From the deep, sandy terrain of the Netherlands, the FIM Motocross World Championship transfers to the grasslands of central Europe, as the MXGP of Switzerland Presented by iXS welcomes round 17 to the Schweizer Zucker circuit in the north-eastern city of Frauenfeld.
Words and Images by Infront Moto Racing
One of 10 separate venues to host World Championship Motocross in Switzerland, the Frauenfeld facility held its first GP back in 1981, a 125cc event won by a teenage Eric Geboers on his factory Suzuki, although it was Italian legend Michele Rinaldi who won the first individual race on his Gilera. A year later American legend Johnny O’Mara took a double-race 125cc victory here in his only GP outside of the USA. A third GP in 1983 was won by Georges Jobe in the 250cc class, but it would be 33 years before Grand Prix Motocross would return to the area.
Antonio Cairoli and Max Anstie were the MXGP and MX2 winners at the re-designed track in its 2016 return, but the most successful rider at this particular venue is once again Jeffrey Herlings of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, who took victory in 2017 and 2018. Last season it was “Le Marseillaise” that rang out around Frauenfeld in both classes thanks to Monster Energy Yamaha Factory racers Maxime Renaux and Thibault Benistant, both of whom are sadly unable to join us for the 2024 event.
Swiss racers Jeremy Seewer for the Kawasaki Racing Team, Valentin Guillod for Team Ship To Cycle Honda Motoblouz SR, and Kevin Brumann for Team SixtySeven Husqvarna, will all fly the flag proudly at Frauenfeld, and Seewer in particular will look to go one better than the two second-place trophies he has earned here before!
With just three rounds to take place after this one, the season is approaching its vital final stages, and while Tim Gajser still leads the MXGP class for Team HRC, he has seen his advantage reduced to single figures, just nine points ahead of Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s reigning World Champion Jorge Prado. Both men have declared that the remaining tracks in the calendar are good for them, but they also have to watch out for Herlings, who has closed to within 35 points of the series leader after his double victory at Arnhem.
The MX2 class has looked more competitive in action than on paper all season long, but Kay de Wolf and his Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing teammate Lucas Coenen both have their sights set on claiming the first world title for the brand under Austrian ownership. With 44 points between them, Lucas will need others to get between them, and Simon Laengenfelder is hoping to bounce back for Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing after a disappointing MXGP of The Netherlands, especially as he will have a lot of support just 20km away from the German border!
The epic EMX250 Championship battle resumes this weekend, with just 15 points covering the top three of last year’s EMX125 winner Mathis Valin for Bud Racing Kawasaki, Cas Valk of the Gabriel SS24 KTM team, and Valerio Lata for Beddini GASGAS Factory Juniors. Tall Swiss racer Nico Greutmann lies sixth in the points and will be hoping for podium success on the Cat Moto Bauerschmidt Husqvarna.
Another tight points situation faces the top riders in the penultimate round of the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing European Championship, with just five points separating the season-long red plate holder Noel Zanocz for Fantic Factory Racing EMX125 and the Racestore KTM Factory Rookies flyer Gyan Doensen! The Dutchman took a double victory at home in Arnhem and with just Frauenfeld and Cozar left to race he is knocking on the door of the Hungarian as we enter the final two rounds of the series!
The situation continues to get closer between the leading riders in the MXGP World Championship, as the titanic three-way battle between multiple World Champions Tim Gajser, Jorge Prado, and Jeffrey Herlings continues to rage through the season!
After another incredible performance in the sand at Arnhem, Herlings must feel optimistic that the 35-point deficit to the top of the table, which is the closest he’s been since round two, is something that he can hack down with the speed that he has shown even on harder surfaces this season. The key for him has to be the start, his real Achilles’ Heel this year, as he will be unable to reel in his competitors on the tracks to come at the same rate as he has in the sand. “The Bullet” has to make up just under nine points per round, which is certainly attainable, and his good history of two GP wins, including three individual race wins at the Frauenfeld venue.
Series leader Gajser took the second race win at the first event on the revamped circuit here in 2016, but hasn’t competed here since 2018. Prado took the overall victory in MX2 back in 2018, and won the opening race here last year to finish second overall behind Renaux. Both of the top two will fancy their chances against Herlings on the hard-pack surface, despite the Dutchman’s excellent record here.
