The fourteenth round of the 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship in Vantaa for the MXGP of Finland witnessed some eventful races throughout the whole day. The riders deliver incredible performances for the third week in a row and gave the Finnish public a lot to cheer on.

In MXGP, Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre got his personal record with 5 Grand Prix victories in a row and continues to be the top rider at the moment while Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado finished 2nd again and scored a lot of points too thanks to his win in race 2. Closing the podium was once again Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Glenn Coldenhoff who gets a back-to-back podium confirming his great form.

In MX2, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Andrea Adamo managed to get his first perfect GP win with an excellent 1-1 that extends his lead in the Championship. Finishing 2nd overall and getting his 4th podium in a row was Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Simon Laengenfelder in front of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Liam Everts who climbed back on the podium since Sumbawa-Indonesia after being very consistent over the weekend.

In race 1, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Jeremy Seewer took his 10th FOX Holeshot of the season and kept going at the lead in front of Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado and Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre. Febvre quickly charged on Prado in the opening lap to overtake his closest rival and move up to 2nd. Febvre kept his impressive level as he found the way past Seewer to take the lead on lap 2 of 19. On this tough track, Seewer stayed in touch the whole race with the Frenchman but could do nothing to prevent Febvre’s 6th victory of the season. Seewer managed a strong race as he had to defend on Prado for most of the race with the front three riders separated by 3 seconds for many laps. In the end Seewer finished 2nd and Prado 3rd.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Glenn Coldenhoff had a quiet race as he trailed further back from the top 3 riders but still got a comfortable cushion with his pursuers. In the end Coldenhoff managed a podium-hopeful 4th place.

The 5th place on the other hand got fought for during the whole race. Team HRC’s Rubén Fernández showed a good start in 3rd but got overtaken in the opening lap by Prado and Coldenhoff to move down to 5th. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings was behind Fernandez after the start and took 2 laps to dive on the inside of the Spanish rider and moved up to 5th. However Fernandez didn’t throw the towel and came back on the back wheel of the ‘bullet’ on lap 7. Fernandez dig deep and was able get the 5th place back. We thought that he was going to go all the way but crashed on lap 13 and had to retire from the race and the GP in the end. Herlings got goggles issues and had to go to the pitstop to change them on lap 10 while he was 6th. He moved down to 11th and had to battle back again to finish 8th in the end.

Team Gebben Van Venroy Yamaha Racing’s Calvin Vlaanderen and Team HRC’s Tim Gajser
who were 7th and 8th since the opening lap respectively followed each other and befitted from Fernandez and Herlings misfortunes to move up one position and finish 5th and 6th in the end.

It was a strong showing for SM Action Racing Team Yuasa Battery MXGP’s Alberto Forato after his 6th place in Flanders as the young Italian managed to pass riders regularly during the race and did not make mistakes to finish 7th.  Unfortunately, he didn’t confirm in the second race as he finished 18th. The two riders from Standing Construct Honda MXGP, Jeremy Van Horebeek and Brian Bogers did very well again to get a top 10 as they managed to finish 9th for Van Horebeek and 10th for Bogers.

In race 2, Prado took also his 10th FOX Holeshot to go level with Seewer. Prado kept going at the lead with Febvre on his tail but with both riders riding at the same speed it was difficult for Febvre to find a way to pass Prado. Prado’s consistent and strong pace made him win the race to go 3-1 and get on another podium, regaining some lost points on Febvre from race 1. Febvre knew that he was winning the overall in 2nd place and despite trying to find an opening he settled for 2nd in the end. Febvre went 1-2 to incredibly get his personal record of 5 GP wins in a row.

Coldenhoff showed up again as he did in Flanders with a great start to go 3rd on the turn of lap 1. He then had to managed Herlings pushing behind him the whole race. Coldenhoff kept his cool and composure to bring the 3rd place home synonymous of 3rd overall. It was a back-to-back podium for the ‘Hoff’ that will give him even more confidence for the next GP in Sweden. Herlings settled for 4th to go 8-4 and a good 5th overall on his return to the competition.

Seewer had a sense of urgency in race 2 after an average start compared to his usual standards as he found himself 7th on the turn of Lap 1. He rode with a strong pace to overtake first Gajser on lap 11 of 19 for 6th and then a lap later Vlaanderen to move up to 5th and finish there. Unfortunately, although level on points with Coldenhoff, the Swiss rider just missed out on the podium to his teammate.

Gajser showed that he is getting back his flow and speed as after getting overtaken by Seewer and Vlaanderen on lap 11 and moving down to 7th, the Slovenian managed to stay in touching distance and capitalised on Vlaanderen’s fall to finish 6th in the end. Going 6-6 for 6th overall which is his best finish of the season. Vlaanderen had to settle for 7th in the end, and 7th overall maintaining his perfect run of top 10s this season.

