The MXGP of Portugal saw the most challenging weather of the 2024 season yet, even more than it did for Saturday’s RAM Qualifying Races. The distinctive red dirt of the Crossodromo Internacional de Agueda continued to take a battering from the weather, and it put a chaotic spin on the established order of the series so far!
Words and Images by Infront Moto Racing
MXGP saw a monumental battle between the two five-time World Champions, Team HRC’s Tim Gajser and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing man Jeffrey Herlings, and the pair shared the two race wins. However, the jubilant overall victor was Pauls Jonass, who took second in both races to top the podium for Standing Construct Honda MXGP!
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing celebrated a stunning win for Liam Everts in a mud masterclass that begun from the first drop of the gate, and apart from a few yards of race two the Belgian led the racing throughout the day as he completed his first maximum point haul for his fifth Grand Prix win. He has now climbed the standings up to an amazing third place after missing the opening round of the season!
Reigning MXGP World Champion and red plate holder Jorge Prado suffered his worst start of the season yet for Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing in race one, as Gajser claimed his first Fox Holeshot Award of the campaign so far. Romain Febvre started in second for the Kawasaki Racing Team, but Jeffrey Herlings fought hard to advance to the lead, and took it with a stunning first lap move on Gajser!
The Slovenian was not letting it go, however, and as the rain lashed down on the best fight of the season so far, two of the most successful Motocross riders of all-time swapped the lead back and forth! At the end of lap four, series leader Prado hit the soaking wet ground before the finish line jump to drop out of fourth place! After stopping to change both goggles and gloves, the reigning Champion came home in an eventual 15th position.
All eyes, however, were on the battle for the lead, and on lap six it was the Honda man that made the move, firing around the outside of Herlings in decisive fashion! Jeffrey wasn’t done however, and started to get close to Gajser again, until suddenly his machine came to a stop and the frustrated Dutchman had to walk back to the pits with no points to show for his best performance of the year so far.
Febvre was lurking for the entire race but a mistake before the finish line jump, within sight of the chequered flag, cost him second place to a consistent Jonass right at the end of race one! Fantic Factory Racing duo Glenn Coldenhoff and Brian Bogers completed the top five in a great race for the team. Gajser’s win and Prado’s 15th meant that the Slovenian had taken the lead in the points table and was ahead by 12!
By race two, after extensive track work from the hard-working crew, the rain had eased slightly, but that only served to thicken up the mud and make it stick to the bikes! Gajser looked like he had grabbed the holeshot, but the Honda slid out from under him through the first corner, and he was clipped by Febvre on the way down! This meant he had to stop a few laps in to tear off a flapping front mudguard. Ultimately, he worked forward from 15th to 10th place at the flag.
Just as the fortune swung Prado’s way as he collected his seventh Fox Holeshot Award of the year, the Spaniard then hit the ground himself heading down the hill to the third corner! Looking in pain and not enjoying the conditions, the red plate was gone, and a recovery to 12th leaves him 14 points behind Gajser as they head to his home race at Lugo next weekend!
Meanwhile, Herlings had taken command and settled into a dominant rhythm that meant he couldn’t be caught. He won the 195th Grand Prix race of his career by 23.5 seconds from a thrilled Jonass, who had held onto second throughout. Febvre was a solid third, but got cross-rutted and fell on lap nine, losing the position to privateer Cornelius Toendel on the Schmicker Racing KTM! Febvre did briefly make a pass on the Norwegian, but Toendel didn’t let it go and passed the Frenchman back immediately, bringing it home for a wildly-celebrated third place finish!
Jonass’ victory was his 12th in Grand Prix racing, but his first in the MXGP class. His last victory had come nearly six whole years ago in MX2, and it was also the first MXGP victory for an independent team since Standing Construct won with Bogers back in July 2022! He moves to within six points of 4th-placed Herlings, with Febvre third, 18 behind Prado and 32 behind new leader Gajser.
