Lucas Coenen and Simon Langenfelder Claim South African Qualifying Race Victories

A chilly winter morning in South Africa quickly gave way to clear skies and sunshine as the FIM Motocross World Championship returned to the country for the first time in 18 years for the MXGP of South Africa.

The Terra Topia MX Track, located north of Johannesburg, welcomed an enthusiastic crowd eager to see the world’s best riders in action on a spectacular circuit that received widespread praise from competitors throughout Saturday’s opening day.

Sitting at an altitude of just under 1,400 metres, the venue presented a unique challenge, particularly in the MX2 class where engine performance was noticeably affected. Despite that, the revised layout, which last hosted a domestic championship event six months ago, drew universal acclaim thanks to its combination of fast sections and massive jumps that thrilled both riders and spectators.

In MXGP, Lucas Coenen strengthened his championship lead for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing by taking his fifth Qualifying Race victory of the season, while reigning World Champion Romain Febvre pushed him all the way to the chequered flag. Pauls Jonass completed a strong day for Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP by securing third place, his best result of the season.

MX2 saw reigning World Champion Simon Längenfelder claim his first Qualifying Race victory in more than a year for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. Guillem Farres and local favourite Camden McLellan completed the podium for Triumph Racing Factory Team after charging through the field.

With a wide and flowing circuit producing excellent racing throughout the day, anticipation is building for Sunday’s longer races as the effects of altitude and race distance begin to test both riders and machinery.

MXGP

The riders wasted little time learning the expansive South African circuit. During Free Practice, it was Jeffrey Herlings who set the pace, finishing a quarter of a second clear of Tim Gajser, with Coenen third fastest.

When it came time for the all-important gate selection session, Coenen delivered a perfectly timed late lap to top Time Practice by just 0.115 seconds over Gajser. Febvre finished third, ahead of Herlings and Jonass.

Herlings raised eyebrows before the Qualifying Race by choosing the far outside gate despite being one of the fastest riders in qualifying. With Oriol Oliver lining up beside him, the gamble didn’t pay off. Oliver launched well and prevented Herlings from moving forward, while Coenen grabbed the holeshot ahead of Romain Febvre and South African-born Calvin Vlaanderen, who was racing in special national colours.

Vlaanderen’s strong start unravelled slightly when he stumbled in the second corner, allowing Pauls Jonass and Tom Vialle through into third and fourth. Herlings crossed the first timing point down in 12th position, while Gajser ran sixth ahead of Ruben Fernandez, Andrea Adamo and Rick Elzinga.

Herlings quickly began working his way forward, moving into the points positions by the end of the opening lap before passing Elzinga on lap two. Maxime Renaux followed him through shortly afterwards to move into the top 10.

Fernandez then crashed on lap three, dropping from seventh to 12th. One lap later, Herlings gained another position when he moved past Adamo for seventh.

At the front, Coenen continued to set a fierce pace, but Febvre never allowed him to escape. The Frenchman remained close enough throughout the race to keep the pressure on the championship leader, while Jonass, Vialle and Vlaanderen maintained third through fifth positions.

For Jonass, the result matched his previous best finish, achieved at Cozar in Spain during the second round of last year’s championship. Vlaanderen’s fifth place was also significant, marking both his best Qualifying Race result for Ducati and his strongest Saturday result since the final round of last season in Australia.

Three laps from home, Gajser crashed in the heavy left-hand corner before the circuit’s biggest jump, allowing Herlings, Adamo and Renaux to gain positions. At roughly the same stage, Oliver disappeared from contention, enabling Fernandez to recover to 10th and claim the final championship point. Elzinga narrowly missed out in 11th, although it still represented his best Qualifying Race finish in the MXGP class.

Out front, Coenen remained untouchable, taking his 23rd career Qualifying Race victory and extending his championship advantage over Herlings to 62 points.

“It was a good one,” Coenen said after the race. “I took a good start; Romain and Me were battling for the first corners, and I managed to take the lead and led every single lap. I tried not to make any mistakes, just smooth, and I think the riding was good. Let’s see tomorrow how the track is, and let’s go.”

Febvre was pleased with both his start and race pace and believes there is more to come on Sunday.

“I had a good start, so I was happy about that, and then just found a good pace with Lucas,” Febvre said. “I had some good lines also; I could figure out some things on the track, so it was pretty good. Somehow it’s not so physical; we finished the race, and it feels like we have still more in the tank. Hopefully the track will develop a little bit more tomorrow to get some more lines, and then hopefully two good races tomorrow and put on a show.”

Jonass was equally encouraged after finally getting the start he had been chasing all season.

“It was good; finally got a really good start,” Jonass said. “Maybe I shut off a bit early because I think I could have gone with them, but I felt good. Romain and Lucas were a bit faster, but I felt good in third place, tried to keep the laps consistent, and felt good on the bike.

“The team worked really hard, and together we put in some effort to be here, so it’s nice to be on the podium, and hopefully we can do the same tomorrow. I think it shows the effort and the configuration we have on the bike; it’s altitude, so you need the power here, and the team has done a really good job.”

