Jorge Prado storms to his third consecutive overall win of 2024, while MX2 riders Längenfelder and Rossi secure solid MX2 finishes
- Jorge Prado treats fans to a sand masterclass winning both motos in Sardegna
- Simon Längenfelder maintains second in the MX2 championship with valuable points hauls
- Marc Antoine Rossi secures double top-10 finishes moving him to 8th in the championship
Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing MXGP racer Jorge Prado was crowned the new king of sand at Riola Sardo, with three wins on the spin, after he left his rivals trailing at the MXGP of Sardegna. The reigning champion won Saturday’s qualifying race, both motos on Sunday, and secured the Fox Holeshot Prize.
In every outing, Prado treated fans to a masterclass of MXGP, while smashing his rivals’ hopes that the deep sand of the 1750m circuit would give them a chance to nip at his heels.
From the moment the gate dropped in moto one, Prado was a man on a mission. With ultimate speed and style, he carved out an early lead over rival Tim Gajser. Prado’s pace was relentless, and his control over his GASGAS MC 450F was supreme. By the end of lap one, he had already established a 1.641-second gap over Tim Gajser, a lead he would only extend as the race progressed. After 18 laps of unyielding pace, Prado blasted across the finish line to confirm his fourth win of the season.
As the afternoon sun began to dip, casting long shadows over the sand, Jorge Prado once again stepped up to deliver an unforgettable performance in MXGP’s second moto. Blasting out of the gate with the same ferocity and determination seen in moto one, Prado claimed the lead by the second turn, leaving the competition to battle for the remaining spots. His ride was another blend of epic pace and precision, and despite being chased hard by KTM rider Jeffrey Herlings, who eventually crashed while in pursuit on lap 10; Prado cruised home to victory. The result propels Prado further into the championship lead with 174 points.
Meanwhile, in MX2, Simon Längenfelder showed impressive form in the treacherous deep sandy conditions. After securing 5th in qualifying, the young German had a mixed start in the first moto, initially slipping to 6th position. Undeterred, Längenfelder fought back, momentarily climbing as high as 4th. However, the opening moto’s challenges saw him eventually cross the finish line in 7th. In the second moto, Längenfelder went bar-to-bar with rival Lucas Coenen, fighting for second position. However, in the second half of the race, the strength-sapping deep sand took its toll, and Längenfelder slipped to fourth. Rival Andrea Adamo was later disqualified for not coming to a complete stop in pit lane, which promoted Längenfelder to 3rd. Teammate Marc Antoine Rossi banked another solid moto’s worth of experience throughout his weekend in Sardegna, recording a top 12 spot in qualifying, as well as 11th and 10th place finishes, resulting in a 10th overall placing. Impressively, Rossi now sits in eighth position in the championship standings with 80 points.
The FIM World Motocross Championship continues its run of back-to-back weekends, moving to the legendary Pietramurata circuit in the picturesque Trentino region of Italy on April 14th. Stay tuned!
MXGP – #1 – Jorge Prado: “I’m in a good moment right now – I’m feeling great with the bike, and doing great work with the team. I feel good physically and have been training super hard. Everything is going great right now! I got two good starts in both motos and made no mistakes. I controlled the race and just tried to push until the other riders couldn’t hold on anymore. It was just about that – the track was so physical! I’m really happy to win here in the sand again, and hopefully we can continue the 1-1 pace next weekend. It has been a long time since I got an overall win in the sand – I’ve come close a few times, but after today I guess you can call me sandman again!”
MX2 – #516 – Simon Längenfelder: “The weekend was challenging. I was quite happy with a fifth place finish in qualifying, but the thing was in practice I had a big crash and twisted my neck -which was quite painful. After that I was just happy to be able to race with no issues. Then on Sunday, I felt physically better – but still felt a little bit strange at points. I got a good start, and thought I had good pace, but after 20 minutes, I was just so tired and my lap times dropped off. I still managed to finish seventh. And in the second race I was battling for second and third. Andrea Adamo passed me – which put me back to fourth, but he was disqualified, so I got third position. To be in fourth overall, with only two points to third position is positive for sure, and I’m happy with the second race!”
MX2 – #28 – Marc-Antoine Rossi: “This weekend was another step forward for me, and finishing in the top 12 in qualifying was super positive. The races were challenging, but I managed to secure 11th and 10th places, which I’m really happy about. I’m aiming for consistent improvement, and landing 10th overall here in the deep sand is super rewarding. Now I’m sitting eighth in the championship standings – this is something I couldn’t have imagined at the start of the season. Every moto is a chance to learn and get better, and that’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m grateful for the support from the team and looking forward to carrying this momentum forward. I’m looking forward to Trentino!”
