MXGP stayed in Italian soil but swapped the sand of Sardinia for the hard-pack of Trentino in northern Italy for round four of the 2024 campaign. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing grabbed MX2 victory for the second year in a row thanks to Liam Everts who went 3-2 on the day and around the slick stony and rough course with a strong crowd populating the grassy slopes at Pietramurata.
MXGP rushed around the Pietramurata dirt in the shadow of the Dolomite Mountain range and at one of the most consistent events in the last decade of Grand Prix racing. The tight, compact and slick layout of the Arco di Trento facility was familiar to many teams and riders and something of a complete contrast to the deep, draining sand tackled the previous weekend at Riola Sardo.
Red Bull KTM came to northern Italy after Jeffrey Herlings ha captured his first podium finish of the season the previous weekend. The crew’s competitiveness came through to the fore in the Saturday RAM Qualification Heat where Andrea Adamo was able to lead a KTM 250 SX-F ‘1-2’ with Liam Everts in a decent second place and Sacha Coenen in 8th after yet another excellent start. Herlings took the KTM 450 SX-F to 4th spot and a decent pick of gates for the motos on Sunday.
Under bright skies and in significantly cooler conditions than Sardinia, race day depended largely on the starts. Jeffrey Herlings made a reasonable getaway in the first moto and worked hard to pass Pauls Jonass and Valentin Guillod to seal 4th position. In the second race the Dutchman was better placed and tried to accelerate into 3rd spot out of the third corner when he lost rear traction and slid out. #84 used the rest of the moto to regain ground to arrive to 7th; meaning 6th overall.
In MX2 Everts, with fond memories of his first career trophy at Trentino last year, used the prowess of the KTM 250 SX-F and his skill at picking space around the tight first corners to front the pack. His advantage from the first laps, as well as consistent pace, helped towards results of 3rd and 2nd and ensured overall victory: his first of 2024 and the fourth of his career (the fourth in Red Bull KTM colors). Adamo, riding at the site of his maiden GP win in 2023, wasn’t so prolific away from the gate. Charging hard in front of his home fans Andrea reached positions of 7th and 6th for 7th in the final Grand Prix standings. Sacha Coenen was luckless in Trentino. He set the pace in the lead and then the top three for most of the first moto but suffered a technical problem in the last minutes. The Belgian was then caught up in the first corner crash in the second outing that meant he had to fight back to 11th from almost last place. The Belgian ranked 16th overall.
In the highly competitive EMX250 European Championship, Gabriel SS24 KTM’s Cas Valk rode his KTM 250 SX-F to 2-2 for 2nd position overall. The result marked the KTM GP Academy starlet’s first top three of the season and the Dutchman sits 3rd in the rankings.
MXGP now breaks until the first weekend of May where a ‘double’ on the Iberian Peninsula – Portugal and then northern Spain – will push the series up to round six.
Jeffrey Herlings, 4th and 7th for 6th overall in MXGP: “I clearly had the speed to be on the podium today. I came from P20 to pass many guys and reach P4 in the first moto and in the second I had a really good start but the rear end washed away and it meant another charge back, this time to 7th. It’s pretty devastating because I had the pace to maybe even to go for the win. Two out of three starts this weekend were good and my feeling was really good, especially with my ribs…we just didn’t have the result! Anyway, we go home in one piece and we have sixteen more races to come. I should be fully fit and ready to go in Portugal.”
Liam Everts, 3rd and 2nd for 1st overall in MX2: “This weekend was a step in the right direction. It wasn’t a perfect weekend but we got the job done. It’s nice to be back on top, especially at this iconic venue. I had struggled in Sardinia, so I wanted to do better and get on the podium. I wanted to get that burden off my shoulders, and I hope now I have that sense of freedom to continue. We’ll have a small break now and then work hard towards the next Grand Prix.”
Sacha Coenen, DNF and 11th for 16th overall in MX2: “A really good first moto. I led for a while and then got passed by two riders but couldn’t make the finish. It was a technical issue and just bad luck. I really wanted to win the second one but we had the start collision. Disappointing. Last to 11th and not what I wanted but we’ll hope for better In Portugal.”
Andrea Adamo, 7th and 6th for 7th overall in MX2: “After yesterday I was confident for today but this is the way it is and we cannot change the result. The speed was there and everything was on-point but I didn’t make the best starts. It was really difficult to pass. I made a mistake in the first moto and I was in the middle of the mess at the start of the second. We’ll recover, relax and work in the next weeks now to reset the motivation for Portugal.”
Harry Norton, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “Really nice for Liam and great to see after he had to miss the first GP of the year. Also, the first one for the team so we’re really happy. Unfortunately Sacha had a DNF, otherwise he was in podium contention and Andrea also showed he had the sped until his mistake. Jeffrey is building back into what we know and we’re sure the slow-and-steady approach will pay-off in the long run.”
Results MXGP Trentino 2024
1. Jorge Prado (ESP), GASGAS, 3-1
2. Romain Febvre (FRA), Kawasaki, 1-5
3. Tim Gajser (SLO), Honda, 2-4
4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED), Yamaha, 6-2
5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI) Kawasaki, 4-3
6. Jeffrey Herlings (NED), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 4-7
Standings MXGP 2024 after 4 of 20 rounds
1. Jorge Prado (ESP), GASGAS, 219 points
2. Tim Gajser (SLO), Honda, 206
3. Romain Febvre (FRA), Kawasaki, 174
4. Jeffrey Herlings (NED), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 164
5. Pauls Jonass (LAT), Honda, 142
Results MX2 Trentino 2024
1. Liam Everts (BEL), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 3-2
2. Thibault Benistant (FRA), Yamaha, 2-4
3. Simon Laegenfelder (GER), GASGAS 8-1
4. Kay de Wolf (NED) Husqvarna 1-8
7. Andrea Adamo (ITA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 7-6
10. Lucas Coenen 9BEL) Husqvarna, 10-9
16. Sacha Coenen (BEL) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, DNF-11
Standings MX2 2024 after 4 of 20 rounds
1. Kay de Wolf (NED) Husqvarna, 213 points
2. Simon Laegenfelder (GER), GASGAS, 141
3. Thibault Benistant (FRA), Yamaha, 148
4. Lucas Coenen 9BEL) Husqvarna, 147
5. Andrea Adamo (ITA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 139
7. Liam Everts (BEL), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 128
11. Sacha Coenen (BEL) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 90