MX2

Simon Langenfelder opened the day by topping Free Practice ahead of brothers Janis Reisulis and Karlis Reisulis.

Time Practice delivered one of the closest sessions of the season as the circuit improved rapidly throughout the session. Janis Reisulis ultimately secured first gate pick by just 0.036 seconds over Liam Everts, with Farres third, Längenfelder fourth and Sacha Coenen fifth.

When the gate dropped for the Qualifying Race, Längenfelder reacted perfectly to secure the holeshot ahead of Julius Mikula. Janis Reisulis quickly moved around the Czech rider to take second, while the Triumph duo of Guillem Farres and Camden McLellan started outside the top five before charging forward.

By the completion of the opening lap, both Triumph riders had worked past Karlis Reisulis and Mikula to move into podium contention.

Coenen endured a difficult start and was briefly outside the top 10 before recovering to eighth behind Everts early in the race. Jens Walvoort and Maxime Grau occupied ninth and tenth positions.

On lap three, Karlis Reisulis and Everts both passed Mikula, although the Czech rider briefly reclaimed the position from Everts with a brave move over the circuit’s biggest triple jump. Unfortunately, Mikula made a mistake on the very next jump and lost ground before eventually dropping out of the race on lap seven.

Farres made a decisive move on Janis Reisulis on lap four, sweeping past through a rhythm section in front of the VIP area to take second place. He then began closing the gap to Längenfelder, but the German remained composed and never looked likely to make a mistake.

Janis Reisulis held third for much of the race, but McLellan continued to close the gap as the local crowd urged him on. Four laps from the finish, the South African made the pass and moved into third place in front of his home fans.

Further back, Grau passed Walvoort midway through the race as the two leading privateers secured eighth and ninth. For the Frenchman, it was a breakthrough performance, delivering both his first Saturday championship points of the season and the best Qualifying Race result of his career.

Coenen was unable to improve beyond seventh, while Everts pressured Karlis Reisulis late in the race but couldn’t find a way through.

At the front, Längenfelder maintained complete control to secure his first Qualifying Race victory since the British Grand Prix in June last year, and his first as reigning World Champion. The result also earned him two valuable points in his battle with McLellan for third in the championship standings.

Farres’ runner-up finish reduced Coenen’s championship lead to 27 points heading into Sunday’s races, setting the stage for an intriguing second half of the season.

“It was cool.” Langenfelder enthused, “I like those big tracks, and somehow I start liking overseas races because it brings everyone a bit together. So it’s been nice to win it. We’ve had some bad runs, and we’ve been taking some steps, and I guess they start to show now a little bit. Super happy. We’ll have great races tomorrow.”

With South Africa’s first MXGP weekend in nearly two decades already delivering thrilling action, Sunday’s Grand Prix races promise even more as both MXGP and MX2 riders prepare for the challenges of altitude, rougher track conditions and longer race distances.

MXGP – Qualifying – MXGP of Sout Africa
Pos	No	Rider	Nat	Bike	Gap
1st	5	Lucas Coenen	BEL	KTM	+0:00.000
2nd	1	Romain Febvre	FRA	Kawasaki	+0:04.335
3rd	41	Pauls Jonass	LAT	Kawasaki	+0:19.979
4th	16	Tom Vialle	FRA	Honda	+0:22.984
5th	10	Calvin Vlaanderen	NED	Ducati	+0:26.155
6th	84	Jeffrey Herlings	NED	Honda	+0:26.984
7th	80	Andrea Adamo	ITA	KTM	+0:37.232
8th	959	Maxime Renaux	FRA	Yamaha	+0:39.772
9th	243	Tim Gajser	SLO	Yamaha	+0:45.437
10th	70	Ruben Fernandez	ESP	Honda	+0:57.224
11th	4	Rick Elzinga	NED	KTM	+0:58.798
12th	303	Alberto Forato	ITA	Fantic	+1:01.185
13th	32	Brent Van doninck	BEL	Fantic	+1:21.019
14th	87	Kevin Brumann	SUI	Husqvarna	+1:22.462
15th	64	Romain Pape	FRA	Yamaha	+1:24.576
16th	24	Kevin Horgmo	NOR	Honda	+1:24.952
17th	157	Matthew Malan	RSA	Yamaha	+1:36.780
18th	253	Jan Pancar	SLO	KTM	+1:37.057
19th	737	Slade Smith	RSA	Yamaha	+1:40.722
20th	584	Cameron Anthony Durow	RSA	KTM	+1:49.131
21st	83	Oriol Oliver	ESP	KTM	+1:56.577
22nd	62	Jayden Proctor	RSA	Yamaha	+2:00.068
23rd	108	Johan Vogelesang	RSA	KTM	+1 lap
24th	201	Matthew Correia	RSA	Yamaha	+1 lap

