Tim Gajser Dominates, Andrea Adamo Claims First Win at MXGP of Europe

Changeable conditions with bursts of sunshine and showers couldn’t dampen the excitement at the MXGP of Europe, round three of the FIM Motocross World Championships, held at the glorious Circuit du Puy de Poursay in southwestern France.

The passionate Saint Jean d’Angely crowd had plenty to shout about, with French favourites Romain Febvre and Thibault Benistant on the podium, though two former World Champions dashed their hopes at the top of their game.

Slovenia’s Tim Gajser, who had won the last three GPs at St Jean, made it four in a row with two brilliant race wins, though Romain Febvre nearly hunted him down in race one. Febvre ultimately took second overall, ahead of Lucas Coenen, who celebrated his first podium result in the premier class. Meanwhile, 2023 MX2 World Champion Andrea Adamo broke a 20-month win drought, claiming victory in race two after a thrilling battle with Thibault Benistant.

Adamo’s ride was a real standout as he wrestled his way to the second race win, ending his long wait for another Grand Prix victory. He expressed his happiness afterward, saying, “I’m super happy about this win—it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster, but today everything came together. My starts weren’t perfect this weekend, so I had to fight through the field. In Race 2, I knew I had to win the race to take the GP overall, so I gave everything. Thibault and I were pushing to the limit—it was intense but clean racing, and I loved it.”

Simon Laengenfelder, who won the opening race, finished second on the day, just ahead of Thibault Benistant, and now lies second in the series, three points behind new Championship leader Liam Everts. The reigning Champion had a tougher day in France and now sits third in points behind Laengenfelder.

MXGP

The French fans were full of hope as Romain Febvre set the fastest time in the morning Warm-Up, with Tim Gajser in second, ahead of Pauls Jonass. The Holeshot Award winner was Noah Ludwig, whose early lead saw many fans searching through their programmes to identify the #300 rider. Gajser quickly took charge, leading into the second corner, while Tech 32 Racing Triumph’s Tom Guyon, making his MXGP debut, held on behind Gajser for the first few laps. But Coenen and Febvre soon cut through the field, and Gajser’s main challenge came from Febvre.

After a difficult MXGP of Castilla La Mancha, the Aruba.it Ducati Factory MX Team saw Mattia Guadagnini charge into fourth place from an outside gate pick. Meanwhile, early Championship leader Maxime Renaux suffered a poor start and crossed the line in 15th at the end of the first lap.

Febvre, encouraged by the home crowd, worked his way into second on lap six, despite battling a machine running hot. At around halfway through the race, Jonass made a mistake, falling over Guadagnini’s back wheel and losing fifth to Ruben Fernandez. Gajser maintained his lead, but Febvre, despite his challenges, closed to within a second of him near the final laps. The Slovenian held on to secure his 94th career GP win by nearly four seconds.

In race two, Ludwig once again made a strong start, but it was Coldenhoff who claimed the Holeshot Award despite feeling sore from a crash in practice. Coenen quickly moved into second, with Isak Gifting following closely behind. Gajser started his charge on lap two, moving past Gifting and then catching Coenen by lap four.

Febvre, after nearly being involved in a first-corner pile-up that took out Vlaanderen, Fernandez, Bogers, and Josh Gilbert, fought his way up to seventh by the end of the first lap. By lap seven, Gajser had passed Coldenhoff and was putting in the fastest laps of the day, while Febvre continued his fight to take fifth.

In the end, Gajser took a solid victory to secure his 51st career GP win and extend his Championship lead to 29 points. Febvre moved up to second overall in the standings, and Coenen delighted in his first podium in MXGP, with a strong fourth-place finish.

After the race, Gajser reflected on his day: “It was a good day of racing for me. I felt really comfortable on the bike, even though the track was quite sketchy with deep ruts and tricky acceleration points—it definitely wasn’t easy to ride. The start was really important, so I was glad to get out front early and take the lead quickly in Race 1. Lucas pushed hard at the beginning, and then Romain closed in near the end, but I managed to stay in control. In the second race, I had a solid start, made some good early passes, found my lines, and built a gap that I could manage.”

