Jorge Prado delivered a solid performance at the MXGP of the Netherlands, narrowing his championship deficit to just nine points. Simon Längenfelder faced a tough weekend but fought back to finish ninth overall. Now with only four rounds remaining, Prado and Längenfelder are firmly in the title hunt, sitting second and third in MXGP and MX2.
- Jorge Prado closes the gap to the championship leader, securing a solid P2 overall with consistent 2-2 finishes, now just nine points off the top.
- Simon Längenfelder battles through a challenging weekend, fighting back to secure ninth overall with gritty 9-10 finishes in the demanding Dutch sands.
- With only four rounds remaining, Prado and Längenfelder are firmly in the hunt, sitting second and third in the MXGP and MX2 championships, respectively.
With a long and storied history in motocross, as well as some of the world’s most renowned sand tracks, any visit to race MXGP in the Netherlands could be considered something of a pilgrimage. The 1690m Motorsportpark Gelderland Midden, just outside Arnhem is a relatively new addition to the world championship calendar, but welcomed the Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing Team and the rest of the MXGP paddock for what promised to be a spectacular weekend of high-octane and relentless sand racing.
Defending champion Jorge Prado delivered a solid performance at the MXGP of the Netherlands in trademark style, finishing second overall and narrowing the gap to the current series leader, Tim Gajser, from 17 to just nine points, after locking in 2-2 finishes across Sunday’s motos.
Prado’s weekend started out well, as he tore through the deep and treacherous sand to secure third place during qualifying; with a margin of over two seconds ahead of Jeffrey Herlings. Even with the consistent results on Sunday, Prado’s second moto stood out as particularly noteworthy.
A clean start out of the gates placed the Spaniard in the leading pack, but a challenging moment arose when a backmarker crashed directly in front of him, giving Herlings the opportunity to extend his lead. Undeterred, Prado kept the pressure on, pushing hard until the final laps. Although he wasn’t able to close the gap entirely, Prado maintained a solid pace and finished the race feeling positive about his performance. His fitness level and race management leave him optimistic about his championship prospects.
In MX2, Simon Längenfelder’s weekend was marked by a series of challenges. The unforgiving sands of Arnhem presented a fierce test, beginning with a difficult qualifying session on Saturday where two crashes disrupted his efforts to find a consistent riding rhythm.
In the first moto on Sunday Längenfelder managed a good start and tried to assert himself early on, but the intense pace of the race saw him overtaken by several riders. To compound this, he encountered an equipment failure when his goggles broke mid-race, forcing him to ride without them for the remainder of the race. Despite this brutal setback, he fought through to finish in ninth place. The second moto was equally eventful. Starting from seventh, Längenfelder slipped back early on, and just as he began to recover his pace and make up positions, another rider crashed directly in front of him, leaving him with no time to avoid the incident. After remounting, he managed to claw back a few positions, ultimately finishing in tenth.
With the MXGP of Switzerland up next weekend on the 25th August, Längenfelder will be looking to put the challenges of the Netherlands behind him and focus on achieving better results at Frauenfeld and in the remaining rounds.
MXGP – #1 – Jorge Prado: “It was a really positive weekend for me. I demonstrated strong speed throughout, and the second moto was particularly engaging. I started around third or fourth and felt confident that I could push my way to the front. Jeffrey managed to pass me, and I had a tricky moment when a backmarker crashed right in front of me, which allowed Jeffrey to extend his lead. Despite that, I kept up the pressure and pushed hard until about three laps from the end. Although I couldn’t close the gap completely, I maintained a solid pace, which I’m really pleased with. I’m feeling great physically, and everything is looking promising for the championship. I’m now just nine points off the lead, and with some favourable tracks coming up, I’m excited and ready to take on Switzerland: let’s go!”
MX2 – #516 – Simon Längenfelder: “It was a challenging weekend here in Arnhem. Saturday started with a crash during qualifying, and despite getting back up and trying to find my rhythm, I went down again. That really threw me off, and I struggled to settle into a flow after that. In Sunday’s first moto, I had a strong opening lap and was pushing hard, trying to stay aggressive, but I got passed by several riders. To make matters worse, my goggles broke, and I had to finish the race without them, which made things really difficult. Still, I managed to cross the line in ninth. The second race was slightly better at the start, as I found myself in around seventh position, but again, I got overtaken by too many riders early on. Just when I started finding my rhythm and overtaking again, another rider crashed right in front of me, and I couldn’t avoid him. I got back up and made up a few more places, but in the end, I could only manage tenth. I’m really looking forward to bouncing back in Switzerland!”
MXGP of the Netherlands Results:
MXGP – Overall:
- Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 50pts
- Jorge Prado (GASGAS) 44pts
- Tim Gajser (Honda) 38pts
- Mattia Guadagnini (Husqvarna) 24pts
MXGP – Moto One:
- Jeffrey Herlings (KTM)
- Jorge Prado (GASGAS)
- Glenn Coldenhoff (Fantic)
- Mattia Guadagnini (Husqvarna)
MXGP – Moto Two:
- Jeffrey Herlings (KTM)
- Jorge Prado (GASGAS)
- Tim Gajser (Honda)
- Mattia Guadagnini (Husqvarna)
MXGP – Standings:
- Tim Gajser (Honda) 801pts
- Jorge Prado (GASGAS) 792pts
- Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 766pts
- Mattia Guadagnini (Husqvarna) 244pts
MX2 – Overall:
- Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 47pts
- Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 43pts
- Andrea Adamo (KTM) 40pts
- Liam Everts (KTM) 34pts
- Sacha Coenen (KTM) 26pts
- Simon Längenfelder (GASGAS) 23pts
MX2 – Moto One:
- Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna)
- Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna)
- Liam Everts (KTM)
- Andrea Adamo (KTM)
- Simon Längenfelder (GASGAS)
- Sacha Coenen (KTM)
MX2 – Moto Two:
- Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna)
- Andrea Adamo (KTM)
- Camden McLellan (Triumph)
- Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna)
- Sacha Coenen (KTM)
- Liam Everts (KTM)
- Simon Längenfelder (GASGAS)
MX2 – Standings:
- Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 777pts
- Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 733pts
- Simon Längenfelder (GASGAS) 676pts
- Liam Everts (KTM) 636pts
- Andrea Adamo (KTM) 545pts
- Sacha Coenen (KTM) 444pts
- Marc-Antoine Rossi (GASGAS) 122pts
Photocredits Juan Pablo Acevedo