MXGP – Championship Standings After Qualifying – MXGP of South Africa
Pos	No	Rider	Nat	Bike	Total	Gap
1st	5	Lucas Coenen	BEL	KTM	516 Points	+0
2nd	84	Jeffrey Herlings	NED	HON	449 Points	-67
3rd	1	Romain Febvre	FRA	KAW	403 Points	-113
4th	243	Tim Gajser	SLO	YAM	373 Points	-143
5th	959	Maxime Renaux	FRA	YAM	337 Points	-179
6th	80	Andrea Adamo	ITA	KTM	317 Points	-199
7th	70	Ruben Fernandez	ESP	HON	305 Points	-211
8th	74	Kay de Wolf	NED	HUS	273 Points	-243
9th	16	Tom Vialle	FRA	HON	272 Points	-244
10th	41	Pauls Jonass	LAT	KAW	242 Points	-274
11th	10	Calvin Vlaanderen	NED	DUC	204 Points	-312
12th	303	Alberto Forato	ITA	FAN	190 Points	-326
13th	24	Kevin Horgmo	NOR	HON	163 Points	-353
14th	83	Oriol Oliver	ESP	KTM	150 Points	-366
15th	253	Jan Pancar	SLO	KTM	139 Points	-377
16th	93	Jago Geerts	BEL	BET	90 Points	-426
17th	32	Brent Van doninck	BEL	FAN	86 Points	-430
18th	919	Ben Watson	GBR	TRI	70 Points	-446
19th	101	Mattia Guadagnini	ITA	KTM	69 Points	-447
20th	39	R. Van De Moosdijk	NED	KTM	50 Points	-466

MX2 – Qualifying – MXGP of Sout Africa
Pos	No	Rider	Nat	Bike	Gap
1st	1	Simon Längenfelder	GER	KTM	+0:00.000
2nd	99	Guillem Farres	ESP	Triumph	+0:06.577
3rd	8	Camden Mc Lellan	RSA	Triumph	+0:14.976
4th	772	Janis Martins Reisulis	LAT	Yamaha	+0:15.910
5th	47	Karlis Alberts Reisulis	LAT	Yamaha	+0:23.784
6th	26	Liam Everts	BEL	Husqvarna	+0:25.325
7th	19	Sacha Coenen	BEL	KTM	+0:29.992
8th	83	Maxime Grau	FRA	Honda	+0:48.831
9th	48	Jens Walvoort	NED	KTM	+0:55.195
10th	18	Valerio Lata	ITA	Honda	+0:57.489
11th	17	Trey Cox	RSA	KTM	+1:32.429
12th	73	Ferruccio Zanchi	ITA	Ducati	+1 lap
13th	229	Riley Rocher	ZIM	GASGAS	+1 lap
14th	444	Tristan Durow	RSA	KTM	+1 lap
15th	38	Aiden Henley	RSA	Yamaha	+1 lap
16th	747	Jordan van Wyk	RSA	Honda	+1 lap
17th	423	Martin Ashton	RSA	Yamaha	+2 laps
18th	20	Julius Mikula	CZE	KTM	+5 laps
19th	169	Thor Johnson	RSA	Yamaha	+6 laps
20th	33	Kay Karssemakers	NED	Kawasaki	+9 laps
21st	450	Luke John Grundy	RSA	Husqvarna	+11 laps

MX2 – Championship Standings After Qualifying – MXGP of South Africa
Pos	No	Rider	Nat	Bike	Total	Gap
1st	1	Sacha Coenen	BEL	KTM	481 Points	+0
2nd	99	Guillem Farres	ESP	Triumph	454 Points	+27
3rd	1	Simon Längenfelder	GER	KTM	425 Points	+56
4th	8	Camden Mc Lellan	RSA	Triumph	421 Points	+60
5th	26	Liam Everts	BEL	Husqvarna	402 Points	+79
6th	772	Janis Martins Reisulis	LAT	Yamaha	362 Points	+119
7th	317	Mathis Valin	FRA	Kawasaki	352 Points	+129
8th	47	Karlis Alberts Reisulis	LAT	Yamaha	279 Points	+202
9th	18	Valerio Lata	ITA	Honda	257 Points	+224
10th	33	Kay Karssemakers	NED	Kawasaki	205 Points	+276
11th	20	Julius Mikula	CZE	KTM	200 Points	+281
12th	83	Maxime Grau	FRA	Honda	154 Points	+327
13th	716	Noel Zanocz	HUN	KTM	136 Points	+345
14th	48	Jens Walvoort	NED	KTM	125 Points	+356
15th	73	Ferruccio Zanchi	ITA	Ducati	105 Points	+376
16th	172	Cas Valk	NED	TM	87 Points	+394
17th	420	Andrea Rossi	ITA	KTM	76 Points	+405
18th	408	Scott Smulders	NED	Husqvarna	57 Points	+424
19th	12	P. Gundersen	NOR	Husqvarna	46 Points	+435
20th	456	Ollie Colmer	GBR	KTM	40 Points	+441