Laengenfelder brings home more silverware with 2nd place at packed MXGP British Grand Prix

Less than a fortnight after the trip to South Africa and the inauguration of Terra Topia as an MXGP circuit, the Grand Prix paddock encountered another ‘new’ course. The steep hills of Foxhill achieved notoriety for weather-hit races and a Motocross of Nations at the end of the millennium. The track in Wiltshire, England regained GP status for the first time in a quarter of a century as the site of the British Grand Prix in 2026 and offered a rough and rutty test, thankfully with a summer climate.

Simon Laengenfelder was the standout performer on Saturday and won his second MX2 qualification heat of the campaign (and the second in a row) for Pole Position. Sacha Coenen ranked P4 in the MX2 Heat. Lucas Coenen was the victim of a collision with another rider and crashed entering the second corner. He had to pull out of the race in which Andrea Adamo took P12.

The Grand Prix motos got underway with more sunshine and a large attendance. Lucas, starting from 29th on the gate, found his way to the fringe of the top ten by the end of the first lap with Adamo for company. Coenen could not maintain the pace with a sore left leg and entered the pits. The Belgian would attempt the second moto with the same outcome. Andrea continued to push and reached a decent 5th in the first moto. In the second he found his way to P6 on the first lap, gained another position and then passed the flag with P5.  Coenen continues to hold the red plate by 11 points, Andrea is just 17 points adrift from the top five.

Laengenfelder has been coming back to his early season form in MX2. The German was less than two seconds from seizing victory in the first moto and logged his third consecutive top three result. Later in the afternoon the reigning #1 grabbed the holeshot but tipped off at slow speed and remounted in 2nd.  He then gave chase and fought with Guillem Farres for the lead but opted for a safe runner-up berth across a difficult and technical surface. The 2-2 meant a second rostrum celebration on the bounce (his third P2 of the year) and brought him to within 42 points of P1 in the championship.

Sacha Coenen rode to 8th position and gathered 34 points. Less than a week before the Grand Prix Coenen underwent surgery to fix a cleanly broken right collarbone with the insertion of a plate. Sacha sustained the injury while riding to victory at Southwick and the sixth round of the AMA Pro Nationals in the USA. The Belgian tried to take a steady approach to the weekend in the UK. He fell and took 10th in the first moto at Foxhill and then managed a brave 5th in the second. Sacha is 2nd in the table and just 11 points from the red plate.

Round 8 of 10 in the EMX125 European Championship was swept by upcoming Austrian KTM star Ricardo Bauer. The youngster, who went 1-1 with the KTM 125 SX, now has a 31-point lead over countryman Moritz Ernecker. Races in Sweden and Turkey remain.

The Grand Prix of Czechia rolls MXGP to round 13 of 19. Loket has been an ever-present venue on the world championship slate and will be a narrow, stony and hardpacked challenge for the international elite next weekend.

Lucas Coenen, DNF and DNF for 29th overall in MXGP: “Not much to say about the weekend. I got unlucky with the collision with Maxime [Renaux] on Saturday and then found a fence where I wanted to go with a high bank. I hurt my leg and it was pretty impossible for me after that. Not much we can do but we’ll try again in Loket.”

Andrea Adamo, 5th and 5th for 5th overall in MXGP: “A good weekend for me. I had two solid results. I’m happy with the speed. I crashed in the Quali race and I thought the chance to be in the top five had gone but I managed to take a good start and work my way up. I could follow the guys in front. It wasn’t easy but it’s necessary: to be as close as possible, to learn as much and possible and to avoid mistakes. Another good GP, and now we’ll go back to Belgium and train for a couple of days before Loket.”

Simon Laengenfelder, 2nd and 2nd for 2nd overall in MX2: “I’m starting to feel good again and I think it is coming from attention all the little details. Getting out of a ‘hole’ is never easy but it seems I am almost back to my winning ways. They did a great job with the preparation of the track here. We had many lines and it was very tricky and technical and I really enjoy that. A stupid crash in the second moto, I must say, but I was able to keep him [Guillem Farres] on his toes. It’s great to take home another trophy.”

Sacha Coenen, 10th and 5th for 8th overall in MX2: “Crazy weekend, let’s say. Coming in with an injury I did not know what to expect or if I could race, but we made it happen and it wasn’t too bad. I was feeling OK out there; if not the best. In the first moto I had a really bad jump out of the gate and I tried to make my way. I had a small crash; lost the front. Second moto I started 2nd and stayed 3rd for 20 minutes and then I didn’t want to take any risks. Some good points, and we’ll get ready for next weekend.”

1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED), Honda, 1-1
2. Romain Febvre (FRA), Kawasaki, 3-2
3. Tim Gajser (SLO), Yamaha, 2-3
5. Andrea Adamo (ITA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 5-5
29. Lucas Coenen (BEL), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, DNF-DNF

2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED), Honda, 555
3. Romain Febvre (FRA), Kawasaki, 494
7. Andrea Adamo (ITA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 375
9. Kay de Wolf (NED) Husqvarna, 273

1. Guillem Farres (ESP), Triumph, 1-1
2. Simon Laengenfelder (GER), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 2-2
3. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA), Triumph, 4-3
4. Liam Everts (BEL), Husqvarna 3-4
8. Sacha Coenen (BEL) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 10-5

1. Guillem Farres (ESP), Triumph, 563 points
2. Sacha Coenen (BEL) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 552
3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 521
5. Liam Everts (BEL), Husqvarna, 477