Van Horebeek managed to overtake several times in race 2 which was an impressive feat given that it was not easy to pass on this track. He finished 8th for an 8th overall. Coming out of retirement to replace Pauls Jonass after his injury for the last 3 European GPs with Standing Construct Honda MXGP; Van Horebeek showed that he did more than just filling the gap as he got 3 top 10s.

Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP’s Mitch Evans managed to get an 11-10 to get another top 10 to bounce back from Lommel.

Romain Febvre: “It was a good weekend overall. I had the speed every time I was on the track. I just feel one with the bike and the confidence is growing, that’s the most important. I managed some good move, but in the second race it was just harder. I came close few times could not pass. But I knew it was going to be enough for a GP victory. That is five in a row I beat my personal record so let’s keep it like this for a few more GPs.”

Jorge Prado: “I think it was a positive weekend winning two out of the three possible races. So I think I need to be happy. We have one goal and the goal is to get the championship, but also you know, once I get out to the track, my goal is also to win, so I’m I’m happy with the 2nd place and it was a pity in the first race that I couldn’t pass Jeremy (Seewer) and I was very close a few times. This weekend was a solid, solid weekend so it was positive I had a lot of fun and I get a bit closer to the championship title”

Glenn Coldenhoff: “It was a pretty intense battle with Herlings at the end of race 2 but I felt good even if it was difficult to pass. It is another podium and a great job from the team. I fight with the front guys week after week which shows that I have a good pace. I always like Sweden so I am really looking forward for the next GP.”

MXGP – Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), 34:11.808; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:01.341; 3. Jorge Prado (ESP, GASGAS), +0:04.529; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Yamaha), +0:20.353; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:29.129; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:32.550; 7. Alberto Forato (ITA, KTM), +0:34.128; 8. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:37.678; 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Honda), +0:41.939; 10. Brian Bogers (NED, Honda), +0:45.907;

MXGP – Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification:  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, GASGAS), 33:50.401; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:02.319; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Yamaha), +0:03.755; 4. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:05.683; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:11.470; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:38.334; 7. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:43.163; 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Honda), +1:03.007; 9. Alvin Östlund (SWE, Honda), +1:04.857; 10. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Kawasaki), +1:05.648

MXGP – Grand Prix Top 10 Classification:  1. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 47 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 45 p.; 3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 38 p.; 4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 38 p.; 5. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 31 p.; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 30 p.; 7. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 30 p.; 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 25 p.; 9. Alvin Östlund (SWE, HON), 21 p.; 10. Mitchell Evans (AUS, KAW), 21 p

MXGP – World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 720 points; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 622 p.; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 550 p.; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 525 p.; 5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 489 p.; 6. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 477 p.; 7. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 418 p.; 8. Alberto Forato (ITA, KTM), 350 p.; 9. Valentin Guillod (SUI, HON), 276 p.; 10. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 204 p

MXGP – Manufacturers Classification: 1. GASGAS, 726 points; 2. Yamaha, 703 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 638 p.; 4. KTM, 575 p.; 5. Honda, 555 p.; 6. Beta, 246 p.; 7. Husqvarna, 73 p.

In race 1, the FOX Holeshot was taken by Simon Laengenfelder as he took also the lead in front of Andrea Adamo. After the first couple of corners, behind them were Liam Everts, Fantic Racing MX Hakon Osterhagen and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team’s Jago Geerts. Osterhagen who made a great start crashed on a landing and Geerts could not avoid him and crashed too. Unfortunately, Geerts got injured on the spot and had to retire from the Grand Prix which puts a blow in his chase after the MX2 Title.

Osterhagen kept going for a while but had to retire with a bike problem in the end. The race however kept going and Adamo put immense pressure on race leader Laengenfelder. On lap 3 of 19, Adamo dived on the inside of Laengenfelder to take the lead. The German rider didn’t give up and tried to answer straight away but Adamo was not giving in and kept the lead until the end. Laengenfelder settled for 2nd.

Everts managed to stay out of trouble and rode a consistent race to get to the finish line in 3rd place. Behind him F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s Kevin Horgmo also showed that when he gets a good start, he is a rider that knows how to ride at the front. Horgmo finished 4th.

Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Lucas Coenen had some race as he found himself in 11th position on the turn of lap 1 but showed that he is a rider who can overturn a bad situation. L.Coenen quickly found his flow and on lap 7 really started his charge forward. The young Belgian found himself 6th on lap 16 after getting the better of his brother Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Sacha Coenen on lap 11 and of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team’s Rick Elzinga a couple of laps later. He kept charging on to get on the back wheel of WZ Racing Team’s Oriol Oliver and overtake him to finish at an excellent 5th place. Oliver also managed a strong race, as he only got overtaken by L.Coenen to finish 6th.

