JEFFREY HERLINGS 2ND IN SWITZERLAND

In MX2 Liam Everts was fearless into the many deep, ruts on the wet and clayish soil. The Belgian’s commitment helped with a decent P2 in the first moto and also with an effective salvage operation in the second race after an early crash cost him time and positions. Liam’s ranking of 3rd overall represented a long overdue return to the podium ceremony. Teammates Andrea Adamo and Sacha Coenen had a challenging Sunday. Adamo hit the Swiss mud in both races and had to persevere to make the line with an 11-12 as Sacha was still nursing a painful right leg after his Swedish practice fall three weeks previously and took a conservative 15-15 on the day.

Three races – Turkey, China and Spain – remain on the calendar and with a maximum haul of 180 points to win. The habitual stop for MXGP on Turkish soil means the eighteenth Grand Prix of the year will rush around the flat hardpack of Afyonkarahisar in a fortnight.

Jeffrey Herlings, 2nd and 2nd for 2nd overall in MXGP: “Today was tough. My start was actually really good in the first moto but somehow I still ended up having to work back from 10th to 2nd. Second moto – I don’t know how – I was almost last. I did a lot of passing and by the time I got to 2nd then Tim [Gajser] had too much of a gap. In the sand you can go for it and make a three-lap sprint but here you push and end-up going backwards. I showed I had great speed again and I think my starts will be better in the next races because of the higher elevation. We’ll see. We’ve also been working on 2025 already and think we’ll also have something really good on the technical side for next year. I like Turkey and I was good in China the last time we went. The end of the season is coming quick and hopefully we can add another win.”

Liam Everts, 2nd and 5th for 3rd overall in MX2: “I had some wheelspin on the start and that didn’t help but from around 10th place I just kept moving forward, forward, forward. It was a good moto. I crashed early in the second race and my clutch was bent so I lost time but I’m happy with my riding and also the result. I’m still making mistakes and that’s been the story of the last GPs. The tip-overs are costing me a lot. I’m working on it! I felt good on the track today and also the bike and I was ticking-off the riders one-by-one. I felt competitive and in the flow.”

Andrea Adamo, 11th and 12th for 11th overall in MX2: “Not the best weekend. Saturday was quite solid but today I missed some confidence and good feeling in the mud. I also missed my starts which is so important in these conditions. I need to improve my speed. A day to forget. We still have three GPs left to do our best.”

Sacha Coenen, 15th and 15th for 14th overall in MX2: “My leg is still giving me problems and that means the righthand corners are difficult. I had a tip-over on the first lap in the first moto. I was just missing power with the right leg. I made as many passes as I could. In the second moto my rhythm was not great at the beginning but much better in the middle of the race and I was quick and having fun on the bike. Things are getting better, and I was already improving after Sweden and the Netherlands so I’m sure I’ll be 100% for Turkey.”

1. Tim Gajser (SLO), Honda, 1-1

3. Jorge Prado (ESP), GASGAS, 3-3

12. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA), Husqvarna 13-13

1. Tim Gajser (SLO), Honda, 860 points

2. Jorge Prado (ESP), GASGAS, 842

13. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA), Husqvarna, 260

1. Kay de Wolf (NED), Husqvarna 1-3

2. Simon Laegenfelder (GER), GASGAS, 4-1

7. Lucas Coenen (BEL) Husqvarna 8-7

1. Kay de Wolf (NED) Husqvarna, 831 points

2. Lucas Coenen (BEL) Husqvarna, 770

3. Simon Laegenfelder (GER), GASGAS, 727