Romain Febvre & Jago Geerts top MXGP of Czech Republic

MXGP 2023

Round 12 – MXGP of Czech Republic, Loket

Round 12 of the 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship took place over the weekend in Loket, at the MXGP of Czech Republic. In MXGP, Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre won his third GP in a row and continues his charge in the Championship.

Red Plate Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado finished second, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Jeremy Seewer claiming his second podium of the last three Grand Prix, showing great consistency.

In MX2, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team’s Jago Geerts won back-to-back GPs to keep his chances of lifting the MX2 title alive.

Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Simon Laengenfelder took another well earnt podium, Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kay de Wolf clinching his first podium since his return from a foot injury.

KRT’s Mitch Evans made it two Green bikes in the top-six off the start of race one and the Australian maintained that position until losing one position on lap seven but he regrouped quickly to bring home a secure seventh-placed finish.

A midfield start in race two left him fifteenth on lap one but he made quick advances to twelfth and three laps from the end made the final decisive pass for eleventh in moto and ninth overall. The twenty-four points also see him move up to fourteenth in the series standings and, with seven rounds remaining, the top-ten is still a realistic target despite having been forced to sit out the first four GPs through injury.

Mitch Evans

“I got a really good start in the first race and could keep the tempo all moto. I just got boxed-in off the start in race two but we made good progress again this weekend. Onwards and upwards to Lommel.”

News Highlights Video MXGP of Czech Republic 2023

MXGP Race One

The race one FOX Holeshot went to Jorge Prado before Romain Febvre took the lead. Febvre never looked back, despite a couple of scares towards the end of the race.

Prado looked like he had the pace to chase but on lap 10 teammates Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Glenn Coldenhoff and Jeremy Seewer had closed in on.

Seewer made a succesful move on Coldenhoff for third on lap 13 and passed Prado a lap later. Prado had to draw deep to keep Coldenhoff at bay and finished third. Coldenhoff settling for fourth.

It was another solid race for Team Gebben Van Venroy Yamaha Racing’s Calvin Vlaanderen was fifth from start to finish.

It was a similar story for Team HRC’s teammates Tim Gajser and Ruben Fernandez, seventh and eighth respectively on lap 1. Fernandez inched closer to Gajser and made his move on lap 5 into seventh and and kept the momentum to overtake Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP’s Mitch Evans for sixth.

This first race was a good test for Gajser, but he could not hold off Standing Construct Honda MXGP’s Jeremy Van Horebeek on lap 11 and had to settle for ninth in his first race in months.

Evans had a solid race, only overtaken by Fernandez, finishing seventh. Van Horebeek rode consistently within the top 10 and even passed Gajser to finish eighth.

De Baets Yamaha MX-Team’s Benoit Paturel passed KTM Kosak Team’s Maximilian Spies for the final top-10 position.

Spies finishing 12th after Ship to Cycle Honda SR Motoblouz’s Valentin Guillod made his way from 24th position on lap 1 to an excellent 11th place finish.

MXGP Race One Results

MXGP Race Two

Seewer took the FOX Holeshot and the lead head of Prado and Febvre in Race 2. The battle was fierce between the front three but Febvre got the better of Prado on lap 2 and went on to pressure Seewer for the lead. The French rider finally making it to the top on lap six.

Vlaanderen showed blistering speed to overtake first Prado on lap three, followed by Seewer when he made a mistake on lap seven. Vlaanderen was a solid second with a strong pace, Febvre looking composed in the lead until lap 16 when he crashed and had to pick himself up in fourth, where he finished.

Vlaanderen took the opportunity to power through for victory and win his first race of the season. Prado followed and finished second, while Seewer was third, completing the podium.

Gajser had a great second race, passing teammate Fernandez for fifth on lap six, which he held to the end., Fernandez settling for sixth.

Coldenhoff didn’t have the pace of race 1 and had to settle for seventh, while Van Horebeek managed to get to move into eighth on lap three and held that spot until the end.

KTM Kosak Team’s Tom Koch showed good speed to claim ninth, Mitch Evans battling to finish 11th after a poor start that saw him in 15th on lap 1.

Febvre took the round overall on 43-points, Prado the runner-up on 42, tied on points with Seewer. Vlaanderen and Coldenhoff were fourth and fifth, Mitch Evans ninth.

Prado holds a 104-point lead in the standings on 614 points, to Febvre’s 510. Seewer is third on 465, leading Fernandez on 452 and Coldenhoff on 428.

Mitch Evans sits 14th with 150 championship points to his name.

