Heavy rainfall overnight drenched the Kegums track in Latvia, giving the riders another muddy circuit to start the day with, but as the circuit dried, Honda HRC’s Ruben Fernandez showed his speed in the sand to finish just two points off the podium.
Given the nature of the track, starts were once again a crucial factor for all the riders and Fernandez utilised his fourth gate pick to great effect. The Honda CRF450R rider rounded the turn around the top five in both races, which made his life a lot easier for the rest of the moto. In the first race, he was able to move through from sixth to fourth as he showed real grit and determination to maximise his points after a tough week of recovery.
Race two started off in a similar fashion with the #70 in fifth place as they crossed the line for the first time. He then moved into fourth after making a nice pass early on but around the mid-point of the moto, he was trying his best to hold on and eventually had to let a couple of riders through to finish in sixth place with 33 points. That gave him fifth overall, which was an excellent haul considering there were doubts he’d be fit enough to ride in the immediate aftermath of his crash in Germany last weekend.
Valerio Lata’s day in the MX2 class didn’t go very well, as technical issues early on in each of the motos meant he had to pull off the racetrack. After the highs of Teutschenthal, it was a real shame for the young Italian to miss out here, but he’s keeping a positive frame of mind and excited to try again in two weeks’ time, when they head to the UK for the magnificent challenge of Matterley Basin.
Unfortunately, Ferruccio Zanchi has received disappointing news from medical professionals following his recent crash in Germany. The young Italian rider has sustained a knee injury and, as a result, will be sidelined from competition for the foreseeable future.
Further medical evaluations are scheduled in one month to monitor his recovery and determine the appropriate next steps. For now, doctors have advised complete rest and avoidance of any physical activity.
This development is a significant setback for the Honda CRF250R rider, who had shown promising form earlier in the season with a moto victory and podium in Cozar, Spain. However, Zanchi will receive the highest standard of medical care as he focuses on recovery and a potential return to racing.
MX2 Race 1
- Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 34:20.890; 2. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:03.203; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:20.244; 4. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:50.899; 5. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:58.856; 6. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +1:02.159; 7. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +1:13.213; 8. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +1:23.510; 9. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +1:26.641; 10. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KTM), +1:33.019;… 22. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), -9 lap(s);
MX2 Race 2
- Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 35:34.662; 2. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:03.320; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:07.953; 4. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:15.161; 5. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:18.191; 6. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +0:19.284; 7. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:20.252; 8. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:24.837; 9. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:51.733; 10. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:55.352; … 21. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), -17 lap(s);
MX2 GP Overall
- Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 47 points; 2. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 38 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 36 p.; 5. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 32 p.; 6. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 30 p.; 7. Mathis Valin (FRA, KAW), 29 p.; 8. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 27 p.; 9. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 25 p.; 10. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 22 p.; … 21. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 0 p.;
MX2 Championship
- Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 515 points; 2. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 488 p.; 3. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 478 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 419 p.; 5. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 389 p.; 6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 378 p.; 7. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 324 p.; 8. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 265 p.; 9. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), 253 p.; 10. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, HON), 220 p.;
Ruben Fernandez 70
A little disappointed to miss out on the podium by such fine margins but at the same time, I’m happy to even be here and to score such good points is a big bonus. I had two good starts and that made things a lot easier so I just tried to keep a good pace without taking any big risks and it worked out pretty well. Now we have a weekend off, which I definitely appreciate so we can regroup and get ready for Matterley Basin, and that is a track I enjoy riding so hopefully I’ll be back to 100% by then.
Ferruccio Zanchi 73
This wasn’t the news I hoped for when I visited the doctor, but I thought it might be the issue. We now have a long road to recovery which starts with just resting it as much as possible. I feel pretty disappointed to leave the series like this because I really thought I could come good in the second half of the championship, but now I just need to focus on getting healthy. Thanks to all the team and my friends and family for all their support, I really appreciate it.
Valerio Lata 18
Not much to say about the day really. Luck certainly wasn’t on our side all weekend and to leave here with zero points is not good for anyone. We will keep working though and now we have a weekend off to get everything ready for Matterley Basin.
Marcus Pereira de Freitas
HRC General Manager – MXGP
Ruben really put in an excellent effort to score as many points as he did. He certainly wasn’t 100% healthy today so to almost finish on the podium was very impressive. We are sure he’ll be feeling much better when we go to Great Britain for round 12 and it’ll be exciting to see what he can do there. Things definitely didn’t go to plan for Valerio and we will work hard to make sure it never happens again. It was a tough end after these three races in a row, but we’re sure he’ll bounce back in Matterley. Unfortunately, it seems like Ferruccio won’t be joining us for a while after his news from the doctors has ruled him out. We’ll workout a plan after his next appointment, but it is a real shame for him and for the whole of Honda HRC.
