The next press launch is from Infront Moto Racing:
MONACO (Principality of Monaco) – The 2024 FIM Motocross World Championships head straight from Germany to the MXGP of Latvia because the Zelta Zirgs Motocenter close to the city of Kegums welcomes the ninth spherical of the collection to its sandy terrain!
Kegums has hosted 18 MXGP rounds because it first ran an MX3 Grand Prix again in 2005, gained by the Belgian Sven Breugelmans. It has been on the MXGP calendar yearly since 2009, when Antonio Cairoli and Rui Goncalves took the wins in MX1 & MX2, aside from 2014 when it noticed a hard-fought Motocross of Nations, gained by Staff France at the beginning of a five-year successful streak.
Kegums has been a cheerful looking floor for Jeffrey Herlings, with the Purple Bull KTM Manufacturing unit Racing legend notching up a report 7 Grand Prix wins within the comfortable terrain, together with his most up-to-date one, simply over a 12 months in the past when he registered his solely excellent 60-point scoring weekend thus far, successful Saturday’s RAM Qualifying Race in addition to each races on Sunday.
Final 12 months’s MX2 winner was this 12 months’s factors chief, Kay de Wolf on the Nestaan Husqvarna Manufacturing unit Racing machine. Each victorious Dutchmen would sadly get injured very quickly after to depart them unable to problem for the 2023 world titles.
Learn: ACL Injury to Sideline Marc-Antoine Rossi for Remainder of MX2 Championship
The EMX250 Championship reaches its midway level because the sixth spherical of 11, and Mathis Valin holds the pink plate on his Bud Racing Kawasaki after two straight total wins. Gabriel SS24 KTM’s Cas Valk and Beddini GASGAS Manufacturing unit Juniors star Valerio Lata are simply 4 factors aside in second and third, however the Dutchman is 26 again from Valin. One half of Latvia’s favorite teenage Motocross brothers, Karlis Reisulis, is eighth within the factors for VRT Yamaha Racing, and after representing Latvia in final 12 months’s Monster Power FIM Motocross of Nations he’ll get the gang behind him for positive!
The EMX125 Offered by FMF Racing collection additionally returns, with Hungarian Noel Zanocz main for the Fantic Manufacturing unit Racing EMX125 group, whereas Racestore KTM Manufacturing unit Rookies star Gyan Doensen is 17 factors again in second! Zanocz’s Italian teammate Simone Mancini has gained the final two rounds to elevate himself as much as third, simply 7 factors again from the Dutchman. Native rider Markuss Ozolins is ninth within the factors however has reached the highest 5 in a couple of races on his GASGAS and can take pleasure in a variety of vocal help from his dwelling crowd!
The reigning MXGP World Champion, Jorge Prado of the Purple Bull GASGAS Manufacturing unit Racing group, can be praying that the climate doesn’t throw up any surprises at Kegums, as it is just when the rain has poured that he has not emerged victorious from a Grand Prix up to now in 2024! Regardless that he loved his sixth GP win of the season on the Liqui Moly MXGP of Germany, he nonetheless lies simply two factors forward of Staff HRC’s Tim Gajser, who has been the mannequin of consistency and brought benefit when Prado has struggled in moist circumstances.
Jeffrey Herlings has moved up into third within the collection for Purple Bull KTM Manufacturing unit Racing, sitting 66 factors behind the chief and in dire want of breaking his one-year successful drought if he’s to mount a problem for this 12 months’s world title. He handed the Kawasaki Racing Staff front-runner Romain Febvre for the season, because the Frenchman pulled out of race one in Germany because of ache from his injured proper thumb, and is questionable for this weekend’s occasion.
Herlings’ report of seven victories at Kegums consists of three wins in MX2 – in 2010 (his second ever GP win), 2013, and 2016, whereas he took MXGP honours in 2017, ’18, the third race there in 2020, and naturally final season. He additionally holds the race wins report of 14. Gajser has gained the general at Kegums 4 instances – 2016, ’19, ’21, and ’22 – with 6 race wins, however Prado has solely ever taken the winner’s trophy away as soon as, again in his dominant 2019 MX2 marketing campaign. His solely 450 win there was again in 2021. Febvre has been on the rostrum 5 instances however by no means fairly taken the general verdict in Latvia, regardless of taking race wins in 2015 & ‘16.
One other lively rider with fond recollections of Kegums is Fantic Manufacturing unit Racing MXGP star Glenn Coldenhoff. Two of his six profession GP wins have been right here, one in 2015 for Suzuki and extra lately the primary ever GP win for GASGAS within the first of the three 2020 occasions.
Pauls Jonass sadly suffered arm and shoulder accidents in a primary nook crash at Teutschenthal final weekend, which depart him unable to compete at his dwelling Grand Prix. A tragic blow for the Latvian hero who was having fun with his finest season within the class up to now, and all of us want him a speedy restoration.
With Jonass out of motion the Latvian crowd could have two wildcards to cheer on, within the form of Tomass Sileika and Uldis Freibergs, son of former Grand Prix rider Lauris.
A win for any of the main contenders could be an enormous psychological increase at one of many hardest tracks of the season, and the battle is certain to be as intense as ever!
The MX2 class has seen the momentum swing in three totally different instructions up to now, with Kay de Wolf taking the primary three GP wins for Nestaan Husqvarna Manufacturing unit Racing, Liam Everts the subsequent two for Purple Bull KTM Manufacturing unit Racing, and now it’s the different Husky-mounted star Lucas Coenen who has an lively streak of three in a row. This has seen him climb to second within the standings, 59 factors behind his pink plate holding teammate. Purple Bull GASGAS Manufacturing unit Racing man Simon Laengenfelder has been knocked again to 3rd, however that’s nonetheless credible for the German after he suffered a collarbone break in Portugal. He sits 4 factors again from Lucas.
Everts and his teammate Andrea Adamo, the reigning Champion within the class, are fourth and fifth, whereas Mikkel Haarup has moved as much as sixth for Monster Power Triumph Racing.
De Wolf is the one earlier winner at Kegums to line up in MX2 this 12 months, after his excellent 60-point haul in 2023 which earned him his first pink plate. He can be eager to place a stamp on the collection once more as a GP winner, one thing he has not been capable of repeat for the reason that MXGP of Sardegna, two months in the past. Nobody else within the class has even stood on the rostrum at this circuit earlier than, though Lucas Coenen took a second in race two final season.
The massive query is now who can cease the Husqvarna categorical prepare as they roll into one other sandy venue which is the place each of their riders are so sturdy! It might be a battle of the teammates, however don’t be shocked to see any of the opposite prime seven challengers to fireside themselves into competition!
