The wonderful Circuit de Puy Poursay close to the village of Saint Jean d’Angely noticed a sizeable crowd braving combined climate circumstances for the primary day of the MXGP of Europe, the third spherical of the 2025 FIM Motocross World Championships!
The MXGP Qualifying Race noticed a sensational first profession win on a 450 for Purple Bull KTM Manufacturing facility Racing rookie Lucas Coenen, seeing off a late cost from Championship chief Tim Gajser, who prolonged his factors lead for Honda HRC as his teammate Ruben Fernandez took third place.
The French followers made loads of noise throughout the MX2 Qualifying Race as Thibault Benistant took his Monster Power Yamaha Manufacturing facility MX2 machine to a loudly-hailed second Qualifying victory in a row! That was after an eventful race that noticed points for reigning World Champion Kay de Wolf, as his Nestaan Husqvarna Manufacturing facility Racing teammate Liam Everts took over the crimson plate in MX2, with third behind Purple Bull KTM Manufacturing facility Racing’s Simon Laengenfelder.
The climate may nonetheless have a hand to play on this Grand Prix weekend, nevertheless, and the Paddock is holding its collective breath to see what Mom Nature serves up on Sunday!
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Tim Gajser has taken the final three GP victories right here at St Jean, and regarded in nice type with the quickest time in each Free and Time Apply periods, though native favorite Romain Febvre was proper behind him in second place within the last timesheets.
Bolting from the center of the beginning straight, nevertheless, was Lucas Coenen, who pulled the form of Holeshot normally reserved for his brother Sacha, and began to tug away from TEM JP253 KTM Racing privateer Jan Pancar, who had obtained the beginning of his life in entrance of each different manufacturing unit bike on the grid!
Pancar needed to duel with residence hero Maxime Renaux, who finally needed to go the Slovenian twice in a race the place the Monster Power Yamaha Manufacturing facility MXGP rider regarded quick, however was pushed again by small errors. Honda HRC duo Gajser and Fernandez took second and third when Renaux stalled the bike proper in entrance of the packed followers’ space, however was urged on to get well to an excellent fourth by the end.
Pancar began to slip down the order progressively, as Romain Febvre took fifth for Kawasaki Racing Workforce MXGP, additionally passing Monster Power Yamaha Manufacturing facility MXGP star Calvin Vlaanderen, who would come residence in sixth place. One other blue bike, the JK Racing Yamaha of Isak Gifting, took seventh with a robust trip, and Pauls Jonass made a final lap go on Pancar to assert eighth for Kawasaki Racing Workforce MXGP. Quick-starting Norwegian Kevin Horgmo grabbed the ultimate level for Workforce Honda Motoblouz SR Motul.
In the meantime Lucas Coenen, on a circuit the place he has by no means misplaced a race in both the MX2 or the EMX250 class, cruising to victory, till Gajser closed onto his again wheel midway across the last lap! {The teenager} didn’t lose his cool, nevertheless, and poured on the tempo to win by a last margin of simply over two and a half seconds! After taking ten MX2 Qualifying Race wins in his profession, his first within the premier class will little doubt style as candy as the entire others put collectively!
With Renaux overtaking Febvre for second within the sequence, Gajser’s Championship benefit grew to 23 factors, and with such an excellent file at this circuit underneath his belt, he’ll nonetheless really feel assured heading into the 2 races tomorrow! We may very well be in for a surprising battle between the 2 titans of St Jean on the MXGP of Europe!
Luicas Coenen: ” I obtained a very good begin—we figured it out with the group, and it felt nice. Like I’ve mentioned earlier than, Rome wasn’t inbuilt a day. I struggled lots at first of the season, however now I’m beginning to discover my rhythm once more, and I beloved each little bit of it. I used to be a bit pressured—Tim is a five-time world champion, and he was pushing arduous. It jogged my memory of after we had been using at his residence monitor final 12 months. However total, I’m actually pleased with the way it went. Tomorrow is a brand new day, we’ll give it our greatest!”
MXGP – Qualifying Race – Classification: 1. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 24:13.494; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:02.562; 3. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:22.295; 4. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:28.910; 5. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:34.977; 6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:37.103; 7. Isak Gifting (SWE, Yamaha), +0:39.419; 8. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Kawasaki), +0:40.275; 9. Jan Pancar (SLO, KTM), +0:41.089; 10. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Honda), +0:54.893
MXGP – World Championship Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 117 factors; 2. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 94 p.; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 94 p.; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 79 p.; 5. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 67 p.; 6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 61 p.; 7. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, FAN), 56 p.; 8. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KAW), 56 p.; 9. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 56 p.; 10. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, DUC), 52 p.