Febvre, on the other hand, was pleased with his second-place finish, acknowledging his tough weekend last time out: “I’m quite happy to finish second, especially after a tough weekend last time out. It’s a nice bounce back. With the rain, the track actually got better—it added some challenge and allowed us to make more of a difference out there. Yesterday it felt like a highway—really fast and too equal—but today was more technical, which suits me better.”

MX2

In a dry morning Warm-Up, Thibault Benistant topped the timesheets, setting high expectations among his home crowd, with Kay De Wolf in second, just ahead of his fellow countryman, Cas Valk. The action in MX2 was intense, with Karlis Reisulis taking the Holeshot Award and holding the lead for the first three laps. Behind him, Liam Everts, Sacha Coenen, Laengenfelder, and Andrea Adamo battled for position.

Adamo, who had a brief off-track excursion, worked his way forward to challenge Reisulis, with Everts emerging as the first to make a move on the Latvian rider. Behind them, De Wolf and Benistant were fighting to catch up after less-than-ideal starts. As the race continued, Laengenfelder and Adamo pressured Everts, with Laengenfelder eventually taking the lead on lap nine. Adamo, however, passed both Laengenfelder and Everts on lap 12 to take second, with Everts holding third.

The second race was even more dramatic. Sacha Coenen claimed his second Holeshot Award of the year but suffered a massive crash early on. He remounted and bravely fought to salvage 14th, but his hopes for a strong finish were dashed, dropping him to sixth in the standings. Meanwhile, Adamo, who had started further back, launched a remarkable charge and, by lap eight, had worked his way up to second.

Laengenfelder held a solid lead but was soon under pressure from Adamo, who passed him in a stunning outside-to-inside move at the top of a steep downhill. Adamo’s move earned him his first GP win since Finland in July 2023. “It’s still early, but I feel strong mentally, physically, and with the bike. This is a step in the right direction,” Adamo said, reflecting on his victory.

Laengenfelder finished third, moving just three points behind Everts in the Championship standings, while Benistant, who had worked hard to catch up, finished fourth, narrowly missing out on a second-place finish.

The battle for the title in MX2 is intensifying, with Everts still holding the Championship lead, but with Laengenfelder, Adamo, and De Wolf close behind. As Adamo put it, “I feel strong mentally, physically, and with the bike. This is a step in the right direction.”

The stars of both classes will now prepare for the MXGP of Sardegna, where they will brush up on their sand skills in anticipation of round four. The race may also see the return of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing legend Jeffrey Herlings. No Motocross fan should miss it!

MXGP – Moto 1 – Results
Pos	No	Rider	Nat	Bike	Gap
1	243	Tim Gajser	SLO	Honda	–
2	3	Romain Febvre	FRA	Kawasaki	0:03.930
3	96	Lucas Coenen	BEL	KTM	0:30.497
4	101	Mattia Guadagnini	ITA	Ducati	1:15.133
5	70	Ruben Fernandez	ESP	Honda	1:24.811
6	41	Pauls Jonass	LAT	Kawasaki	1:31.140
7	92	Valentin Guillod	SUI	Yamaha	1:47.480
8	10	Calvin Vlaanderen	NED	Yamaha	1:51.615
9	24	Kevin Horgmo	NOR	Honda	1:52.557
10	959	Maxime Renaux	FRA	Yamaha	1:53.523
11	259	Glenn Coldenhoff	NED	Fantic	1:57.190
12	189	Brian Bogers	NED	Fantic	1 lap
13	91	Jeremy Seewer	SUI	Ducati	1 lap
14	919	Ben Watson	GBR	Beta	1 lap
15	300	Noah Ludwig	GER	KTM	1 lap
16	253	Jan Pancar	SLO	KTM	1 lap
17	811	Adam Sterry	GBR	KTM	1 lap
18	87	Kevin Brumann	SUI	Husqvarna	1 lap
19	93	Jago Geerts	BEL	Yamaha	1 lap
20	303	Alberto Forato	ITA	Honda	1 lap
21	53	Romain Pape	FRA	Yamaha	1 lap
22	131	Cato Nickel	GER	Husqvarna	1 lap
23	517	Isak Gifting	SWE	Yamaha	1 lap
24	49	Tom Guyon	FRA	Triumph	2 laps
25	226	Tom Koch	GER	Beta	1 lap
26	991	Mark Scheu	GER	Husqvarna	2 laps
27	326	Josh Gilbert	GBR	Honda	5 laps
28	505	Arvid Lüning	SWE	Husqvarna	5 laps
29	39	Roan Van De Moosdijk	NED	KTM	12 laps
30	17	Cornelius Toendel	NOR	Honda	14 laps
31	132	Andrea Bonacorsi	ITA	Fantic	14 laps

