For the last time in the Bel Paese in 2024, the MXGP of Italy could prove crucial for the world championship ranking. The start of Race 2 put an end to Jorge Prado’s hopes, as he was involved in the start and was forced to retire with considerable pain in his knee. In the meantime, Tim Gajser flies, winning his second Grand Prix of the season despite a fall. On the podium Jeffrey Herlings and Jeremy Seewer, first with Kawasaki.
Jorge Prado falls disastrously, Tim Gajser wins and flies to +34
Precisely in Maggiora in the month of September Jorge Prado he had fulfilled his lifelong dream, that of becoming MXGP World champion. Less than a year later the GASGAS rider could say goodbye to the defense of the title thanks to a truly frightening fall at the start of Race 2. Having started rather well, the world champion was involved in a contact with Valentin Guillod and Jeremy Seewer. Prado was the one who got the worst of it, thrown into the center of the track by his motorbike and hit by Calvin Vlaanderen, then by many other riders. Prado, once he got up, resumed his journey and then stopped in the pits: the De Carli team promptly sent him back onto the track, but too much pain forced the Galician to retire. With 22 points from Race 1, Prado finished 10th in the general classification.
Tim Gajser certainly can’t do it twice, winning the second MXGP of the season after the one in St. Jean d’Angély. The Slovenian won Race 1 despite pressure from Prado and Jeffrey Herlings in the last minutes and it seemed he could easily replicate in the second heat. Unfortunately, a trivial fall on the 12th lap of the race did not allow the HRC driver to complete a perfect Sunday, thus having to settle for 2nd place in the heats behind Herlings. Gajser still maintained the lead in the general classification, winning for the third time in his career in Maggiora and flying at +34 on Prado in the world championship. Herlings, 3rd in Race 1 and winner of the second heat, finishes with 45 points and is 2nd on the podium.
Jeremy Seewer finds his first podium with Kawasaki, Italians in the shade
In the confusion of the MXGP of Italy, Kawasaki finds a Jeremy Seewer which vaguely resembles the one seen in Yamaha in recent seasons (also winner in Maggiora in 2023, ed). The former Yamaha gained the holeshot in Race 1, only to crash a few kilometers later and finish the first heat in 5th position. With most of the podium contenders slowed down by the group crash, Seewer ran the entire Race 2 solo in 3rd place, the same position he also held on the podium. Calvin Vlaanderen completes a dramatic comeback from the back to 5th place in Race 2: the Dutchman inadvertently hit Prado, thus losing a lot of time. Despite this, the 5th place in the heats gives the official Yamaha 4th place in the general ahead of the two Fantics of Brian Bogers And Glenn Coldenhoffwhich continue to amaze after the excellent result of Kegums last week.
The atypical Race 2 brought certainly unaccustomed drivers such as Benoit Paturel and Jan Pancar to the top of the rankings, 7th and 8th respectively ahead of the first Italian Andrea Bonacorsi. The official Yamaha rider was one of those involved in the initial crash, thus having to recover to 12th place in the heats. Just outside the top 10 Mattia Guadagnini, who finished 11th after a truly terrible first heat. The Nestaan Husqvarna rider crashed, finishing 14th: nothing to do with the partial 7th place in the afternoon heat. Ivo Monticelli finished 15th of the day with an excellent second heat which earned him a partial 11th place.
MXGP | Maggiora’s results
MX2 | Sacha Coenen repeats himself, Valerio Lata on the podium!
As always it is there MX2 the most unpredictable class and it confirms itself as such at the MXGP of Italy. If there is one certainty, after the first success last week, it is this Sacha Coenen. The smaller of the twins repeats himself after his first career goal seven days earlier in Kegums, Latvia, with a very similar Sunday. KTM’s #19 confirms itself as the king of starts among the 250cc, also winning two in Maggiora holeshot. If in Race 1 a small error occurred while he was in the lead, thus relegating him to 4th, in the decisive heat Coenen did nothing wrong. Leading from start to finish, Sacha Coenen resisted the pressure of his twin Lucas for the entire duration of the second heat. Partial and Grand Prix victory, therefore, for the KTM rider who manages to exploit the indecision of his tent companion Liam Everts. After the victory in the heat, the compatriot son of art was unable to repeat himself in the second heat, thus having to settle for a 2nd place of the day despite the great improvement compared to the last events.
The real hero of the day, however, is the wild-card Valerio Lata. The Roman, currently third in EMX250 (250cc European Championship, ed), surprised everyone in Maggiora. At the end of the day, Lata celebrated her first podium at world level at the end of a fantastic Sunday: after 5th place in Race 1, the junior GASGAS driver achieved a great start in the second heat. Once 3rd position was achieved, the #53 never let it slip away, defending itself tooth and nail from more experienced drivers like Everts and Simon Längenfelder (5th overall, ed), even made a mistake in an attempt to overtake the class of 2005. It is the Roman who prevents Everts from achieving the third victory of the season and, maintaining his position, wins 3rd place despite having the same number of points as Andrea Adam.
Andrea Adamo is 4th, difficult Sunday for Husqvarna
As anticipated, Andrea Adamo he loses the tie-break with his compatriot Lata to take what would have been a more than deserved podium. With 5th place of the day Längenfelder returns 2nd in the world rankings, given that both Husqvarnas suffered a significant setback on Italian soil. In fact, both Kay de Wolf and Lucas Coenen they were involved in a fall in the early stages of Race 1, thus being forced to make a comeback. The Dutchman finished the first stage 7th, while the Belgian finished the top 10. In Race 2 it was Coenen himself who saved the balance of the Austro-Swedish brand with an excellent 2nd place in the heats behind his brother Sacha. In reverse, Kay de Wolf he once again had to deal with an certainly unmemorable start, then failing to go beyond 6th place. This unexciting Sunday brings Coenen to 6th place overall ahead of de Wolf, with the Belgian also losing 2nd place in the world championship to the detriment of Längenfelder. De Wolf keeps his red plate steady with 48 points over his closest pursuer. Returning to the MXGP of Italy, Mikkel Haarup, Quentin Marc Prugnieres and Ferruccio Zanchi close the top 10 of the day.
MX2 | Maggiora’s results
Valentino Aggio
Read also: MXGP | Latvia: Jeffrey Herlings triumphs at Kegums one year later
