, demonstrating his ability to challenge the riders ahead. Although the later stages of the race saw him slip back to 17th, his determination to fight through the field was clear throughout. With this experience in hand, Mattia is poised to take the lessons learned and return stronger in Arnhem.
With six races remaining in the season, the championship is still very much up for grabs. Next up is the MXGP of the Netherlands at Arnhem on 18th August, followed by rounds in Switzerland, Turkey, China, and the championship finale at the MXGP of Castilla la Mancha in Cozar on 29th September.
#101 – Mattia Guadagnini: “I knew it was going to be a tough weekend, but I gave it everything I had. I was missing some speed, and being on the ground so many times didn’t help. Yesterday in qualifying wasn’t too bad – even though I crashed on the first lap. In the first race on Sunday, I was fighting around 15th, but then I had a crash. In the second moto, I crashed on the first lap with some other riders. We’ve got six races left, and I’m taking everything I learned here into the next round in the Netherlands, hoping to do better.”
#74 – Kay de Wolf: “”It was definitely a difficult Sunday. In the first moto, I made three mistakes, which wasn’t ideal. However, my overall riding was good, so that’s a positive takeaway. In the second moto, I didn’t get the best start and got closed in at the first turn, which forced me to fight my way through the pack. At that point, it was about staying calm and making as many passes as possible. It was really tough to make those passes, but I’m trying to take what I can learn from this weekend. I’m feeling more positive about my home Grand Prix coming up next weekend, and I’m really looking forward to that!”
#96 – Lucas Coenen: “It was the perfect day, coming just when I needed it most. I made the most of my strong starts today, seizing every opportunity. Qualifying had been tough, but today, everything seemed to click into place. My goal was to prove that I can still win, and taking victories in both motos was a great feeling. Now, it’s all about keeping the momentum going. What happened at Lommel, especially at my home race, was hard to accept, but this result at Husqvarna’s home GP feels incredibly rewarding – for both me and the team.”
Results – 2024 FIM Motocross World Championship, Round Fifteen:
MXGP – Overall:
1. Jorge Prado (GASGAS) 50pts; 2. Tim Gajser (Honda) 42pts; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 38pts; 18. Mattia Guadagnini (Husqvarna) 18pts
MXGP – Moto One:
- Jorge Prado (GASGAS) 35:08.557; 2. Tim Gajser (Honda) 35:09.366; 3. Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) 35:15.417; 5. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 35:21.760;18. Mattia Guadagnini (Husqvarna) 36:26.458
MXGP – Moto Two:
- Jorge Prado (GASGAS) 34:35.275; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 34:49.720; 3. Tim Gajser (Honda) 34:54.193;17. Mattia Guadagnini (Husqvarna) 34:40.978
MXGP – Standings:
- Tim Gajser (Honda) 757pts; 2. Jorge Prado (GASGAS) 740pts; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 709pts; 13. Mattia Guadagnini (Husqvarna) 217pts
MX2 – Overall:
- Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 50pts; 2. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 40pts; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GASGAS) 40pts; 5. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 32pts; 6. Liam Everts (KTM) 32pts; 11. Sacha Coenen (KTM) 20pts
MX2 – Moto One:
- Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 34:58.112; 2. Mikkel Haarup (Triumph) 35:05.275;3. Simon Längenfelder (GASGAS) 35:11.003; 4. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 35:12.329; 5. Liam Everts (KTM) 35:45.347; 7. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 35:50.583; 10. Sacha Coenen (KTM)36:25.554
MX2 – Moto Two:
- Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 34:39.588; 2. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 34:44.591; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GASGAS) 34:46.349;4. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 34:46.963; 5. Liam Everts (KTM) 35:01.911; 12. Sacha Coenen (KTM) 36:09.790
MX2 – Standings:
- Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 725pts; 2. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 676pts; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GASGAS) 653pts; 4. Liam Everts (KTM) 594pts; 6. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 498pts;8. Sacha Coenen (KTM) 415pts; 18. Marc-Antoine Rossi (GASGAS) 122pts
Photocredits – Fullspectrum Media
