As the MX2 World Championship returned to mainland Europe and Italy for round four, the impressive results from both Monster Energy Triumph Racing riders, Camden McLellan and Mikkel Haarup, certainly continued. Faring best, McLellan placed fifth overall, while Haarup secured eighth after two races around a tough and technical race track.
Words by Monster Energy Triumph Racing – Images courtesy of Ray Archer
Becoming more confident with every passing round, McLellan was once again on form at the fourth round of the series. One week on from landing on the overall podium in third in Sardinia, the South African was eager to impress. Starting just inside the top 10 in race one, a battle for the top five ensued with Camden holding ninth until three laps to go when a courageous effort saw him advance to fifth for 16 championship points.
Shortly after the start gate dropped for race two, McLellan soon found himself competing for position inside the top 10. From lap seven onwards, the TF 250-X racer engaged in a race long battle with reigning MX2 World Champion, Andrea Adamo, but was unable to find a way through. At the end of what was a confidence-inspiring ride, McLellan placed seventh for fifth overall and now lies eighth in the series standings.
Haarup, like his teammate McLellan, was also on the charge in race one. After moving from fifth to third within a matter of laps as the moto neared its conclusion, an issue on the final lap relegated the Dane to ninth. For much of race two, Mikkel held fourth until a small mistake allowed Thibault Benistant past. The 22-year-old was unable to find a way back around his rival and crossed the line in fifth for eighth overall and retains sixth in the championship standings after four rounds.
Camden McLellan: “That’s the weekend here in Trentino wrapped up. A solid weekend I’d say. I felt good on the bike and today I had good starts, but I just took a little bit too long to get going in both races. We now have a couple of weeks off and then it’s back to it in Portugal for round five.”
Mikkel Haarup: “We’re now done for round four and it’s been another good weekend. I felt a little unwell but nothing too serious, and I was able to deliver two good races and put good points on the board. All in all, I’m happy with my weekend, and my riding on both days. I’m excited for Portugal in a few weeks and I’m sure the good results will continue.”
Vincent Bereni – Monster Energy Triumph Racing Team Manager: “It’s been an up and down weekend for the team. Both riders had good speed and good starts, and they qualified well. In the races, we were in position for another podium with Mikkel, however, a small issue prevented that from happening. For Camden, he again rode well and as a team, we’ll keep working ahead of Portugal in three weeks’ time.”
Results – MXGP of Trentino
MX2 Race 1:
1. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 35:12.455
2. Thibault Benistant (Yamaha) 35:16.205
3. Liam Everts (KTM) 35:31.651
4. Rick Elzinga (Yamaha) 35:39.254
5. Camden McLellan (Triumph) 35:42.790
6. Marc-Antoine Rossi (GASGAS) 35:47.082
9. Mikkel Haarup (Triumph) 35:54.008
MX2 Race 2:
1. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS) 35:31.370
2. Liam Everts (KTM) 35:41.353
3. Andrea Bonacorsi (Yamaha) 35:44.987
4. Thibault Benistant (Yamaha) 35:50.754
5. Mikkel Haarup (Triumph) 35:53.325
6. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 35:59.054
7. Camden McLellan (Triumph) 36:03.258
MX2 Overall
1. Liam Everts (KTM) 42pts
2. Thibault Benistant (Yamaha) 40pts
3. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS) 38pts
4. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 38pts
5. Camden McLellan (Triumph) 30pts
6. Andrea Bonacorsi (Yamaha) 29pts
8. Mikkel Haarup (Triumph) 28pts
MX2 World Championship Standings
1. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 213pts
2. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS) 187pts
3. Thibault Benistant (Yamaha) 148pts
4. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 147pts
5. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 139pts
6. Mikkel Haarup (Triumph) 131pts
8. Camden McLellan (Triumph) 126pts