Elzinga displayed great pace and also gained many positions as the young Dutch rider is getting more consistent. He finished 7th in front of a solid F&H Kawasaki Racing Team’s David Braceras who consistently rode well into the top 10. S.Coenen in the end finished 9th but he is getting the measure of his potential over the last GPs.

In Race 2, the fastest out of the gate to clinch the FOX Holeshot was Adamo, taking his 3rd but it was his teammate Everts who took the lead after that. Elzinga made a great start to find himself 2nd on the turn of lap 1. Adamo found himself 4th behind his teammate S.Coenen but passed him in the opening lap and continued on his excellent pace setting a fastest lap along the way. Adamo made a perfect move to pass Elzinga for 2nd on lap 2 of 19 to get closer to his other teammate and race leader Everts.

While Adamo was on the charge to get the lead, Laengenfelder on his side, crashed in the opening lap and had to make his way back up from 10th on a hard track that does not facilitate passes.

Adamo got closer and closer to Everts and swept on the inside of the Belgian on lap 7 to take the lead. After that Adamo continued at the lead, keeping a cushion of 4 seconds at all time. Adamo flew to victory to get a perfect 1-1 and win the GP by a great margin. Extending in the same time his lead to the Championship.

While Adamo was riding at the top, Laengenfelder displayed one of the most impressive performances of his season as he put his head down, passed nearly every rider in front of him with ease and set several fastest laps. The German had to fight with L.Coenen over 3 laps to finally pass him for 3rd in the end on lap 16. He then closed in on Everts for the battle of the 2nd overall. Nothing could stop Laengenfelder in this second race, and Everts could not hold him back on lap 17. Laengenfelder finished 2nd in the end going 2-2 for his 4th podium in a row showing how good he feels at the moment.

Everts got under pressure by his countryman L.Coenen on the very last lap and finished 4th in the end to go 3-4 for 3rd overall and getting his first Podium since Sumbawa-Indonesia. L.Coenen narrowly missed out the podium to finish 4th overall but his riding was impressive.

Elzinga’s performance was also impressive and managed a strong and solid race to finish 5th for 6th overall which is his best finish since returning from injury in Germany.

S.Coenen continues on showing positive things as he managed to finish 6th in race 2 to get the 7th overall again after Flanders. Horgmo is another rider confirming his form as he finished 7th in race 2 to go 5th overall and get his 3rd top 5 in a row.

Andrea Adamo: ”I already won my first GP in Trentino but doing it like this with two race wins is really special and I’m so happy. I didn’t expect this because it still a sand track but I made it work. Now I want to keep working and keep going on this way.”

Simon Längenfelder: “The first race was easy when you see the second one but what can you do, when you crash in the first lap, first you are a bit disappointed but then I took my time and I had some places where I knew that I could pass. I didn’t expect to come so far to the front but I was feeling really good on the bike and I did a good job and It’s very nice to be back again on the podium”

Liam Everts: “This weekend was pretty tough actually. In the second race I was quite riding defence and I got caught out to finish 4th. It was a bit of a shame but the positives are that I led some laps in the beginning and I am really happy to be back on the podium”

MX2 – Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 34:53.171; 2. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:02.805; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:16.381; 4. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Kawasaki), +0:18.547; 5. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:25.722; 6. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:28.851; 7. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:34.335; 8. David Braceras (ESP, Kawasaki), +0:48.293; 9. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:52.001; 10. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Honda), +1:00.386

MX2 – Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 34:36.893; 2. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:07.299; 3. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:07.569; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:10.835; 5. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:15.789; 6. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:17.331; 7. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Kawasaki), +0:21.015; 8. Isak Gifting (SWE, GASGAS), +0:39.789; 9. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:50.091; 10. Jan Pancar (SLO, KTM), +1:20.158

MX2 – Grand Prix Top 10 Classification: 1. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 50 points; 2. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 44 p.; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 38 p.; 4. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 36 p.; 5. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KAW), 32 p.; 6. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 30 p.; 7. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 27 p.; 8. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 27 p.; 9. Jan Pancar (SLO, KTM), 20 p.; 10. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 20 p

MX2 – World Championship Top 10 Classification:  1. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 619 points; 2. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 559 p.; 3. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 532 p.; 4. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 501 p.; 5. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 492 p.; 6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 462 p.; 7. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 461 p.; 8. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, HUS), 433 p.; 9. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KAW), 395 p.; 10. Jan Pancar (SLO, KTM), 273 p

MX2 – Manufacturers Classification: 1. Yamaha, 732 points; 2. Husqvarna, 679 p.; 3. KTM, 676 p.; 4. GASGAS, 554 p.; 5. Kawasaki, 400 p.; 6. Honda, 261 p.; 7. Fantic, 18

MXGP OF FINLAND QUICK FACTS:
Circuit length: 1500m
Type of ground: Sand
Temperature: 22°
Weather conditions: Sunny/Cloudy
Crowd Attendance: 15,500

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