Gajser wins MXGP 2023 finale in Great Britain

2023 FIM Motocross World Championship
Round 19 – MXGP of Great Britain

The final round of the 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship wrapped up over the weekend, with the MXGP of Great Britain taking place in Matterley Basin, where Team HRC’s Tim Gajser came out victorious with a perfect win.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Jeremy Seewer finished the season with a back-to-back podiums in second, in front his future teammate Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre.

In MX2, the battle raged on between for the Grand Prix win and second in the Championship, and it was Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team’s Jago Geerts who came out on top for his last MX2 Grand Prix, clinching the silver medal along the way on the last race of the season.

Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Simon Laengenfelder finished on the second step of the podium after a race win and walked away with bronze for the Championship, while MX2 World Champion Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Andrea Adamo celebrated his title with another podium in third place.

Mitch Evans’ season ended prematurely, with the Kawasaki Racing Team rider missing the final round, due to ongoing pain from wrist problems that were an issue at the MXGP of Italy.

Mitch Evans

“It’s a real shame to miss the final race of the season and my last race with the team; however it is time to take the right steps to heal correctly. I would like to thank Kawasaki and the team for their understanding and patience and for always believing in me this year. Unfortunately we weren’t able to achieve the results we both deserved, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time working with such professionals. I want to wish the team and Romain the best of luck for Matterley and the Motocross of Nations.”

2023 MXGP of Great Britain Highlights

MXGP Race One

In Race 1, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team’s Glenn Coldenhoff snatched the FOX Holeshot in front of Jorge Prado. Coldenhoff fought with the Gold Plate holder over the first corner but took the lead. Prado kept going but made a costly mistake on lap six as he fell and dropped to fourth after getting passed by Tim Gajser and Jeremy Seewer.

The front three riders pulled away with Coldenhoff in the lead, looking very composed but Gajser increasing his pace and trying several times to pass Coldenhoff.

Gajser managed to find the opening on lap 12 of 14 and flew to victory. Coldenhoff was pushed to the limit by his teammate Seewer, who was quickest on the last lap and made the pass stick to claim second. Coldenhoff had to settle for third.

Prado did well to come back to touching distance of first Seewer and then Coldenhoff but could not pass them and finished fourth. Romain Febvre didn’t get the best start and found himself in sixth behind Team HRC’s Rubén Fernández.

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While chasing after the Spaniard, Febvre developed an issue with his goggles which made him lose time. After regrouping, the French rider picked up the pace and managed to benefit from Fernandez’s fall to move up to fifth.

He even managed to close in on Prado but settled for fifth in the end. Fernandez quickly got back up after tipping over and passed Standing Construct Honda MXGP’s Pauls Jonass on lap 6 to finish sixth. Jonass made a mistake in the last couple of laps and moved down to ninth where he finished.

Team Gebben Van Venroy Yamaha Racing’s Calvin Vlaanderen rode well but fell on lap eight and lost a position to a surprising Harry Kullas. Vlaanderen quickly took the seventh place back and settled there. Kullas could not maintain his pace but finished at a strong 12th.

It was a best season’s finish for KTM Kosak Team’s Tom Koch, as he gained a couple of positions during the race to finish eight while the consistent De Baets Yamaha MX-Team’s Benoit Paturel showed again his talent to finish 10th.

MXGP Race One Results

MXGP Race Two

In Race 2, Coldenhoff again got an amazing start and took the FOX Holeshot and lead in front of Gajser but this didn’t last long, the lead quickly going to Gajser.

The Slovenian pulled away and looked very composed and confident on his bike. No one could touch him this weekend as he raced to a second victory of the weekend.

Unfortunately, Coldenhoff could not cement his amazing starts and was overtaken by a number of riders to finish fifth.

Febvre pushed through the whole race after finding himself in fifth place on the opening lap, overtaking Fernandez and Coldenhoff to go third by lap five and kept harassing future teammate Seewer until he passed him on lap nine to finish second.

Seewer thought he would secure third in race two, but a late charge by Fernandez caught him by surprise on the last lap to finish third, Seewer fourth.

Vlaanderen gained a few positions to finish sixth, behind him was Jonass riding superbly to seventh. V Ship to Cycle Honda SR Motoblouz’s Valentin Guillod had a good start in sixth on the opening lap but lost few positions to settle for eighth.

One of the best performers in Great Britain was Koch who claimed another top-10, riding the whole way in ninth without getting overtaken.

