The Grand Prix of Trentino was a milestone event for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing in the MX2 class as Andrea Adamo celebrated his first ever overall victory – his first in just four appearances with the KTM 250 SX-F – and Liam Everts classified as runner-up for his maiden podium walk. With Jeffrey Herlings filling 3rd position in MXGP the crew took part in both podium ceremonies.
Less than a week after a bustling and busy Grand Prix of Switzerland at Frauenfeld on Easter Monday MXGP made the short trip south to Arco di Trentino at the foot of the Dolomites in northern Italy into and into the compact hard-packed facility of Pietramurata. Round four took place at the scenic but tight and bumpy site that has been a mainstay facility on the MXGP calendar for ten years. The venue welcomed another strong crowd for the second of two rounds on Italian soil on the 2023 slate and in a bright, sunny climate.
On Saturday and across a rough and slick terrain (of a course that had been reversed compared to previous years) Jeffrey Herlings rode to 7th position in the RAM Qualification Heat while Andrea Adamo and Liam Everts captured 3rd and 5th respectively in the MX2 outing.
Before the Grand Prix motos on Sunday, the VRT KTM Factory Juniors team were able to watch Ferruccio Zanchi score 3rd overall in the second round of the 2023 EMX250 European Championship with his KTM 250 SX-F. The Italian pegged results of 3-5 to earn his first silverware while teammate Marc-Antoine Rossi was not far away in 5th.
At the launch of MXGP Herlings was desperately unlucky to get stuck behind the falling Romain Febvre in the first turn of the first moto. It meant the Dutchman had to work his way back from the rear of the pack to take 9th. In the second race ‘The Bullet’ rode superbly to chart a course from the mid-top ten to the lead and seized his first checkered flag of the campaign. The 9-1 was enough for the third step of the rostrum. #84 is 3rd in the world championship.
Adamo was the star of the Grand Prix. The Italian whipped-up the excitement among the home fans with good starts and attacking speed. He pushed to pass Everts late in the first moto after the Belgian had only just missed out on the holeshot. The teammates crossed the line in 2nd and 3rd. The second moto was almost a repeat. Adamo ploughed his way to 2nd early on and Everts then rode excellently to pass Thibault Benistant and defended his slot from Kay de Wolf. The duo logged another 2-3 and that ensured 1st and 2nd on the Trentino ‘box’.
Adamo is up to 2nd in the MX2 points table and Everts is 7th.
MXGP regroups for round five in a fortnight. The Grand Prix of Portugal at Agueda, south of Porto, is the first of two Iberian dates with the Spanish GP at Arroyomolinos, close to Madrid happening a week later.
Jeffrey Herlings, 9th and 1st for 3rd overall in MXGP: “In the first moto I had a good start but I think Romain’s front wheel washed and I just went into him. Second moto I started around 8th-10th but then I pushed ‘Beast’ mode. Being defensive has not always been working. So, I thought ‘let’s go back to the old Jeffrey’ and push for it: I showed what I am capable of. We lost a few points this weekend but I hope I can make them up again in Portugal in a couple of weeks.”
Andrea Adamo, 2nd and 2nd for 1st overall in MX2: “I’m so happy. I did not expect this and what a place to get my first victory. My starts were good, but not perfect, and I passed who I needed to win, I tried to control the race and take P2 for the overall! An ideal weekend. I am still not thinking about the championship but going race-by-race and to bring as many points as possible. I don’t want to think too far ahead.”
Liam Everts, 3rd and 3rd for 2nd overall in MX2: “Very cool. The second moto was much better than the first and I had a lot of fun out there. My first podium: I did not expect it to come at this GP. I had two great starts but I had a wake-up call from Andrea in the first moto! My transition to the team and the bike is going well. I’m happy.”
Tony Cairoli, Team Manager: “An unbelievable weekend and especially for Andrea and a young kid to win his first GP here in Italy. An amazing performance from him and I think that shows he can be a contender for the title this season. Liam struggled a little bit to find his pace in the first GPs but showed some of his potential today. He rode smart and came up to the second spot on the podium. Then we have Jeffrey who had been going through a tricky weekend but in that second moto he proved he is up to speed. He belongs at the front and in the fight for the championship: we need to keep free of mistakes and keep going from here.”
Results MXGP Trentino 2023
1. Jorge Prado (ESP), GASGAS, 1-3
2. Maxime Renaux (FRA), Yamaha, 2-2
3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 9-1
4. Ruben Fernandez (ESP), Honda, 3-7
5. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA), GASGAS, 3-2
Standings MXGP 2023 after 4 of 19 rounds
1. Jorge Prado (ESP), GASGAS, 201 points
2. Maxime Renaux (FRA), Yamaha, 184
3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 175
4. Romain Febvre (FRA), Kawasaki, 166
5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP), Honda, 136
Results MX2 Trentino 2023
1. Andrea Adamo (ITA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 2-2
2. Liam Everts (BEL) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 3-3
3. Jago Geerts (BEL), Yamaha, 1-7
4. Simon Laegenfelder (GER), GASGAS, 9-1
5. Kay de Wolf (NED), Husqvarna, 5-4