MXGP – Moto 2 – Results
Pos	No	Rider	Nat	Bike	Gap
1	243	Tim Gajser	SLO	Honda	–
2	3	Romain Febvre	FRA	Kawasaki	0:19.307
3	96	Lucas Coenen	BEL	KTM	0:21.551
4	259	Glenn Coldenhoff	NED	Fantic	0:24.254
5	959	Maxime Renaux	FRA	Yamaha	0:24.412
6	41	Pauls Jonass	LAT	Kawasaki	0:30.457
7	101	Mattia Guadagnini	ITA	Ducati	0:32.732
8	24	Kevin Horgmo	NOR	Honda	0:33.436
9	517	Isak Gifting	SWE	Yamaha	0:37.974
10	91	Jeremy Seewer	SUI	Ducati	0:45.464
11	92	Valentin Guillod	SUI	Yamaha	0:46.104
12	919	Ben Watson	GBR	Beta	1:02.833
13	253	Jan Pancar	SLO	KTM	1:14.002
14	132	Andrea Bonacorsi	ITA	Fantic	1:17.975
15	39	Roan Van De Moosdijk	NED	KTM	1:20.216
16	300	Noah Ludwig	GER	KTM	1:22.030
17	226	Tom Koch	GER	Beta	1:37.383
18	811	Adam Sterry	GBR	KTM	1 lap
19	53	Romain Pape	FRA	Yamaha	1 lap
20	131	Cato Nickel	GER	Husqvarna	1 lap
21	991	Mark Scheu	GER	Husqvarna	1 lap
22	505	Arvid Lüning	SWE	Husqvarna	1 lap
23	303	Alberto Forato	ITA	Honda	2 laps
24	93	Jago Geerts	BEL	Yamaha	6 laps
25	10	Calvin Vlaanderen	NED	Yamaha	11 laps
26	189	Brian Bogers	NED	Fantic	11 laps
27	49	Tom Guyon	FRA	Triumph	12 laps
28	326	Josh Gilbert	GBR	Honda	18 laps
29	87	Kevin Brumann	SUI	Husqvarna	19 laps
30	70	Ruben Fernandez	ESP	Honda	19 laps