Home hero MRT Racing Team Beta’s Ben Watson had plenty of support from the home fans to grab 11th.

Gajser naturally took the round overall with a perfect 50-points, Seewer second on 40 and Febvre third on 38-points. Coldenhoff and Fernandez rounding out the top five.

The final championship standings were Prado champion, Febvre claiming the silver medal and Seewer third, with fairly sizeable gaps between the trio.

Jorge Prado – 2023 MXGP Champion

“It was nice to race and not think about the championship! I was able to enjoy the moment. This season has been a dream come true. Thank you to the Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing for all the hard work this year. We did this together.”

Tim Gajser – P1

“It’s great to finish this season with a victory. It is a massive confidence boost heading into the off-season and also for 2024 so I’m very happy to win and to go one-one and just have fun riding out there. The track was difficult in that second moto, but I enjoyed it once I got out front, got a good gap and could see where the riders behind were behind me. I’d like to thank all my team for all their hard work and all their support when I wasn’t at the races, this victory is down to all of them as well and it is really nice just to leave the last round of the championship with the win.”

Jeremy Seewer – P2 (Championship third)

“Today was a good day. It was solid. I am happy I had two solid motos. I had a fall yesterday, which upset a cut on my elbow from a fall I had last weekend and just hit the ground quite hard, so I thought it would be very tough for me today. It was not easy today. I just wanted to survive, and I ended up doing really well. It was a pity I lost third place at the end of Race Two, but it didn’t matter for the overall. I am happy to finish this year strong, and now looking forward to ‘The Nations’.”

Romain Febvre – P3 (Championship second)

“I was feeling really comfortable today and I had a really good start in race one but I touched with someone in the first turn and dropped to sixth. A few laps later the back wheel slipped out in a turn and I lost some time but I came back to finish less than six seconds from the winner so I was happy with my speed. In the second moto I passed the other guys to finish second; Tim was too far away but I was pleased to end the day on the podium again. My results were OK in the first quarter of the year but I was just missing the podium each week; then from mid-season I was really consistent with GP wins and podiums nearly every week. I had more GP wins than anybody else, including five-in-a-row. I now have two silver medals with Kawasaki so let’s keep working to go one better next year.”

Glenn Coldenhoff – P4

“I definitely have some positives to take away from today. We have been working really hard on the starts lately, and then today, I took two holeshots. Race One was tough. I had the guys pushing me from behind all moto long, and then I made two silly mistakes myself, which cost me. I was not very happy with that. In Race Two, I was just off the pace, and I don’t want to make excuses, but my back hurts a lot from hitting that big quad every lap. It’s a shame I didn’t finish on the podium, but overall, fourth is solid. Although, I did want to get a medal, and fourth is so close yet so far. Still, a lot of positives to build on for next year. Now, I’m looking forward to ending the season strong at the Monster Energy Motocross of Nations.”

Ruben Fernandez – P5

“I’m very happy to get third in that final moto. I kept with the riders in front and just put in consistent laps, trying to keep the tow and not make any mistakes myself. It was difficult early on the race, but to comeback to third, just a second behind second place was proof to myself that I deserved to be there and I’m on the right track to really be amongst the podium spots all the time. I must also say congrats to Tim for winning the GP and to the whole of Team HRC for a great year. We won the first GP and the last GP and had a lot of good moments in between and I really enjoyed working with everyone. The Nations is up next and I’m heading there full of confidence.”

MXGP Race Two Results

2023 MXGP of Great Britain, Round Overall

MXGP Standings – Top 20

MX2 Race One

Simon Laengenfelder made the best start in race one, to claim his 11th FOX Holeshot this season, as well as the lead in front of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team’s Thibault Benistant and Jago Geerts.

In third, Geerts was quickly under pressure from Andrea Adamo by lap 3 while Laengenfelder pulled away from Benistant and set a fastest lap.

Benistant held on for second, despite a hard charging Geerts, who eventually settled for third, rounding out the podium.

MX2 World Champion Adamo showed consistency during the race, holding fourth throughout and finishing in the same position, albeit almost 10s off the podium.

Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Roan Van de Moosdijk, Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kay de Wolf, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Liam Everts finished fifth through seventh respectively.

MX2 Race One Results

MX2 Race Two

Everts nabbed the FOX Holeshot in race two, but he couldn’t keep the lead as an impressive de Wolf launched a successful move to take the lead on lap two. De Wolf showed impressive pace in front of Adamo, who passed teammate Everts on lap three.

