As the flight cases have made their way back from the MXGP season opener in Argentina, the 2024 FIM Motocross World Championship launches into Europe for the first time, to intu Xanadú – Arroyomolinos for the MXGP of Spain!
The hard-pack circuit in Arroyomolinos, close to the Spanish capital of Madrid, was first introduced to the MXGP calendar in the pandemic year of 2020, and instantly the local fans got their wish with an overall win for their hero Jorge Prado, only his second in the MXGP class at the time!
Fast forward four years and that home hero, now racing for Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing, is now the reigning MXGP World Champion, and carries the fabled #1 plate with a red background to his native country as the series leader, following his victory at the YPF Infinia MXGP of Argentina.
This circuit has seen two overall wins for Jeffrey Herlings on the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team, and last year was a historic one as he broke the all-time record for Grand Prix wins with his 102nd career victory. “The Bullet” goes into this round only 7th in the World Championship and looking to make up some of the 22-point deficit to Prado, who has four other World Champions immediately behind him in the table!
This time around we will also see the opening rounds of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship and the EMX250 Championship, with last year’s WMX Silver Medallist Daniela Guillen providing the Spanish fans with another home hero to cheer for on the RFME GASGAS MX Junior Team, as she looks to go one better than her 2022 overall finish of 2nd overall after a loudly-hailed second race win! She has a tough task ahead of her though as reigning World Champion and F&H Racing Team debutant Courtney Duncan has won all three WMX GPs at the venue!
Jorge Prado equalled the record of legendary Belgian racer Eric Geboers with his 39th career Grand Prix win in Spain, and looks to be riding a wave of confidence as he regained the red plate on Sunday after losing it to Team HRC’s Tim Gajser following the Slovenian’s win in Sunday’s RAM Qualifying Race. Gajser has not won a GP race yet at intu-Xanadu Arroyomolinos, and will be out to stop Prado from pulling away any more than the three points between them right now.
Level with Tim in the standings is Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre, and despite his obvious hard track prowess the Frenchman also hasn’t had the best of times around the Spanish circuit, with just one race win here back in 2021, and of course suffered a massive first corner crash on Saturday that left him with no points from the event in 2023.
The only former World Champion not on a full factory team, Pauls Jonass, nonetheless scored a fantastic weekend in Argentina to lie 4th in points for Standing Construct Honda. The Latvian is suddenly right in the mix and has genuine podium prospects in a country that he has won in, back in 2018 at Red Sand.
Maxime Renaux of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP is the only rider to have won in both classes at this circuit, having taken MX2 victory in 2021 on his way to the world title that year, and a maximum double race win in 2022. Last year’s visit was not so sweet, however, as he picked up the foot injury that put him our for most of the season.
Looking to bounce back into form on home turf, after being forced to miss Sunday’s races in Argentina, is the next big Spanish talisman Ruben Fernandez of Team HRC. A lower leg injury picked up in a first corner incident has been worked on and he will be pressing for his first points of 2024. Standing Construct Hondaman Alberto Forato is in the same situation after problems with a haematoma kept him out of the opening races. Josh Gilbert also returns for Gabriel SS24 KTM after crashing heavily out of Saturday’s race and has allowed an elbow injury to heal up in time for Spain.
Sadly we will not see Brent van Doninck of JM Racing Honda or Jago Geerts for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP due to their injuries from Patagonia. We wish them both all the best with their recovery.
Argentina saw total domination for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing as Lucas Coenen won the RAM Qualifying Race on Saturday, then his teammate Kay de Wolf completed stunning charges in each of Sunday’s races to finish as the overall Grand Prix winner and the new MX2 World Championship leader.
MX2 saw the younger stars of the sport absolutely lay it on the line in a sequence of thrilling races, and the Spanish round should be no different as the hard-pack specialists look to take advantage before the season heads to the sands of Sardegna for round three. Neither of the men in white shone here in 2023, so the chasing pack is full of hope!
Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing’s Simon Laengenfelder would have been frustrated to not win the overall in Patagonia, as the German won the first race of a Grand Prix for the last five rounds in 2023, and did so again in South America! As with the last four rounds of last year, however, he could not convert that into a GP win, and lies just six points shy of De Wolf in the Championship. He should be full of confidence heading to intu Xanadu-Arroyomolinos though, as he won both of Sunday’s races with authority last year. With the feel-good buzz sure to surround his team due to Prado’s presence, Simon will once more look for perfection on the Iberian Peninsula!
Third in the table with a steady 40-point haul in Argentina was Thibault Benistant for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2, and the Frenchman just missed the podium here last year so he will be looking to get up there! He was denied in 2023 by eventual World Champion Andrea Adamo, who lies 5th in the standings for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.
The revelation of Argentina was doubtlessly the pace of Mikkel Haarup for the brand new Monster Energy Triumph Racing team, as a fine 2nd in race two on Sunday put the new British machine onto the podium in its very first Grand Prix! Both the Dane and his 10th-placed teammate Camden McLellan have been training in Spain throughout the winter, so they will feel at home this weekend!
The Spanish brand that is Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing will look for more from its rookie sensation Marc-Antoine Rossi, who nearly won his first full Grand Prix race before a small crash, and a poor second moto left him 6th in the Championship. He too, likes the Spanish terrain! Local riders to look out for this weekend include the WZ Racing Team’s Oriol Oliver, and Fantic Factory Racing MX2 pilot David Braceras.
The series will also welcome back one of its stars from 2023, as Liam Everts hopes to have recovered enough from his injured thumb to join the fray for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.
Words & Photo Credit: MXGP