The fight is still on!
Pauls Jonass: “This year, our main goal was to be consistent, enjoy my riding, enjoy racing. We work very hard in the winter time with the team and we improved a lot from last year and it’s paying off as, you can see the results! Now, it’s staying consistent! I really enjoyed the mud today. I hve to give amassive shout out to all the team, the sponsors and the supporters, my wife at home and I look forward to go home!
Romain Febvre: “I wouldn’t say that I stayed out of trouble this weekend but you know it was really tough condition, tough to ride for everybody. I took two good starts and in race 1 I was behind Tim (Gajser) and battled with him but with one lap to go, I passed the finish line and crashed, full of mud …crashed again before the finish line and lost the second place there. Then in the second race I hope Tim is okay after the start as he slid in front of me and I couldn’t avoid him entirely but in the end, I got third so I’m a bit disappointed as I feel I could have made it but overall picture it is very good for the championship”
MXGP – Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 36:39.323; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Honda), +0:43.860; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:13.584; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +2:31.670; 5. Brian Bogers (NED, Fantic), +2:34.973; 6. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Yamaha), +3:40.726; 7. Ben Watson (GBR, Beta), -1 lap(s); 8. Isak Gifting (SWE, Yamaha), -1 lap(s); 9. Jan Pancar (SLO, KTM), -1 lap(s); 10. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Honda), -1 lap(s)
MXGP – Race 2 – Top 10 Classification 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 38:10.525; 2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Honda), +0:23.566; 3. Cornelius Toendel (NOR, KTM), +0:26.802; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:41.415; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Kawasaki), +1:27.318; 6. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Honda), +1:36.669; 7. Brian Bogers (NED, Fantic), +1:59.540; 8. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Yamaha), +2:09.959; 9. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +2:14.879; 10. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +2:37.624;
MXGP Overall – Top 10 Classification: 1. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HON), 44 points; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 38 p.; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 36 p.; 4. Brian Bogers (NED, FAN), 30 p.; 5. Cornelius Toendel (NOR, KTM), 29 p.; 6. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, YAM), 28 p.; 7. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 26 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 26 p.; 9. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 25 p.; 10. Alvin Östlund (SWE, HON), 20 p
MXGP World Championship – Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 252 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 238 p.; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 220 p.; 4. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 198 p.; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HON), 192 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, KAW), 157 p.; 7. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 151 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 149 p.; 9. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 108 p.; 10. Ben Watson (GBR, BET), 92 p
MXGP Manufacturers – Top 10 Classification: 1. Honda, 267 points; 2. GASGAS, 238 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 233 p.; 4. KTM, 210 p.; 5. Yamaha, 189 p.; 6. Fantic, 155 p.; 7. Beta, 97 p.; 8. Husqvarna, 20 p.
The conditions caused some serious problems for the MX2 pack and their hard-working smaller engines, but for Liam Everts it was just another day of Trials bike training as he spent most of the race up on the footpegs and picking his way through the morass in a stunning display of controlled riding.
Taking his first Fox Holeshot of the season in race one, Everts was tailed by Rick Elzinga, the Dutchman relishing the soft going for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2, and championship chaser Simon Laengenfelder for Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing. Lucas Coenen tried a move on the German but the front wheel of the Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing machine dug in and he crashed for the first time, but certainly not the last!
His teammate Kay de Wolf was in a better position than on Saturday and picked his way steadily forward in the race. By lap nine, the series leader had got past his countryman Elzinga, and only lost two points to Laengenfelder by finishing third behind the GASGAS man. Behind Elzinga came his teammate Thibault Benistant, after a thrilling late battle with Andrea Adamo, who dropped his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing bike on the last lap after tangling with a lapped rider, but still finished sixth!
In race two, Everts was just beaten to the Fox Holeshot Award by Elzinga, but it didn’t last long as the Belgian eased into the lead through the second corner. JM Honda Racing man Hakon Osterhagen started well, but Adamo was down in a quagmire early on and could only recover to 7th.