After his greatest weekend but on the earlier spherical, Honda HRC rider Ferruccio Zanchi took the quickest time within the morning’s Free Apply session, nevertheless it was residence hero Thibault Benistant who raised the voices of the gang by edging forward of the Italian to high the tables in Time Apply for Monster Power Yamaha Manufacturing facility MX2!
The Holeshot of the race was disputed between De Wolf and beginning grasp Sacha Coenen, and the Purple Bull KTM Manufacturing facility Racing man grabbed the early lead and regarded to take off on the entrance. Laengenfelder moved ahead previous Benistant’s teammate Karlis Reisulis, however French followers had been dismayed to see Kawasaki Racing Workforce MX2 rookie Mathis Valin tip over on simply the fourth nook whereas in fifth place!
Coenen and De Wolf regarded safe out entrance, as Benistant superior to 3rd previous Laengenfelder on lap six. All of it modified in dramatic style, nevertheless, when De Wolf was all of the sudden unable to make it up one of many greater hills on the monitor! He obtained going once more briefly, however stabbing on the gear lever yielded no outcomes and he needed to pull off the circuit on lap eight for his first zero rating in any race for nicely over a 12 months!
Nonetheless the race had extra surprises in retailer, because the rain intensified to make the hard-pack floor more and more slippery. Sacha Coenen, seemingly snug within the lead, suffered a violent crash by some promoting boards and on to the beginning straight, though he confirmed his toughness by remounting in third place.
Behind the leaders, Zanchi superior from exterior the highest twenty to assert the ultimate level in tenth, as Reisulis dropped again early on, then fought ahead to take eighth from Venrooy KTM’s Cas Valk on the ultimate lap. Valerio Lata took seventh place for Honda HRC, his first Qualifying Race factors in MX2.
Clearly in ache, Coenen slipped again to sixth as his teammate Andrea Adamo handed him on the ultimate lap. Monster Power Triumph Racing star Camden McLellan loved one other good Saturday with fourth, and Liam Everts took a usually constant third behind Laengenfelder, because the Belgian takes possession of the crimson plate for tomorrow in opposition to the entire pre-season odds.
The gang totally loved seeing Benistant romp to victory, his second in two weekends for Monster Power Yamaha Manufacturing facility MX2. He nonetheless sits sixth within the sequence however is now simply two factors behind Coenen in fifth. De Wolf will as soon as once more line up on Sunday with black plates however is barely two factors behind his teammate and hungry for redemption!
As soon as extra the MX2 class is sort of inconceivable to name for tomorrow’s MXGP of Europe, and the crimson plate pinball may nonetheless see it swap locations but once more! Don’t miss the motion from each courses at spherical three of the FIM Motocross World Championships!
Thibault Benistant: ” I really got here right here to win that one—it was a superb feeling. I wasn’t main at first, I feel I had a small difficulty with the bike, and Sacha (Coenen) made a bit of mistake. The monitor was a bit slippery, however in the long run, I took the win—and that’s what we’ll bear in mind from that qualifying. I’m pleased with the consequence, and completely happy to make the followers smile too.”
MX2 – Qualifying Race – Classification: 1. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), 23:50.247; 2. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:07.927; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:13.823; 4. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:14.210; 5. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:19.146; 6. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:20.004; 7. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +0:28.131; 8. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +0:39.531; 9. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), +0:40.976; 10. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +0:43.446
MX2 – World Championship Classification: . Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 99 factors; 2. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 97 p.; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 87 p.; 4. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 77 p.; 5. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 76 p.; 6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 73 p.; 7. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), 63 p.; 8. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, HON), 54 p.; 9. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 49 p.; 10. Guillem Farres (ESP, TRI), 46 p
MXGP OF EUROPE QUICK FACTS:Circuit size: 1610mType of floor: Laborious PackTemperature: 9°Climate circumstances: Wet
TIMETABLESUNDAY:08:45 EMX125 Race 2, 09:25 MX2 Heat-up, 09:45 MXGP Heat-up, 10:30 EMX250 Race 2, 12:15 MX2 Race 1, 13:15 MXGP Race 1, 15:10 MX2 Race 2, 16:10 MXGP Race 2.
For extra information take a look at our devoted MXGP/MX2 Information web page
Or go to the official MXGP web site mxgp.com
©Phrases/Pictures are from an official press launch posted courtesy of www.mxgp.com