There will be a notable wild card appearance for a real Swiss favourite, as Arnaud Tonus lines up for Hostettler Yamaha at the site of his only MXGP class race success. He won the first race in 2017 and still won the Swiss Championship, so the 33-year-old could surprise a few!
There is just one other rider who will line up at Frauenfeld with a GP win to his name here, and that is French De Baets Yamaha MX-Team lone wolf Benoit Paturel! The Frenchman took his only ever GP winner’s trophy home from this venue back in 2017, scoring 2-1 finishes to deny home favourite Jeremy Seewer.
Seewer himself would love to take his first GP win in his home country after a disastrous weekend last year, but he hasn’t finished on the podium here since that 2017 event. He is close to moving up to fourth in the standings, and for sure his vocal local fans will get behind him! His Kawasaki Racing Team stablemate Romain Febvre has been on the MXGP podium here at every visit apart from 2017, when he just missed out, and was third overall last year. His pace has been growing since his return from injury and he could get amongst the title contenders this weekend!
Just outside of the top five, Glenn Coldenhoff moved up to sixth with his brilliant performance at his home GP for Fantic Factory Racing, and home hero Guillod will enjoy his home turf as he tries to defend ninth in the series from Coldenhoff’s teammate Brian Bogers, who has just climbed into the top ten himself!
The stakes are high on the firm ground of Frauenfeld to show who is the best on hard-pack heading into the final three rounds!
MXGP – World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 801 Points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 792 Points; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 766 Pts; 4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 550 Pts; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, KAW), 547 Pts; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 495 Pts; 7. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 492 Points; 8. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 359 Pts; 9. Valentin Guillod (SUI, HON), 306 Pts; 10. Brian Bogers (NED, FAN), 283 Pts.
The tension at the top of the MX2 Championship table is starting to build to a fever pitch, as the duelling Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing teammates Kay de Wolf and Lucas Coenen head to Switzerland with the Belgian chaser reducing the Dutchman’s gap to 44 points. Recent mistakes from De Wolf have helped Coenen’s cause, and although he needs to claw back an average of 11 points per round, it’s the big chunks of points that Kay has given away that will give Lucas hope that it can be done. De Wolf did finish third overall here last year with 2-4 finishes, having a much better day than Lucas did, but a lot has changed since then!
Behind the leading two, Simon Laengenfelder had his worst weekend of the season at Arnhem, and will be hoping to bounce back on a surface where he should be more competitive. Reigning Champion Andrea Adamo has raised himself back up to fifth in the series behind his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Liam Everts, and took second overall here last year behind Benistant.
Once more, nobody in the MX2 line-up has won a race at Frauenfeld, as the first race was won by Dutchman Roan van de Moosdijk, although Rick Elzinga scored an EMX125 podium here in 2018, and is hopeful of improving from seventh in the series, where he sits behind the Monster Energy Triumph Racing rider Mikkel Haarup.
MX2 – World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 777 Points; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 733 Pts; 3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 676 Points; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 636 Pts; 5. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 545 Pts; 6. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, TRI), 542 Pts; 7. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 492 Pts; 8. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 444 Pts; 9. Camden McLellan (RSA, TRI), 315 Pts; 10. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, HON), 290 Pts.
TIMETABLE
SATURDAY: 7:30 EMX125 Group 1 Free practice, 8:00 EMX125 Group 2 Free practice, 08:30 MXe Free practice, 8:50 EMX250 Free practice, 09:20 EMX125 Group 1 Qualifying practice, 09:55 EMX125 Group 2 Qualifying Practice, 10:30 MX2 Free Practice, 11:00 MXGP OAT Free Practice, 11:45 EMX250 Qualifying practice, 12:20 MXGP Wildcard Free/Qualifying practice, 13:20 MXe Race 1, 13:40 MX2 Time Practice, 14:15 MXGP Time Practice, 15:00 EMX125 Race 1, 15:45 EMX250 Race 1, 16:35 MX2 RAM Qualifying Race, 17:25 MXGP RAM Qualifying Race.
SUNDAY: 09:45 EMX125 Race 2, 10:25 MX2 Warm-up, 10:45 MXGP Warm-up, 11:30 EMX250 Race 2, 12:20 MXe Race 2, 13:15 MX2 Race 1, 14:15 MXGP Race 1, 16:10 MX2 Race 2, 17:10 MXGP Race 2.
