The Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing Team hit the halfway mark of the 2024 FIM Motocross World Championship at the iconic Maggiora track in Italy. Nestled in the picturesque Piedmont region of northwest Italy, this historic venue has been a staple of the MXGP calendar since 1966.
True to Italian Grand Prix style, the weekend was a rollercoaster of highs and lows, marked by changing weather and challenging track conditions. In the first MXGP moto, Jorge Prado burst out from a sixth-place gate slot to quickly grab third place. After rival Seewer crashed, Prado held onto second until lap 13. In the closing stages, Prado engaged in a fierce battle with Jeffrey Herlings, showcasing his skill and reducing the gap to eventual winner Tim Gajser to just 1.570 seconds.
With the sun shining and the track drying for the second moto, hopes were high for Prado. However, disaster struck just after the start with a huge multi-rider crash that Prado simply couldn’t avoid. Despite quickly remounting and riding with bent handlebars, Prado and the team decided to retire on lap six to prevent further injury; preparing for the upcoming races in Indonesia. Prado currently sits second in the championship standings ahead of Jeffrey Herlings, with a 37 point advantage.
In MX2, the excitement continued with wildcard Valerio Lata thrilling his home fans with an impressive P3 podium finish in only his second MX2 race this season. Lata, who previously finished 13th overall at the MXGP of Galicia, has been on fire in the EMX250 championship, where he holds third place. However his performance on the 1730m hard pack of the historic Maggiora track was truly exceptional. Racing to a fifth-place finish in the first moto, Lata then fought to an edge-of-the-seat third place in the second moto, battling bar-to-bar with teammate Simon Längenfelder and rival Liam Everts, with only a 0.4 second margin at the finish.
Längenfelder also delivered another quality performance at the MXGP of Italy, despite a crash in the second moto. In the opening moto, the German rider finished in a calculated second place, while in the second moto, he was battling with Lata for third until a mistake in the deep cross ruts dropped him to eighth.
With the season at its halfway point, the traditional fly-away races in Indonesia are up next, starting with the MXGP of West Nusa Tenggara in Lombok, Indonesia, on June 30th.
MXGP – #1 – Jorge Prado:“We finished the GP of Maggiora, though not in the best way. It was a tough weekend for sure. On Saturday, it was pretty much all mud riding. During the qualifying race, I finished sixth, which was okay – I didn’t want to take any risks in those conditions. Then on Sunday, the conditions were a little better and drier, but that meant the track was pretty much a single line. For the first moto, I got out of the gate quite well, but then in the third corner, Gajser cross-rutted and came into me. He passed me there, and then we were battling pretty much for the whole moto. I caught up to him a little more at the end, and we were pretty close at the finish line. It was a good P2. During the second moto, I also had a very good start, but I went a bit wide into the second corner as I got off balance. Then the guy in front of me crashed, and though I tried to avoid him, I crashed as well. From there, it was difficult to say; there were many riders involved. I got a bit hurt, and the bike was damaged. I pulled off after a lap because I felt a little hurt, but everything seems fine. I just need to take it easy for a couple of days, and I should be okay to fight for the win in Indonesia!”
MX2 – #516 – Simon Längenfelder: “I was having a good weekend until my crash in the second moto, so it was a shame about that. I made some great starts and thought I was riding really well with good speed. It was very difficult to pass on this track – even getting past the lapped riders was almost impossible. I was having a great time; my bike felt fantastic, but unfortunately, the crash took away the podium. I’m a little bit angry about that. However, the important thing is that we are healthy and can fight again in Indonesia!”
MX2 – #53 – Valerio Lata: “It’s unbelievable; I don’t have the words right now – this is an absolute dream come true! I work every day for moments like this! This is the first time I’ve cried after a race. Finishing 5th in the first moto and 3rd in the second moto, and securing a third place overall podium here at home in Italy is beyond my wildest dreams! Thank you to my family, my team, mechanics, and sponsors; your support is incredible and means the world to me.”