Both riders were composed and de Wolf was eyeing a great podium result for the last GP of the campaign but Geerts had other plans.

Geerts soon took the lead and pushed forward to build a 1.4s gap, for the overall win, with de Wolf settling for the second step on the podium, just clear of Adamo.

Laengenfelder was the best of the rest in fourth, almost 20-seconds off the podium, Everts fifth.

Benistant, de Moosdijk, Horgmo, Bonacorsi and Pancar rounded out the race two top 10.

Geerts took the round overall as a result on 45-points, Laegenfelder second on 43, while Adamo edged out de Wolf and Benistant for third, and the final podium position. He was on 38-points, to the duo’s 37.

The final standings saw Geerts claim the silver medal by four-points, Laegenfelder settling for third. Adamo’s title and first place already having been decided.

Andrea Adamo – 2023 MX2 Champion (P3)

“I still need a couple of days to think about the last week. It was very short! I’m really happy right now. The whole season was a challenge; to put almost twenty races together. I was the most consistent rider and that really helped me to reach my goal. For next year we will make a good plan, hope to have a good winter and I want to be stronger in 2024.”

Jago Geerts – P1 (2023 Runner-Up)

“I’m proud of what I did today, and I am proud of my whole season. I came back from two injuries, and it was still a good season for me. This weekend was not easy, but in the end, especially in the second race, I felt good on the bike and on the track and won the second race. It’s nice to end my MX2 career with a win. Now, I’m looking forward to moving to the 450cc, which I will race at the Motocross of Nations, and hopefully, I will have a good season next year.”

Simon Laengenfelder – P2 (2023 third overall)

“I won the qualifying race and the first moto, but the second moto was not the best. To come back after injury is never easy, so I am happy that I did that and could take third in the championship. I am looking forward to the Motocross of Nations and then we will focus on 2024.”

Kay de Wolf – P4

“It is nice to end the season on a positive note – it has been an up and down year! It would have been nice to stand on the podium, of course, but we can carry this momentum into the Motocross of Nations and the off-season. Thank you to the team for sticking by me.”

Thibault Benistant – P5

“I could take some positives and some negatives from this weekend. I think I missed some race intensity because of the rounds I missed. But, overall, I had good speed; I just struggled to push at the start of the race. Now, I’m looking forward to building for next season.”

Liam Everts – P6

“In general it was a tough weekend but I got a bit better every session and that was a positive. Finishing 7th in the first moto I wasn’t feeling too great; not much more to say. It was nice to end the season with a holeshot in the second though. I battled for a while and ended up in 5th for 6th overall. Mixed feelings to end 2023 in this way but it was a great season with three wins and eight podiums in total. I’m looking forward to the Nations now.”

Roan van de Moosdijk – P7

“Seventh overall is not where I want to be, but it is good to end with a solid race. Thank you to the Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing team for everything that they have done for me – I could not have asked for more from the guys here.”

Kevin Horgmo – P8

“I made a good start around the outside of turn one in the first race to hold sixth but I made a small crash on the second lap when the front wheel slipped away. It took me a few laps to find my rhythm again after that; I was strong again at the end with eighth and ninth just ahead of me but it was difficult to pass and I couldn’t get by. I made another good start around the outside in race two but I was making too many mistakes on the first lap as the surface was so slippery after they watered the track and I lost my confidence for a few laps. I eventually got into my rhythm again to finish eighth but I felt my speed was good enough for better. That was the last race of my MX2 career; we had some up-and-downs during the year but we never gave up and a huge thanks to the team; the highlight was definitely Turkey with the moto win. It was also my last GP with F&H so a big thanks for the last two years to everyone; we had some fun times together so let’s end it strong now at the Motocross des Nations.”

Lucas Coenen – P11

“The results are not what I wanted, but I am pleased that I was able to hold onto fifth in the championship. It has been a solid rookie season, with some highs and lows, and I am excited to get to work on 2024.”

Rick Elzinga – P13

“I dislocated my shoulder during the week, so I knew it would be a difficult weekend. In the first moto, I finished ninth, which was not too bad. I struggled to pass because I didn’t want to take any risk with my shoulder being unstable. In Race Two, I had a much better start, but I fell, so I had to come back from dead last. That’s about it. Top-10 in my first season in MX2. It’s something to build on.”

MX2 Race Two Results

2023 MXGP of Great Britain, MX2 Round Overall

MX2 Standings –  Top 20