MXGP – Round – Overall
Pos	No	Rider	Nat	Bike	Race 1	Race 2	Total
1	243	Tim Gajser	SLO	HON	25	25	50 Points
2	3	Romain Febvre	FRA	KAW	22	22	44 Points
3	96	Lucas Coenen	BEL	KTM	20	20	40 Points
4	101	Mattia Guadagnini	ITA	DUC	18	14	32 Points
5	41	Pauls Jonass	LAT	KAW	15	15	30 Points
6	259	Glenn Coldenhoff	NED	FAN	10	18	28 Points
7	959	Maxime Renaux	FRA	YAM	11	16	27 Points
8	24	Kevin Horgmo	NOR	HON	12	13	25 Points
9	92	Valentin Guillod	SUI	YAM	14	10	24 Points
10	91	Jeremy Seewer	SUI	DUC	8	11	19 Points
11	919	Ben Watson	GBR	BET	7	9	16 Points
12	70	Ruben Fernandez	ESP	HON	16	0	16 Points
13	253	Jan Pancar	SLO	KTM	5	8	13 Points
14	10	Calvin Vlaanderen	NED	YAM	13	0	13 Points
15	517	Isak Gifting	SWE	YAM	0	12	12 Points
16	300	Noah Ludwig	GER	KTM	6	5	11 Points
17	189	Brian Bogers	NED	FAN	9	0	9 Points
18	132	Andrea Bonacorsi	ITA	FAN	0	7	7 Points
19	811	Adam Sterry	GBR	KTM	4	3	7 Points
20	39	Roan Van De Moosdijk	NED	KTM	0	6	6 Points
21	226	Tom Koch	GER	BET	0	4	4 Points
22	87	Kevin Brumann	SUI	HUS	3	0	3 Points
23	53	Romain Pape	FRA	YAM	0	2	2 Points
24	131	Cato Nickel	GER	HUS	0	1	1 Point

MXGP – World Championship Standing
Pos	No	Rider	Nat	Bike	Total Points
1	243	Tim Gajser	SLO	HON	167 Points
2	3	Romain Febvre	FRA	KAW	138 Points
3	959	Maxime Renaux	FRA	YAM	121 Points
4	96	Lucas Coenen	BEL	KTM	107 Points
5	259	Glenn Coldenhoff	NED	FAN	107 Points
6	41	Pauls Jonass	LAT	KAW	86 Points
7	101	Mattia Guadagnini	ITA	DUC	84 Points
8	24	Kevin Horgmo	NOR	HON	81 Points
9	70	Ruben Fernandez	ESP	HON	77 Points
10	132	Andrea Bonacorsi	ITA	FAN	63 Points
11	91	Jeremy Seewer	SUI	DUC	58 Points
12	10	Calvin Vlaanderen	NED	YAM	57 Points
13	189	Brian Bogers	NED	FAN	55 Points
14	517	Isak Gifting	SWE	YAM	54 Points
15	919	Ben Watson	GBR	BET	41 Points
16	92	Valentin Guillod	SUI	YAM	40 Points
17	253	Jan Pancar	SLO	KTM	37 Points
18	93	Jago Geerts	BEL	YAM	28 Points
19	87	Kevin Brumann	SUI	HUS	15 Points
20	39	Roan Van De Moosdijk	NED	KTM	14 Points
21	226	Tom Koch	GER	BET	14 Points
22	300	Noah Ludwig	GER	KTM	11 Points
23	811	Adam Sterry	GBR	KTM	10 Points
24	326	Josh Gilbert	GBR	HON	8 Points
25	17	Cornelius Toendel	NOR	HON	7 Points
26	238	Francisco Aparecido dos Santos	BRA	YAM	5 Points
27	303	Alberto Forato	ITA	HON	2 Points
28	53	Romain Pape	FRA	YAM	2 Points
29	991	Mark Scheu	GER	HUS	1 Point
30	131	Cato Nickel	GER	HUS	1 Point

