The 2025 FIM Motocross World Championship roared back into life today with the Qualifying Races for round 12 – the MXGP of Great Britain at a sunny and dry Matterley Basin circuit near the southern city of Winchester!
With the track crew working hard to battle the hot and sunny conditions which dried the track out massively compared to previous races at this venue, the MXGP elite had to deal with a hard and slick surface that was alien for many of them!
With a stirring ride to the lead before the end of the first full lap, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing legend Jeffrey Herlings took the Qualifying Race win in the MXGP class, although he was chased hard to the flag by series leader Romain Febvre, who extended his advantage at the top of the standings for Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP in the sort of conditions that he thrives in! Fantic Factory Racing MXGP veteran Glenn Coldenhoff took a fine third position!
Simon Längenfelder, who took his first ever GP victory here three years ago, scored a commanding win in MX2 for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, while crashes for his Championship rivals seriously strengthened his position at the top of the table! Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2’s French favourite Thibault Benistant put in a fine ride for second, while Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Liam Everts put a vital last corner pass in to take third!
With tomorrow likely to be cooler but still dry at the Basin, the British GP races tomorrow should be spectacular for all fans both trackside and at home!
After Febvre took the fastest time in the morning’s Free Practice session from Herlings and Honda HRC’s lone warrior Ruben Fernandez, it was “The Bullet” who put in a blistering final effort in Time Practice to grab first gate pick for the Qualifying Race. Herlings was up by over 1.2 seconds from Fernandez and his fellow Red Bull KTM Factory Racing pilot Lucas Coenen. Sadly for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP, Maxime Renaux had to withdraw from the GP due to complications from a previous injury. We all wish him a speedy recovery.
While Coenen did his usual trick of pulling ahead of Herlings down the start straight, they were both outgunned into the first corner by the Fantic Factory Racing MXGP machine of Glenn Coldenhoff, grabbing the Holeshot on a Saturday for the first time this year, while Coenen held second and Herlings survived a bar-banging corner with the JK Racing Yamaha of Isak Gifting to take third, with Febvre fifth!
After a few corners, Febvre tucked inside Gifting, while Herlings leaned on Coenen to make an outside pass on an uphill bend for second! It didn’t take long before “The Bullet” made a move on his countryman for the lead, nudging inside Coldenhoff on the right-hander that long-time Matterley fans call “Everts Corner”.
It was obvious at the start of the first full lap that hard-pack lovers like Febvre and Fernandez were feeling far more comfortable than Coenen, and the Frenchman made a strong move on his Championship rival into the tight right-hand corner that leads back onto the start straight, making a little contact on his way through! The Spaniard then dived inside the young Belgian, only a corner or two after he worked past the Team Honda Motoblouz SR Motul rider Kevin Horgmo! Fernandez and Coenen were able to hold fourth and fifth to the flag.
Further back, the surviving Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP teamster Calvin Vlaanderen was able to work past Horgmo into sixth with two laps to go, at about the same time as TEM JP253 KTM Racing pilot Jan Pancar passed the second factory Fantic of Brian Bogers for eighth. Aruba.it Ducati Factory MX-Team leader Jeremy Seewer had taken advantage of a mistake from his temporary teammate Antonio Cairoli to grab tenth ahead of the nine-time Champ.
At the front, Febvre had caught Coldenhoff by lap five, and made a clean pass on the downhill corner after Pit Lane. Within a few laps the red plate holder had reeled in Herlings, but the KTM man was a tougher nut to crack, and just as the Kawasaki closed in, so “The Bullet” fired at full calibre, turning the fastest lap of the whole race on the final circulation to seal his second straight Qualifying Race win!
Febvre will still be happy to have gained three points on Coenen in the series, as Herlings levelled with Vlaanderen for eighth in the standings with his win! He will be motivated for a big win tomorrow, but Febvre has proven that he will also be a force to be reckoned with!
Jeffrey Herlings: “I’m happy to take another qualifying win, second in a row. Romain (Febvre) kept the pressure on the whole way, but I managed to hold on. Still, the real work starts tomorrow, so we’ll give it everything and see where we end up.”
