Cycle News Staff | August 12, 2024
Round 15 of the FIM Motocross World Championship headed to the hard-packed hills of Uddevalla for the MXGP of Sweden, August 11. In both divisions, the underdogs of the championship hunt claimed victory, as both Jorge Prado and Lucas Coenen swept their respective motos and earned valuable points in the closing stages of the 2024 season.
Race one of the MXGP class proved to be a barn burner, with five riders battling up front for the lead. Kawasaki’s Jeremy Seewer, who’s won this event the past two years, overtook Swedish native Isak Gifting in the early stages of moto one and held the advantage as points leader Tim Gajser, Prado and Romain Febvre all made their way into formation.
MXGP start. Seewer (91) got the jump in moto one. Photo: GasGas
Gajser forced his way around Seewer for the lead and looked to further extend his points gap as Prado continued to push in second. With just six laps to go, Prado launched to first at the end of pit lane and stole the lead from Gajser. The reigning champ held on for the win, crossing the line only eight-tenths clear of Gajser at the line. Febvre overtook his Kawasaki teammate Seewer late in the race for third.
Prado came through the field and took the win. Photo: GasGas
Moto two saw the same heavy hitters at the front end of the field. This time Prado made life easier on himself with a good start and moved to the lead by turn two. From there it was smooth sailing for the current number-one as he swept the day with 1-1 victories, his first time winning on Swedish soil. He’s now just 17 points back from Gajser in the championship points.
Prado made things easier in moto two by starting up front. Photo: GasGas
Jeffrey Herlings rebounded from a hard-fought fifth in moto one and crossed the line second the second time around. Gajser took third and used 2-3 scores to take second overall, and Herlings’ 5-2 gave him third for the day.
Tim Gajser took second on the day and maintained his points lead. Photo: Honda HRC
Herlings salvaged a fifth in moto one and rebounded to second in moto two for third on the day. Look at those ruts. Photo: KTM
“It was a great weekend for me,” Prado said. “I knew I had to be right on my 100 percent to get overall here, and that’s what I did. I made it tough for myself in that first race with a very bad start, but the second race I managed to get out of the gate in a good way and break hard into the first corner, then had good opening laps and managing the race. Track was very tough, we were riding on a good pace, so super happy.”
MXGP Podium. Photo: GasGas
Sporting a striking blue and yellow color scheme in honor of Husqvarna’s Swedish heritage, Lucas Coenen put his special livery to the lead in the MX2 division. The Belgian rider moved around early leader Simon Laengenfelder on lap two and was never contested from there on out. He claimed his 10th race win of the season, while Triumph’s Mikkel Haarup moved to second near the halfway point of the moto.
Laengenfelder grabbed two holeshots on the day. Photo: GasGas
Laengenfelder took the holeshot but later settled for third. It was a day of struggles for points leader Kay de Wolf, as he went off the track on lap one before crashing two more times during the moto. He salvaged seventh in race one.
Lucas Coenen swept the day with 1-1 results. Photo: Husqvarna
Race two looked like a carbon copy, as Laengenfelder again crossed the holeshot line first, ahead of Coenen in second. On lap three, Coenen moved through to the lead and was never seen again. His dominant 1-1 finishes earned him the overall win for the day while also cutting into his teammate de Wolf’s points gap. Coenen is now 49 markers back in second.
Andrea Adamo put together one of his best rides of the season, going 4-2 for second. Photo: KTM
Former MX2 champ Andrea Adamo executed one of his best races of the year as he charged up to second in moto two. The KTM rider showed flashes of his old self as he took second on the day with 4-2 finishes. Laengenfelder held on for third in both motos and earned third overall.
Laengenfelder’s 3-3 put him third on the box. Photo: GasGas
“It was a good weekend,” Coenen said. “I needed to bounce back, and I did it. So it was perfect. Won the two races. I was just riding smooth out there and had a lot of fun on the track. So yeah, it was better than yesterday, so very positive.” CN
MX2 Podium.
MXGP (Top 5)
- Jorge Prado (GG) 1-1
- Tim Gajser (Hon) 2-3
- Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) 5-2
- Romain Febvre (Kaw) 3-4
- Calvin Vlaanderen (Yam) 6-5
MX2 (Top 5)
- Lucas Coenen (Hus) 1-1
- Andrea Adamo (KTM) 4-2
- Simon Laengenfelder (GG) 3-3
- Mikkel Haarup (Tri) 2-6
- Kay de Wolf (Hus) 7-4
