2024 MXGP of Turkiye Round 18 Results
Cycle News Staff | September 10, 2024
The closing stages of the FIM Motocross World Championship are upon us as round 18 of 20 took to the Afyon Motor Sports Center for the MXGP of Turkiye. Both championships are coming down to the wire with the underdogs looking to gain as many points as possible in these final rounds. Both Jorge Prado and Lucas Coenen claimed their overall wins and scored crucial points in the process.
MXGP
Jorge Prado needs every win he can get at this point. The defending MXGP champion came into the weekend 19 points down from rival Tim Gajser but managed to hold off the Sloveneian rider in both motos. Prado scored third in the opening race before holeshotting and leading wire-to-wire in race two.
The gap to second was close but never materialized into a passing opportunity. Prado held on for the second moto win and with it claimed the weekend’s overall victory. He gained five points on points leader Gajser and is now just 14 markers back with two rounds remaining.
“I really needed this victory,” said Prado. “I was so unlucky in the first moto, my pants opened on the first lap, and then in the last ten minutes the lens came off the frame of my goggles. It’s a shame to have so much bad luck when it was a moto I think I could have made passes and gone for the win. Then I came back strong in the second moto with a strong start. I made a little mistake and Gajser passed me – but I reacted straight away to regain position. We gained more points this weekend, and that is the goal right now.”
Gajser fought hard on the hard-packed Turkish soil but came away with second overall. His performance in the Ram Qualifying Race proved crucial as he still controls the points lead despite losing to Prado in both of Sunday’s motos. The Honda HRC rider stayed close to the defending champ and finished just one spot back in each race. With a 14 point lead and two rounds remaining, it’s clear we’ll have a fight on our hands for the next MXGP World Champion.
“After winning the qualification race I was excited to go racing today, but I didn’t quite have the same feeling on the track,” said Gajser. “What they did overnight didn’t really make the track better and it was very one-lined and I couldn’t make the pass in that second race. Still, I can’t be too disappointed as I’m still leading the championship with two rounds remaining and I’m confident I can get the job done.”
Jeremy Seewer came away third overall. A statement win in race one saw the Kawasaki rider lead from the get go as he held off charges from the former champions. The Swiss native opened up a gap over second place and claimed his first win of the season which also put him in contention for an overall podium. Seewer struggled in race two and started outside the top 10 before clawing his way back to sixth.
“Two different races, but I will take that race win above anything else,” Seewer said. “I mean, I still wanted to do a top three in race two, but start is everything here, and I got squeezed after the gate and then I had to make my way back. I almost passed Glen [Coldenhoff] in the end for P2 overall, but yeah, I take that, especially after that season.”
MX2
Lucas Coenen finds himself in a similar position in the MX2 division as he trails Husqvarna teammate Kay de Wolf in the overall championship. Coenen made the most of his time in Turkey with back-to-back moto wins and scored the maximum amount of points.
In race one, he battled early leader, Simon Längenfelder, and sealed the race-winning pass with just under two laps to go. Again in race two he stalked the points leader de Wolf until the final lap before making a striking pass for the lead. These decisive moves allowed Coenen to take a dominant 1-1 victory at round 18.
“It was a strong comeback after struggling in Switzerland,” said Coenen. “I made fewer mistakes here in Turkey. The first moto was slower to start, as I followed Simon Längenfelder’s lines, learning where to gain speed and make passes. In the second moto, I was behind Kay, and even though the track was tough to pass on, I went for it and took P1!”
De Wolf has the luxury of a large points gap which allows him to put things on cruise control for the final few rounds. A crash on the first lap of race one forced him to work his way through the field before crossing fourth at the line. He rebounded in the second moto with a big holeshot and ran away with the early lead. His teammate Coenen stayed close and made the deciding pass for the lead on the final lap. De Wolf’s 4-2 results still netted him second in the overall rankings and despite losing points on the day, he still sits 40-plus points up.
“Today was tough, especially this morning,” said De Wolf. “In the first moto, the track was really slippery, making passing difficult. However, I turned things around in the second moto. It was a good step forward for the overall picture.”
Simon Laengenfelder came away third overall. The GasGas rider continues to come on strong in the latter stages of the season and led nearly all of race one before ultimately finishing second. Another strong ride in race two saw him fight up to fourth place, earning him third on the day and narrowly beating Liam Everts for a spot on the podium.
“The track changed a lot from Saturday to Sunday, but I enjoyed both conditions,” said Laengenfelder. “It was really difficult to pass. The second moto, in particular, was tough to get that fourth position and keep it when you’re sandwiched between two riders. But we made it happen; third overall, which feels really good.”