MXGP – Qualifying Race Classification: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 24:09.704; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:01.839; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:16.450; 4. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:20.606; 5. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:27.222; 6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:29.950; 7. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Honda), +0:34.595; 8. Jan Pancar (SLO, KTM), +0:41.911; 9. Brian Bogers (NED, Fantic), +0:43.274; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Ducati), +0:43.925;
MXGP – World Championship Classification: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 539 points; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 510 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 370 p.; 4. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 347 p.; 5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 345 p.; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 305 p.; 7. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, FAN), 300 p.; 8. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 289 p.; 9. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 289 p.; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, DUC), 254 p
Main Photo: Jeffrey Herlings
Top Photo: MXGP Start Qualifying Race
Bottom Photos: 1. Romain Febvre; 2. Glenn Coldenhoff
Just as in Latvia, Sacha Coenen was the fastest man on track in Free Practice for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, although this time he was only marginally ahead of the next rider, which was the Kawasaki Racing Team MX2 rookie Mathis Valin! However, it was the turn of Längenfelder to grab pole position in Time Practice, by a tiny margin of just four thousandths of a second from Benistant! The Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing machine of Kay de Wolf was just behind them, although his session ended with a nasty crash over the finish line jump that also claimed Honda HRC’s Valerio Lata as a totally innocent victim!
While Lata started strongly in the Qualifying Race, he was clearly in serious discomfort and pulled off the track after a lap. We wish him the best for tomorrow if he can line up.
There was no doubt as to Längenfelder’s intentions as he shot out of the gate to claim his fourth Saturday Holeshot of the series, and as Coenen, Benistant, and the third Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine of Andrea Adamo quickly made their way around Lata, the German was rapidly pulling away at the front. Meanwhile De Wolf again sampled the British soil with a crash in the third corner, leaving him to fight from near the back!
It didn’t get any better for the reigning Champion, as a further crash around the lap, all by himself, put him even further back, and he was only able to get back to 18th by the finish. It’s his third no-score from a Saturday this season, compared to none last year, and the Dutchman is now 47 behind the points leader.
Adamo was doing all he could to pass Benistant, but on lap three he fell over the back wheel of the Yamaha, remounting in seventh behind Everts and an all-Spanish battle for fifth! David Braceras held the spot for JM Racing Honda until his countryman Oriol Oliver made a sharp move past for Gabriel SS24 KTM Factory Juniors on lap four.
Further back, Benistant’s Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 teammate Karlis Reisulis was passed with two laps to go for tenth by the WZ-Racing KTM of Maxime Grau, who finished behind a disappointed Valin. Braceras took eighth after being passed at half distance by Monster Energy Triumph Racing’s Camden McLellan, who claimed seventh.
Adamo was able to recover to fifth, passing Oliver with two laps to go. At the front, Längenfelder was imperious, but his teammate Coenen was being caught by Benistant! In a thrilling sequence of side-by-side racing that saw the pair heaving their bikes over the big quadruple jump together, the Frenchman advanced into second, which he held to the flag for the second straight round. Coenen, meanwhile, suddenly had Everts to deal with, and the Husqvarna man made a cutting inside move on the very last corner of the race to take third away from his younger compatriot!
There was no mistake from Längenfelder, however, who took a dominant 11-second victory, setting the fastest time of the race on his fifth lap. His grip on the red plate has tightened as a result, with the German now holding a 31-point lead over Adamo, with De Wolf 16 further behind.
The series leader looks like the favourite for tomorrow, but you can never truly tell in MX2! All four GP races should provide some incredible action around one of the most popular circuits on the calendar! Come and join us tomorrow!
Simon Laengenfelder: “I felt great on the bike today. The start wasn’t perfect, but I still grabbed the holeshot, and after that I could really ride my lines and stay comfortable. That little moment after the waves definitely woke me up.. especially after last weekend!”
MX2 – Qualifying Race Classification: 1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 24:17.709; 2. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:11.458; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:12.706; 4. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:13.129; 5. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:27.272; 6. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:28.382; 7. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:37.461; 8. David Braceras (ESP, Honda), +0:39.033; 9. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:40.592; 10. Maxime Grau (FRA, KTM), +0:48.640
MX2 – World Championship Classification: 1. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 525 points; 2. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 494 p.; 3. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 478 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 427 p.; 5. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 396 p.; 6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 387 p.; 7. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 328 p.; 8. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 265 p.; 9. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), 253 p.; 10. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, HON), 220 p.
Top Photo: Simon Laengenfelder
Bottom Photos: 1.Thibault Benistant; 2. Liam Everts
All the photos from the MXGP of Great Britain will be available HERE.
You can find the complete results HERE.
MXGP OF GREAT BRITAIN QUICK FACTS:
Circuit length: 1880m
Type of ground: Hard Pack
Temperature: 25°
Weather conditions: Windy and Sunny
TIMETABLE
SUNDAY: 09:40 EMX125 Race 2, 10:25 MX2 Warm-up, 10:45 MXGP Warm-up, 11:30 EMX250 Race 2, 12:20 MXE Race 2, 13:15 MX2 Race 1, 14:15 MXGP Race 1, 16:10 MX2 Race 2, 17:10 MXGP Race 2.
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