MX2 – Moto 1 – Results
Pos	No	Rider	Nat	Bike	Gap
1	27	Simon Längenfelder	GER	KTM	–
2	80	Andrea Adamo	ITA	KTM	0:03.930
3	26	Liam Everts	BEL	Husqvarna	0:19.095
4	19	Sacha Coenen	BEL	KTM	0:22.976
5	9	Thibault Benistant	FRA	Yamaha	0:28.003
6	1	Kay de Wolf	NED	Husqvarna	0:28.436
7	18	Valerio Lata	ITA	Honda	0:45.809
8	172	Cas Valk	NED	KTM	0:50.146
9	319	Quentin Marc Prugnieres	FRA	KTM	0:56.271
10	8	Camden Mc Lellan	RSA	Triumph	0:57.210
11	47	Karlis Alberts Reisulis	LAT	Yamaha	1:00.749
12	51	Oriol Oliver	ESP	KTM	1:00.899
13	317	Mathis Valin	FRA	Kawasaki	1:26.264
14	4	Rick Elzinga	NED	Yamaha	1:28.868
15	73	Ferruccio Zanchi	ITA	Honda	1:29.119
16	20	Julius Mikula	CZE	TM	1 lap
17	256	Magnus Smith	DEN	KTM	1 lap
18	22	David Braceras	ESP	Honda	1 lap
19	389	Jules Pietre	FRA	Yamaha	1 lap
20	368	Samuel Nilsson	ESP	Triumph	1 lap
21	14	Bence Pergel	HUN	KTM	1 lap
22	696	Mike Gwerder	SUI	KTM	1 lap
23	408	Scott Smulders	NED	Triumph	1 lap
24	338	Filip Olsson	SWE	KTM	1 lap
25	114	Nicolas Vennekens	BEL	KTM	1 lap
26	234	Remo Schudel	SUI	KTM	1 lap
27	220	Martin Michelis	EST	KTM	2 laps
28	270	Ofir Casey Tzemach	ISR	Husqvarna	4 laps
29	744	Saad Soulimani	MAR	TM	8 laps
30	95	Enzo Casat	FRA	Kawasaki	14 laps

MX2 – Moto 2 – Results
Pos	No	Rider	Nat	Bike	Gap
1	80	Andrea Adamo	ITA	KTM	–
2	9	Thibault Benistant	FRA	Yamaha	0:00.568
3	27	Simon Längenfelder	GER	KTM	0:06.135
4	1	Kay de Wolf	NED	Husqvarna	0:17.832
5	26	Liam Everts	BEL	Husqvarna	0:22.113
6	172	Cas Valk	NED	KTM	0:30.180
7	73	Ferruccio Zanchi	ITA	Honda	0:37.816
8	317	Mathis Valin	FRA	Kawasaki	0:43.088
9	8	Camden Mc Lellan	RSA	Triumph	0:48.596
10	22	David Braceras	ESP	Honda	1:00.126
11	20	Julius Mikula	CZE	TM	1:01.206
12	4	Rick Elzinga	NED	Yamaha	1:11.889
13	51	Oriol Oliver	ESP	KTM	1:19.086
14	19	Sacha Coenen	BEL	KTM	1:23.413
15	18	Valerio Lata	ITA	Honda	1:34.837
16	47	Karlis Alberts Reisulis	LAT	Yamaha	1:57.919
17	696	Mike Gwerder	SUI	KTM	1 lap
18	14	Bence Pergel	HUN	KTM	1 lap
19	408	Scott Smulders	NED	Triumph	1 lap
20	368	Samuel Nilsson	ESP	Triumph	1 lap
21	256	Magnus Smith	DEN	KTM	1 lap
22	389	Jules Pietre	FRA	Yamaha	1 lap
23	234	Remo Schudel	SUI	KTM	1 lap
24	220	Martin Michelis	EST	KTM	1 lap
25	114	Nicolas Vennekens	BEL	KTM	1 lap
26	319	Quentin Marc Prugnieres	FRA	KTM	2 laps
27	744	Saad Soulimani	MAR	TM	4 laps
28	270	Ofir Casey Tzemach	ISR	Husqvarna	4 laps
29	338	Filip Olsson	SWE	KTM	8 laps
30	95	Enzo Casat	FRA	Kawasaki	15 laps

