After the Lommel podium: Simon Längenfelder’s (KTM) plans for the future

You should never say never in motocross, but with only five Grands Prix remaining in the 2026 season, Red Bull KTM factory rider Simon Längenfelder faces a 70-point deficit that will be very difficult to make up, even under exceptional circumstances. Even if one were to consider a scenario like the one in the MXGP, where the dominant rider (Lucas Coenen) is sidelined through injury, Simon Längenfelder would still have two other riders (Sacha Coenen and Camden Mc Lellan) ahead of him in the World Championship standings. Despite his podium finish at Lommel, the prospect of defending his title has become a distant prospect for Simon.

A comparison with 2025

The situation looked very different for Simon at this stage of the 2025 season. After the 15th round in Lommel, he led the standings by a 38-point margin. He then went on to win the following race in Uddevalla (Sweden) and extended his lead to 40 points. In the final Grands Prix of the season, his lead had shrunk again to 16 points ahead of the finale in Australia. The bar chart clearly shows how and where Längenfelder secured the crucial World Championship points for his title win: it was the races in France, Germany, Latvia and Great Britain where he managed to make up a total of 85 (!) points on Kay de Wolf. It is also clearly evident that Kay de Wolf, for his part, gained a massive number of points on the sand tracks in Finland, Belgium and the Netherlands. There alone, he picked up 68 points.

Punktdifferenzen Längenfelder - de Wolf, Saison 2025

Foto: Thoralf Abgarjan

Consistency as the key to success

On the subject of consistency, it is worth looking back at last year, when Simon Längenfelder became world champion. In 2025, he stood out for his high level of consistency: not a single zero-scorer in a points-scoring race and only two zero-scorers in qualifying races was an impressive record. This year, Simon has already had two zero-point qualifying rounds (Argentina and Italy) and two far more significant zero-point finishes in championship races – both following crashes, at Kegums and Loket. The non-finish at Kegums wasn’t actually a ‘zero’ in the end, because only 19 riders started there and not all points could be awarded. Consequently, despite his complete non-finish, Simon was still awarded two World Championship points for 19th place.

Punkteausbeute Längenfelder und de Wolf 2025

Foto: Thoralf Abgarjan

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Punktebilanz von Längenfelder, Farres, Mc Lellan und Sacha Coenen 2026

Foto: Thoralf Abgarjan

Is Farres more consistent than Längenfelder?

World Championship leader Guillem Farres also recorded a zero-point finish in Andalusia this year. His team-mate Camden Mc Lellan suffered a total failure in Switzerland, and up until the French Grand Prix, neither of the two Triumph works riders had shown particularly consistent form. However, that changed abruptly afterwards. Both Farres (black line) and Mc Lellan (grey line) showed hardly any fluctuations in their points tally in the run-up to Lommel, whilst Längenfelder (red line) suffered another significant dip due to his retirement at Loket. Looking at the second half of the season, both Farres and Mc Lellan are clearly the most consistent riders.

Will Mc Lellan be the one laughing in the end?

The trend in points haul reveals yet another pattern: since the Portuguese Grand Prix, Mc Lellan’s points tally has been rising steadily. Mc Lellan now trails Farres by 60 points. At Lommel, the South African has now made up 10 points on Farres. With five Grands Prix remaining this season, he could still catch the Spaniard in the final stretch, provided there are no team orders from Triumph.

Anfeuerungen von der Boxen-Crew, rechts Marc de Reuver

Foto: Align Media

Simon Längenfelder’s future plans

Following his 450cc outing at the ADAC MX Masters in Dreetz, the general expectation was that Simon would move up to the MXGP in 2027. At the post-race press conference in Lommel, however, he gave a different impression. When asked specifically about his plans, his simple reply was: “I don’t have a plan for next year.”

Simon Längenfelder in Lommel

Foto: Align Media

Simon Längenfelder on his race in Lommel

The sandy race in Lommel is considered one of the toughest Grands Prix of the season. Simon Längenfelder certainly felt that too. “It got really tough towards the end of the second race,” he explained. “But I had a better flow on this track than I’ve had in the past. I didn’t make any major mistakes across the three races, which was an improvement on last weekend. I’m pleased about that. It’s also positive that we were back on the podium, because we all know that Lommel is a tough Grand Prix.”