Jeffrey Herlings and Simon Langenfelder Set The Pace at the MXGP of Great Britain Qualifying

The 2025 FIM Motocross World Championship fired back into action with Round 12 at a dry and sun-soaked Matterley Basin for the MXGP of Great Britain.

With conditions worlds apart from past muddy editions of the event, the hot summer sun hardened the Winchester soil, presenting the world’s best with a fast but slick circuit.

The KTM team left their mark once again, with Jeffrey Herlings claiming back-to-back Qualifying Race victories in MXGP and Simon Längenfelder dominating MX2.

MXGP

In MXGP, Herlings wasted no time slicing his way to the front after briefly tangling off the line with Isak Gifting. He quickly made decisive passes on Lucas Coenen and Glenn Coldenhoff—who grabbed his first Saturday holeshot of the season—before taking control of the race.

Championship leader Romain Febvre was also on the move, pushing past Gifting and later Coenen to charge into second. A late-race push brought him right up to the rear wheel of Herlings, but the Frenchman couldn’t find the visibility or grip to make the pass in the dust-filled air.

“Overall it was a good day and I felt really comfortable on the bike,” Febvre explained. “The start is always a little different here with the downhill immediately out of the gate; I didn’t get a really good jump but I could compensate through the turn to come out top-six and then I made my way through to second. It was a good battle with Jeffrey the last five or six laps and I could close him down but there was just too much dust to make the pass; I could not see when I got close and had to wait. It’s a shame but second was ok.”

Despite the pressure, Herlings held strong to the flag. “I’m happy to take another qualifying win, second in a row,” he said. “Romain kept the pressure on the whole way, but I managed to hold on. Still, the real work starts tomorrow, so we’ll give it everything and see where we end up.”

Coldenhoff held on for a solid third, with Ruben Fernandez pushing up to fourth ahead of Coenen. Calvin Vlaanderen made late moves in the race to take sixth, followed by Kevin Horgmo, Jan Pancar, Brian Bogers, and Jeremy Seewer who rounded out the top ten.

Febvre continues to hold the red plate, extending his lead to 29 points over Coenen. Herlings‘ win lifts him into a tie for eighth in the standings with Vlaanderen.

MX2

In MX2, Längenfelder produced a flawless ride, taking the holeshot and never looking back. The German rider was in a class of his own, stretching out a commanding lead to win by over 11 seconds and setting the fastest lap of the race.

Behind him, the battle for second lit up in the final laps. Thibault Benistant pulled a daring move on Sacha Coenen over the massive Matterley quad to secure the runner-up spot for the second round in a row. A late charge from Liam Evertssaw him edge past Coenen in the final corner to grab third.

It was a rough day for points contender Kay de Wolf, who crashed twice—including a heavy spill over the finish jump in Timeed Practice—leaving him back in 18th. Andrea Adamo also hit the deck mid-race while trying to pass Benistant, but managed to fight back to fifth.

Further down the order, Oriol Oliver and David Braceras scrapped over fifth, with Oliver eventually coming out ahead. Camden McLellan, Braceras, Maxime Grau, and Karlis Reisulis filled out the rest of the top ten.

“I felt great on the bike today,” Längenfelder said of his win. “The start wasn’t perfect, but I still grabbed the holeshot, and after that, I could really ride my lines and stay comfortable. That little moment after the waves definitely woke me up.. especially after last weekend!”

The results have shaken up the standings. Längenfelder now leads the MX2 title chase by 31 points over Adamo, with de Wolf slipping a further 16 points back.

With cooler, dry weather forecast for race day, fans can expect more tight, bar-to-bar action across one of the most iconic tracks on the calendar.