Romain Febvre – P1

“I didn’t win three GPs in-a-row since 2015; that’s why I’m happy despite this crash in the second moto. It could have been the perfect day with two moto wins; my speed was good, my riding was good, everything … until this mistake in the second moto. I controlled the first race, then in the second I had another good start. I passed Prado for second, then I followed Seewer for several laps and could compare our lines; sometimes it’s good to be the hunter! I saw that I was faster than him in several sections and after I passed him I made a gap on my rivals. I was riding consistently until the front wheel slipped away in a corner and I crashed. I lost a few positions but I knew if I kept fourth I had at least a podium result. My shoulder hurt but I could forget the pain until the end of the race. I’m happy to win the GP; it’s the third time I have won here at Loket and it was good to win again after several tough years here. I can’t say that it’s my favourite track but my riding style seems to suit the layout. The medical examinations didn’t reveal any damage to the shoulder but I will take some rest to be ready for Lommel next weekend.”

Jorge Prado – P2

“It was not an easy Grand Prix for me – I was not feeling my best today and so I am happy to leave with a podium finish. I collected good points for the championship, so it is all positive. We are heading to a round that I like now. We will see what the sand brings!”

Jeremy Seewer – P3

“I’m feeling good. My physical condition is good, my starts are good, and my speed is good. I am a little bit frustrated to finish third because I felt that I had what it takes to fight for the GP win today. But I made a mistake, and that was my own fault. I am happy with how I rode, especially in the first race. I know I have all the tools to keep pushing for the win, so I look forward to more strong performances in the coming races.”

Glenn Coldenhoff – P5

“This weekend started well for me. I felt good here all weekend. The first race today was good. I had a good start and battled Prado for most of the race for second but made a mistake which allowed Jeremy (Seewer) to pass me. I tried really hard to pass them, but in the end they’re smart riders, and I didn’t manage to make the move. In the second race, I felt really good going in, but missed the start a little bit and then another rider parked it in turn two and almost crashed, which cost me five positions. I went crazy to fight back in the first few laps, which I usually don’t do, but I really wanted the podium this weekend. I knew I had the speed to run with the top guys and fight for it, but it didn’t work out so I am pretty disappointed. It’s a tough pill to swallow.”

Ruben Fernandez – P6

“Six-six for sixth is not really where I want to be, but I never quite had the feeling that I wanted with the track. I know from past experience that it is sometimes better to back it down at this circuit than make a big mistake but I still wanted to be fighting further up the field, so I am a little disappointed with how things went. There are definitely areas I need to work on and although we have a short week before Lommel, I will try my best to improve and get ready for probably the toughest race on the calendar.”

Tim Gajser – P7

“It was great to be back racing and seeing all my fans again, so I’m very thankful for that. Loket is always a difficult track and perhaps not ideal for my return but overall it was a good weekend and a nice base to build from. The first moto was a bit of a struggle today, but I thought race two was a lot better and I found more rhythm. Passing is never easy here and I didn’t want to push over the limit, so my results were about as good as I could manage, but overall, it was a solid weekend for my first GP in 10 months. Lommel will certainly be a totally different experience but I’m looking forward to racing as much as possible and building up to my previous level.”

MXGP Race Two Results

2023 MXGP of Czech Republic, Round Overall

MXGP Standings

MX2 Race One

Jago Geerts took the FOX Holeshot in the opening MX2 race, F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo making an amazing start and finding himself in second.

And that was all she wrote, Geerts controlled the race from start to finish even though Horgmo got close towards the end of the race.

The start was eventful as many riders including Red Plate holder Andrea Adamo and Liam Everts were involved in a multi-rider collision before the first corner.

Adamo got back up and into 12th over the first lap but crashed again as Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team’s Rick Elzinga forced a move on lap 2.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Sacha Coenen found himself third on lap one, fighting for his place at the front with JM Honda Racing’s Camden Mc Lellan. S.Coenen couldn’t hold off Kay de Wolf and Simon Laegenfelder on lap 12 of 18 though.

S.Coenen settled in the for fifth – his season’s best finish. De Wolf and Laengenfelder followed each other to third and fourth respectively.

Mc Lellan also got overtaken by de Wolf and Laengenfelder on lap 7 and finished sixth, Team Ship To Cycle Honda SR Motoblouz’s Emil Weckman losing one position to finish seventh.

Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Lucas Coenen got unlucky being involved in the mutli-rider collision. The young Belgian was 15th on lap one as a result but powered through to ninth by lap 12. He then caught teammate Roan Van de Moosdijk and managed to pass him on lap 17 to finish eighth, Van De Moosdijk ninth.

