Riding a wave of momentum after a successful first round of the 2022 FIM Motocross World Championship, Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing tackled this past weekend’s Grand Prix of Lombardia in hot pursuit of more silverware. The shallow sand of Mantova was the battleground that provided more success and delight for the GASGAS trio of Jorge Prado, Mattia Guadagnini and Simon Langenfelder.
- Simon Langenfelder shows incredible speed on MC 250F.
- Jorge Prado claims another moto victory on his MC 450F.
- Prado jumps onto MXGP of Lombardia podium in third.
Jorge Prado was perfect in the first MXGP moto on Sunday, as he uses the power in his MC 450F to take an impressive holeshot and did not put a foot wrong from that moment on. There was immense pressure from the two riders behind him, but Prado kept his head down and led every lap en route to a clear moto victory. A mediocre start hindered him in moto two, as well as some mistakes, but he battled until the very end to salvage seventh at the checkered flag. Prado stood on the overall podium in third place and still sits second in the championship standings.
Jorge Prado: “The first moto was very good! I got the holeshot and won the moto. My start was not so great in the second moto, but I knew that I had the pace to get to the front. I was not too stressed about that. I got sand in my eyes and struggled with that through the race, then I made a mistake with three laps to go and lost a couple of positions. I am not really happy with the second moto, but the championship is going to be very long.”
Simon Langenfelder was an impressive seventh in the first MX2 moto, despite the fact that an unavoidable crash in qualifying left him with the nineteenth gate pick. Langenfelder completed lap one in eleventh and charged to seventh by the time that the checkered flag waved. Phenomenal is the best way to describe the way that Langenfelder sliced through the field in moto two. Amazingly, he got on the gas and sliced his way from twelfth on the first lap to second in the moto! Langenfelder had the fastest lap of the moto too. Fourth was his final ranking in the overall classification.
For Mattia Guadagnini, the overall result that he took at the Grand Prix of Lombardia does not tell the full story. An unfortunate crash early on in the first moto scuppered his chances of landing on the podium – he had to work his way from outside of the top fifteen to eleventh at the end. A mediocre start hindered him in the second moto, but he showed impressive pace to go from fifteenth to ninth in the eighteen-lap moto. 11-9 scores put him in ninth overall at the Grand Prix of Lombardia.
Simon Langenfelder: “I did not have the best gate pick, especially for this track, but I had a good first corner in the first moto and was around tenth. I made some passes and got up to seventh, which I was happy with. My start in the second moto was a little bit worse. I made passes and then crashed around the halfway mark, but I was already feeling unbelievably good. I caught the riders ahead of me and finished second. It was an unbelievable feeling – I was so happy! I think that we made the best out of a bad weekend.”
Mattia Guadagnini: “It was not the best weekend for me. I just could not make it work today. I did not have the best start in the first moto, but I was around fifth and then I crashed. I made some passes and finished eleventh. My start was really bad in the second moto – I was not riding too bad in that one. I finished ninth. I know that I am a lot better than this. I am sure that we will be at the front soon!”
Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing will take advantage of a weekend off now, before making the long journey to the Grand Prix of Patagonia-Argentina. The spectacular track of Neuquén will host the third round of the 2022 FIM Motocross World Championship on March 19/20.
Results – 2022 FIM Motocross World Championship, Round Two
MXGP – Overall
1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 47pts
2. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) 42pts
3. Jorge Prado (GASGAS) 39pts
MXGP – Moto One
1. Jorge Prado (GASGAS)
2. Tim Gajser (Honda)
3. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha)
MXGP – Moto Two
1. Tim Gajser (Honda)
2. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha)
3. Brian Bogers (Husqvarna)
7. Jorge Prado (GASGAS)
MXGP – Standings
1. Tim Gajser (Honda) 94pts
2. Jorge Prado (GASGAS) 82pts
3. Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) 77pts
MX2 – Overall
1. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 50pts
2. Andrea Adamo (GASGAS) 38pts
3. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 38pts
4. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS) 36pts
9. Mattia Guadagnini (GASGAS) 22pts
MX2 – Moto One
1. Jago Geerts (Yamaha)
2. Tom Vialle (KTM)
3. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna)
7. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS)
11. Mattia Guadagnini (GASGAS)
MX2 – Moto Two
1. Jago Geerts (Yamaha)
2. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS)
3. Andrea Adamo (GASGAS)
9. Mattia Guadagnini (GASGAS)
MX2 – Standings
1. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 90pts
2. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS) 86pts
3. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 74pts
11. Mattia Guadagnini (GASGAS) 43pts