Red Bull KTM Factory Racing kicked off another consecutive Grand Prix campaign with two more trophies in Uddevalla and the annual trip to Sweden. The fifteenth MXGP race of the year took place in sunny, warm and windy weather north of Gothenburg and Jeffrey Herlings took 3rd place on his KTM 450 SX-F, while Andrea Adamo returned to the MX2 podium in second on the KTM 250 SX-F.
- Jeffrey Herlings keeps the pace in the race for the 2024 MXGP title with his eleventh podium of the season and tenth in a row. #84 is third in the overall standings and 48 points away from the red shield
- MX2 World Champion Andrea Adamo returns from his upper body injury and takes his fifth MX2 title of the season with 4th and 2nd places in the qualifying rounds
- Liam Everts and Sacha Coenen are in 6th and 11th place, with the Belgian struggling with stomach problems while Coenen was in pain in both legs after a fall on Saturday.
- The European Championship takes place in Uddevalla: Cas Valk is fourth overall in round 8 of 11 in the EMX250 with the KTM 250 SX-F, while Gyan Doensen is third in the EMX125 (also round 8 of 11) with the KTM 125 SX. Both Dutch youngsters are P2 in their respective series
- MXGP returns to the sand at the Dutch Grand Prix: the compact and demanding circuit in Arnhem will host the sixteenth round next weekend.
Uddevalla, one of the oldest and most traditional venues on the MXGP calendar, has changed the hard-packed, rocky track layout to create more lines and overtaking opportunities for the 2024 Swedish Grand Prix. The changes have increased the technical difficulty of the track, but starts were still in short supply for podium chances. A large crowd filled the rocky slopes on the first of three consecutive weekends that will see the championship move to the Netherlands and then Switzerland.
In Saturday’s RAM qualifying race, Jeffrey Herlings recovered from a first corner crash (when he failed to avoid a fallen rider) to secure 7th place and salvage some championship points as well as a good grid position for Sunday’s races. In the MX2 heat, Liam Everts finished 5th, Sacha Coenen had sore legs after a crash in practice but managed to finish 7th and Andrea Adamo finished 10th in his comeback to the class.
On Sunday, Herlings was forced off the track in the second corner of the first MXGP race. From that moment on, the Dutchman went into “recovery mode” and only a small mistake and a stall midway through the last lap prevented him from taking a decent 4th place. The start in the second race was better and he immediately took P2 on the first lap. Jeffrey tried to get close to Jorge Prado, especially through the stragglers, and got close to him on the last lap. After a slip, he had to briefly pick up and recover the #84 machine. Jeffrey suffered a blow to the left hand but secured 2nd place and 3rd overall.
In the MX2 class, Andrea Adamo rode brilliantly to finish on the podium for the first time since the West Nusa Tenggara Grand Prix (round eleven). This was a satisfying comeback from the upper body injury he sustained in the Czech Republic three weeks ago. Adamo put in a strong performance to secure fourth place in a static first race. Everts was fifth, more than 30 seconds behind, while Coenen got into the top ten in tenth. The second race solidified the overall standings, with Andrea taking a comfortable second place. Liam struggled with stomach cramps but grit through the 30 minutes and two laps to take another fifth place. Sacha also held out, picking up points for twelfth place.
Arnhem, sand and home racing are now ahead for Jeffrey Herlings, as the Gelderland Motorsport Park is hosting the sixteenth Grand Prix of the season and welcoming the World Championship for the second time in a row.
Jeffrey Herlings, 5th and 2nd for 3rd overall in MXGP: “It wasn’t an easy race. On Saturday I didn’t make any headway at the start and this is definitely not the easiest track to overtake. I got a few points back. I had work to do in the first race after being pushed out: that didn’t help. In the second race I finally got a good start. I was behind Jorge (Prado) and kept the gap but then I had a pretty big blast on the last lap. I still managed to get on the podium and we now have ten wins in a row so I hope the streak continues. Next up is Arnhem. I hope my hand is OK and doesn’t feel too bad. The home GP usually always gives you a little extra boost and I hope I can use that to my advantage.”
Andrea Adamo, 4th and 2nd for 2nd overall in MX2: “I was happy with my ride and my speed today. I had missed a GP and ‘slept’ in the qualifying race, so I had to get up this morning! I didn’t have the best start in the first race, but I managed to overtake some people and finished pretty well. In the second race, I almost had the lead, but then I made a mistake. It took me a few laps to overtake Simon (Laegenfelder) for second place, but then I tried to keep the same pace throughout the race to see if Lucas (Coenen) made any mistakes, but he was strong and I took P2. It was nice to be back on the podium, especially after missing Lommel. I was motivated to come back… and I hope that from now until the end of the season I can keep this pace and be up front.”
Liam Everts, 5th and 5th place for 6th overall in MX2: “I felt pretty good in the qualifying race, even though I crashed and only finished fifth: it was OK, no reason to be overjoyed. I started from 8th or 9th in the first race, got up to 5th and it was going well, but then I got really bad stomach cramps. I didn’t feel good. I managed to finish fifth, but between races it was really tough and quite chaotic. All in all, I was happy to finish the second race! I made it to the end. I wanted more from the weekend, but that’s how it is.”
Sacha Coenen, 10th and 12th, 11th overall in MX2: “I had a bad crash in qualifying yesterday and injured my legs and ankle, so today was tough. I did my best to race and finishing both runs was the most important thing… but the result was not what we wanted. I think I’ll be fit again next week.”
Results MXGP Sweden 2024
- Jorge Prado (ESP), GASGAS, 1-1
- Tim Gajser (SLO), Honda, 2-3
- Jeffrey Herlings (NED), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 5-2
- Mattia Guadagnini (ITA), Husqvarna 18-17
MXGP 2024 standings after 15 of 20 rounds
- Tim Gajser (SLO), Honda, 757 points
- Jorge Prado (ESP), GASGAS, 740
- Jeffrey Herlings (NED), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 709
- Mattia Guadagnini (ITA), Husqvarna, 217
Results MX2 Sweden 2024
- Lucas Coenen (BEL) Husqvarna 1-1
- Andrea Adamo (ITA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 4-2
- Simon Laegenfelder (GER), GASGAS, 3-3
- Kay de Wolf (NED), Husqvarna 7-4
- Liam Everts (BEL), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 5-5
- Sacha Coenen (BEL) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 10-12
MX2 2024 standings after 15 of 20 rounds
- Kay de Wolf (NED) Husqvarna, 725 points
- Lucas Coenen (BEL) Husqvarna, 676
- Simon Laegenfelder (GER), GASGAS, 653
- Liam Everts (BEL), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 594
- Andrea Adamo (ITA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 498
- Sacha Coenen (BEL) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 415
Photo credits Ray Archer