Laengenfelder had advanced to second, looking like the only rider with a chance of matching Everts, but hit the ground hard on the first lap and immediately clutched his collarbone as he got back up. His race was over, and we await further news from the team about his participation at Lugo.
Osterhagen was in a strong second despite some ragged moments, but on lap eight the Norwegian fell down the order, finishing 19th for 14th overall. Elzinga brought the Yamaha home in a solid second, good enough for second overall, again just ahead of his teammate Benistant. The Frenchman had battled with Lucas Coenen and surprise package Jens Walvoort on the SB Racing KTM, but would finish fourth at the close. Third would go to Monster Energy Triumph Racing’s sole campaigner Mikkel Haarup, who lost his teammate Camden McLellan to injury on Saturday.
Walvoort was the last rider to not be lapped by Everts at the close, and his 10-5 finishes would be enough for 6th overall behind Adamo! De Wolf had struggled all race and would come home in 9th, but Laengenfelder’s DNF leaves him with a 30-point lead in the standings, while Everts has incredibly risen to third, 58 points behind the Dutchman!
With the first quarter of the Championships already completed, the series heads around 400 km north to the new venue of Lugo, where Jorge Prado’s army of fans will look to cheer him back to the ownership of the red plate, whilst MX2 remains as wild and unpredictable as ever!
Liam Everts: “It’s a real dream comes true to get a double race win, and maximum points with the RAM Qualifying also. It’s something really special. It’s an inconi venue again where my dad won many times. It’s cool, you know, I’m stoked and I couldn’t do that alone. Thanks to my family, the group around me and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing”
Rick Elzinga: “It is amazing and I’m very happy to get my first podium. I feel great right now! These conditions were tough but I grew up riding in the forest in conditions sometimes similar to trial so I feel that is a skill that helped today for sure!”
Thibault Benistant: “To be on the podium for the second time in a row is a great achievement. Mainly as I still don’t feel entirely free n the bike. IT’s positive to see that I can still get good results and important as the season is long and consistency is vital but I really hope I can ride exactly as I want very soon.”
MX2 – Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 35:04.844; 2. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:05.880; 3. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:33.021; 4. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:43.476; 5. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:48.204; 6. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +1:02.909; 7. Hakon Osterhagen (NOR, Honda), +1:44.217; 8. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +2:26.182; 9. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, Kawasaki), -1 lap(s); 10. Jens Walvoort (NED, KTM), -1 lap(s)
MX2 – Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 38:19.181; 2. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +1:21.173; 3. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Triumph), +2:25.313; 4. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +2:28.797; 5. Jens Walvoort (NED, KTM), +2:50.885; 6. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, Kawasaki), -1 lap(s); 7. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), -1 lap(s); 8. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s); 9. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), -1 lap(s); 10. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), -1 lap(s)
MX2 Overall – Top 10 Classification: 1. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 50 points; 2. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 40 p.; 3. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 34 p.; 4. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 32 p.; 5. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 29 p.; 6. Jens Walvoort (NED, KTM), 27 p.; 7. Quentin Marc Prugnieres (FRA, KAW), 27 p.; 8. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, TRI), 23 p.; 9. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 22 p.; 10. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 18 p.
MX2 World Championship – Top 10 Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 246 points; 2. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 216 p.; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 188 p.; 4. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 185 p.; 5. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 171 p.; 6. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 168 p.; 7. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 159 p.; 8. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, TRI), 154 p.; 9. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 126 p.; 10. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 104 p
MX2 Manufacturers – Top 10 Classification: 1. Husqvarna, 256 points; 2. KTM, 243 p.; 3. GASGAS, 218 p.; 4. Yamaha, 207 p.; 5. Triumph, 179 p.; 6. Kawasaki, 102 p.; 7. Honda, 75 p.; 8. Fantic, 62 p.; 9. TM, 16 p