MX2 Race One Results

MX2 Race Two

Laengenfelder clinched the FOX Holeshot in race two, S.Coenen making a great start but fading away during the race to eventually finish seventh.

Laegenfelder looked solid in the lead but Adamo had other plans. The MX2 Red plate had an average start finding himself sixth, but put his head down and charged.

His determination saw him overtake lap after lap, collecting Geerts, Mc Lellan, S.Coenen and in the end Laengenfelder on lap 11 of 19.

After that Adamo simply disappeared off into the distance to win his first race of the season.

Laengenfelder held onto second and behind him Geerts rode smart for the final podium position with no close competition.

Kay de Wolf and Camden Mc Lellan rounded out the top five, followed by Liam Everts, Sacha Coenen, Lucas Coenen, Kevin Horgmo and Marcel Stauffer.

The round overall went to Geerts on 45-points, Laengenfelder second on 40 and de Wolf third on 38-points. Race two winner Adamo was fifth behind Kevin Horgmo.

Adamo leads the standings on 531-points, de Wolf on 496 and Geerts third on 491.

Jago Geerts – P1

“Overall, it was a good weekend. I didn’t feel great on the track, but I still managed to win the first heat. The second race was a bit more of a struggle, but I still managed to get to third and win the overall, which I have to be happy with. Now I am really looking forward to the next two GP’s back in the sand!”

Simon Längenfelder – P2

“It is really nice to have another podium finish. Everything has been going well since I returned from injury in Indonesia – we have already had two podiums. It was good to lead laps today too. I am excited to keep building from here. Thank you to everyone on my team!”

Kay de Wolf – P3

“It is great to be back on the podium! Today was a step in the right direction. The work that we have done on hard-pack tracks seems to be paying off, so I am happy. This is good momentum heading into a couple of GPs that I really like.”

Kevin Horgmo – P4

“I was really happy with my speed today. I got a good start in race one, could ride my own lines and found a good flow to stay with Geerts all moto. Unfortunately I got closed down off the start in race two and had to come a long way for ninth. But I only just missed the podium by one place and I have to hand it to the team for giving me such a great bike.”

Andrea Adamo – P5

“I was feeling strong all weekend and I was happy with how things were going yesterday but the motos are always different! Anything can happen. Mixed feelings in the end because I won two of the three races here but didn’t make the podium. In the first race I got up and did my best to reach P11 and then was penalized two positions for jumping on the yellow flags, which I did not see. I want to say sorry for that because everyone is looking at us and that was not the example I wanted to set, but I did not see them. I really enjoyed the second moto: the feeling was good, the pace was good. Some strong battles. I still needed to be careful but for the overall result I had nothing to lose, so I went straight-out for the guys. I‘m very happy. Lommel will be tough, for sure! There are a lot of guys that go fast in the sand but I trained there quite a lot this winter. I’ll try my best and fight until the end like always.”

Sacha Coenen – P7

“Definitely a good weekend, even though I always want to be riding at the front! 7th was not too bad but we were close to the podium places. I was running 2nd for quite a long time in the second moto but lost some ground when Andrea past me and I came up short on a jump. I’m happy but importantly we are getting closer to the top three. My home GP next weekend and I’m excited. All the fans will be there and it will be a nice GP.”

Lucas Coenen – P8

“This was not the day that I was hoping to have, of course, but we collected some solid points. I am already excited to get back on track at Lommel. I am so excited to race at home and I hope to be back on the podium.”

Liam Everts – P11

“A strong qualifying race and I was happy with 3rd place but someone lost the rear in front of me at the start of the first moto and took away my front wheel. It wasn’t anybody’s fault. It was just a shame, and I hit the ground pretty hard so it took a while to get up. I managed to get a few points even though my front brake was missing. I started well in the second moto and after a mistake on the first lap I worked my way up to 6th and that’s where I stayed. A bit of a shame today. I felt there was a lot more to take from this weekend but I’m looking forward to Lommel now. It is always nice to race at home but it will be a busy one!”

Rick Elzinga – P12

“It was a new track for me, and it took some time to get used to it. I rode okay, but didn’t feel the best on this track. In the first race I got a decent start and was riding well, but this track is very hard to pass on, so I ended up 10th. I was quite happy with that, but then the second race I had a bad start and with the track being so one-lined, it was really hard to move forward.”

MX2 Race Two Results

2023 MXGP of Czech Republic , MX2 Round Overall

MX2 Standings