MX2 – Round Overall
Pos	No	Rider	Nat	Bike	Race 1	Race 2	Total
1	80	Andrea Adamo	ITA	KTM	22	25	47 Points
2	27	Simon Längenfelder	GER	KTM	25	20	45 Points
3	9	Thibault Benistant	FRA	YAM	16	22	38 Points
4	26	Liam Everts	BEL	HUS	20	16	36 Points
5	1	Kay de Wolf	NED	HUS	15	18	33 Points
6	172	Cas Valk	NED	KTM	13	15	28 Points
7	19	Sacha Coenen	BEL	KTM	18	7	25 Points
8	8	Camden Mc Lellan	RSA	TRI	11	12	23 Points
9	317	Mathis Valin	FRA	KAW	8	13	21 Points
10	73	Ferruccio Zanchi	ITA	HON	6	14	20 Points
11	18	Valerio Lata	ITA	HON	14	6	20 Points
12	51	Oriol Oliver	ESP	KTM	9	8	17 Points
13	4	Rick Elzinga	NED	YAM	7	9	16 Points
14	20	Julius Mikula	CZE	TM	5	10	15 Points
15	47	Karlis Alberts Reisulis	LAT	YAM	10	5	15 Points
16	22	David Braceras	ESP	HON	3	11	14 Points
17	319	Quentin Marc Prugnieres	FRA	KTM	12	0	12 Points
18	696	Mike Gwerder	SUI	KTM	0	4	4 Points
19	256	Magnus Smith	DEN	KTM	4	0	4 Points
20	14	Bence Pergel	HUN	KTM	0	3	3 Points
21	408	Scott Smulders	NED	TRI	0	2	2 Points
22	368	Samuel Nilsson	ESP	TRI	1	1	2 Points
23	389	Jules Pietre	FRA	YAM	2	0	2 Points
24	234	Remo Schudel	SUI	KTM	0	0	0 Points
25	220	Martin Michelis	EST	KTM	0	0	0 Points
26	114	Nicolas Vennekens	BEL	KTM	0	0	0 Points
27	744	Saad Soulimani	MAR	TM	0	0	0 Points
28	270	Ofir Casey Tzemach	ISR	HUS	0	0	0 Points
29	338	Filip Olsson	SWE	KTM	0	0	0 Points
30	95	Enzo Casat	FRA	KAW	0	0	0 Points

MX2 – World Championship Standings
Pos	No	Rider	Nat	Bike	Total Points
1	26	Liam Everts	BEL	HUS	135 Points
2	27	S Längenfelder	GER	KTM	132 Points
3	1	Kay de Wolf	NED	HUS	130 Points
4	80	Andrea Adamo	ITA	KTM	124 Points
5	9	T Benistant	FRA	YAM	111 Points
6	19	Sacha Coenen	BEL	KTM	101 Points
7	172	Cas Valk	NED	KTM	91 Points
8	73	F Zanchi	ITA	HON	74 Points
9	8	C Mc Lellan	RSA	TRI	72 Points
10	18	Valerio Lata	ITA	HON	65 Points
11	47	K Reisulis	LAT	YAM	58 Points
12	319	Q Prugnieres	FRA	KTM	55 Points
13	51	Oriol Oliver	ESP	KTM	54 Points
14	20	Julius Mikula	CZE	TM	51 Points
15	317	Mathis Valin	FRA	KAW	46 Points
16	99	G Farres	ESP	TRI	46 Points
17	22	D Braceras	ESP	HON	45 Points
18	4	Rick Elzinga	NED	YAM	42 Points
19	256	Magnus Smith	DEN	KTM	11 Points
20	114	N Vennekens	BEL	KTM	10 Points
21	744	S Soulimani	MAR	TM	7 Points
22	28	M Rossi	FRA	KTM	6 Points
23	489	Jens Walvoort	NED	KTM	5 Points
24	696	Mike Gwerder	SUI	KTM	4 Points
25	44	M Silva	BRA	YAM	4 Points
26	14	Bence Pergel	HUN	KTM	3 Points
27	389	Jules Pietre	FRA	YAM	2 Points
28	408	S Smulders	NED	TRI	2 Points
29	30	B Pascual	ARG	HON	2 Points
30	368	S Nilsson	ESP	TRI	2 Points
31	166	Pietro Piroli	BRA	YAM	1 Point