Joel Smets on Längenfelder: “Fifth place is a long way from our target”

No one knows this better than five-time world champion Joel Smets: winning a world title is difficult enough, but defending it is many times harder. In 1995, the Belgian claimed his first world title in the 500cc class. He repeated this success in 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2003, thereby cementing his place in history. Today, Smets is Simon Längenfelder’s team manager in the Red Bull KTM factory team. Right up until the very end, there was hope that Simon Längenfelder would finish the MX2 World Championship on the podium, but in the end the German had to settle for a disappointing 5th place.

5th in the World Championship

To be fair, however, it must be said that a 5th-place finish in the World Championship is, and remains, an outstanding achievement, but after a world title, a 5th-place finish does indeed seem like a dip in form. “Records are there to be broken,” said the most successful motocross rider of all time, Stefan Everts. And that is exactly what happened: did anyone really have Guillem Farres on their radar before the season began? The unpredictability of sport is the icing on the cake. That’s exactly what makes the sport so interesting. We were on the edge of our seats rooting for Simon and delighted by his successes, which is why he is, and always will be, a great role model for German motocross.

Stomach problems and a high temperature

On the Saturday before the season finale in Darwin (Australia), Simon – who had already been complaining of stomach problems in Turkey – also came down with a high fever. He was unable to compete and had to watch helplessly as Liam Everts knocked him out of fourth place in the World Championship standings in the final race.

Simon has talent and stamina – and everything else he needs.

Joel Smets

The verdict on the 2026 season

Nevertheless, Joel Smets’ disappointment is understandable: “The MX2 World Championship was tough because Simon has the talent, the fitness and everything else he needs to win championships,” he explained after the race. “Although the season started well, there was a slump after the sixth or seventh round that we still can’t explain. We tried to turn things round, but fifth place was a long way from our target. In the MXGP, we also secured fifth place with Andrea Adamo, but with a rookie, that feels like a victory. We made the decision to ride a prototype this year and stuck to it consistently. We didn’t have any spectacular highs, but neither did we have any major lows. We’ve learnt a lot and we’re definitely ready for next year.”

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