Race 1
Pos. Rider Num Nation Points Team Time/Gap
1 Herlings Jeffrey 84 NDL 25 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 35:30.575
2 Coenen Lucas 96 BEL 22 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 0:01.347
3 Coldenhoff Glenn 259 NDL 20 Fantic Factory Racing MXGP 0:58.497
4 Fernandez Ruben 70 SPA 18 Honda HRC – MXGP 1:01.759
5 Bogers Brian 189 NDL 16 Fantic Factory Racing MXGP 1:05.021
6 Febvre Romain 3 FRA 15 Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP 1:10.698
7 Bonacorsi Andrea 132 ITA 14 Fantic Factory Racing MXGP 1:13.979
8 Watson Ben 919 GBR 13 MRT Racing Team Beta 1:15.743
9 Geerts Jago 93 BEL 12 Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team 1:18.049
10 van de Moosdijk Roan 34 NDL 11 KTM Kozak Team 1:23.439
11 Vlaanderen Calvin 10 NDL 10 Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team 1:30.403
12 van Doninck Brent BEL 9 1:34.085
13 Renaux Maxime 959 FRA 8 Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team 1:44.984
14 Guadagnini Mattia 101 ITA 7 Ducati Factory MX Team 1:51.666
15 Spies Maximillian GER 6 1:58.880
16 Seewer Jeremy 91 SWI 5 Ducati Factory MX Team 2:01.179
17 Talviku Jorgen-Matthias 261 EST 4 Wildcard Rider 1 lap
18 Forato Alberto 303 ITA 3 Honda SR Motoblouz 1 lap
19 Gifting Isak 517 SWE 2 JK Racing Yamaha Active 1 lap
20 Haavisto Jere FIN 1 1 lap
Race 2
Pos. Rider Num Nation Points Team Time/Gap
1 Herlings Jeffrey 84 NDL 25 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 34:55.202
2 Coenen Lucas 96 BEL 22 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 0:02.542
3 Febvre Romain 3 FRA 20 Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP 0:13.464
4 Geerts Jago 93 BEL 18 Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team 0:49.887
5 Bonacorsi Andrea 132 ITA 16 Fantic Factory Racing MXGP 0:58.684
6 Fernandez Ruben 70 SPA 15 Honda HRC – MXGP 1:01.361
7 Coldenhoff Glenn 259 NDL 14 Fantic Factory Racing MXGP 1:03.627
8 Renaux Maxime 959 FRA 13 Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team 1:13.864
9 Vlaanderen Calvin 10 NDL 12 Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team 1:21.903
10 Watson Ben 919 GBR 11 MRT Racing Team Beta 1:35.561
11 Gifting Isak 517 SWE 10 JK Racing Yamaha Active 1:37.263
12 Guadagnini Mattia 101 ITA 9 Ducati Factory MX Team 1:39.277
13 Bogers Brian 189 NDL 8 Fantic Factory Racing MXGP 1:41.428
14 Spies Maximillian GER 7 1:42.739
15 van Doninck Brent BEL 6 1:33.927
16 van de Moosdijk Roan 34 NDL 5 KTM Kozak Team 1:51.687
17 Forato Alberto 303 ITA 4 Honda SR Motoblouz 1:57.997
18 Seewer Jeremy 91 SWI 3 Ducati Factory MX Team 1:58.049
19 Sterry Adam 811 GBR 2 KTM Kozak Team 1 lap
20 Pancar Jan 253 SLO 1 TEM JP253 KTM Racing Team 1 lap
Rider Standings
Pos. Rider Num Nation Points Team
1 Febvre Romain 3 FRA 530 Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP
2 Coenen Lucas 96 BEL 504 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
3 Coldenhoff Glenn 259 NDL 362 Fantic Factory Racing MXGP
4 Renaux Maxime 959 FRA 347 Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team
5 Fernandez Ruben 70 SPA 338 Honda HRC – MXGP
6 Gajser Tim 243 SLO 305 Honda HRC – MXGP
7 Bonacorsi Andrea 132 ITA 300 Fantic Factory Racing MXGP
8 Vlaanderen Calvin 10 NDL 284 Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team
9 Herlings Jeffrey 84 NDL 279 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
10 Seewer Jeremy 91 SWI 253 Ducati Factory MX Team
11 Horgmo Kevin 24 NOR 204 Honda SR Motoblouz
12 Watson Ben 919 GBR 187 MRT Racing Team Beta
13 Geerts Jago 93 BEL 184 Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team
14 Pancar Jan 253 SLO 169 TEM JP253 KTM Racing Team
15 Jonass Pauls 41 LAT 162 Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP
16 Bogers Brian 189 NDL 154 Fantic Factory Racing MXGP
17 Gifting Isak 517 SWE 149 JK Racing Yamaha Active
18 Guadagnini Mattia 101 ITA 142 Ducati Factory MX Team
19 van de Moosdijk Roan 34 NDL 99 KTM Kozak Team
20 Guillod Valentin 92 SWI 72 Wildcard Rider
21 van Doninck Brent BEL 58
22 Sterry Adam 811 GBR 57 KTM Kozak Team
23 Brumann Kevin 87 SWI 50 Wildcard Rider
24 Koch Tom 226 GER 43 MRT Racing Team Beta
25 Stauffer Marcel 411 AUT 38 Wildcard Rider
26 Spies Maximillian GER 36
27 Gilbert Josh GBR 27
28 Forato Alberto 303 ITA 21 Honda SR Motoblouz
29 Tondel Cornelius 17 NOR 20 JWR Honda Racing
30 Ludwig Noah GER 19
