Mathis Valin (Kawasaki) starts from pole; crash for Längenfelder

MX2 qualifying race for the Italian Grand Prix in Montevarchi, Round 9 of the Motocross World Championship: Defending champion Simon Längenfelder (KTM) finished the qualifying session on the old-school track in Tuscany 1.3 seconds behind pole-setter and World Championship leader Sacha Coenen (KTM).

MX2 qualifying:

1. Sacha Coenen (B), KTM, 1:47.029

2. Liam Everts (B), Husqvarna, +0.202

3. Guillem Farres (E), Triumph, +0.439

4. Janis Martins Reisulis (LV), Yamaha, +0.966

5. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA), Triumph, +1.095

6. Simon Längenfelder (D), KTM, +1.228

Mass crash after the start

The track had been watered before the start and became dangerously slippery, particularly in the first corner. Längenfelder braked late and went down over his front wheel. Several top riders were caught up in the crash: Sacha Coenen, Guillem Farres, Liam Everts and Janis Reisulis all went down. Längenfelder had to start the race in last place.

Ducati Desmo 250 stalled at the start

Of all places, at his home race and immediately following the official market launch of the Desmo250, Italian Ducati works rider Ferruccio Zanchi’s bike stalled at the starting gate. The Ducati completely refused to start and had to be pushed back to the paddock – the ultimate punishment for the Ducatisti.

Mathis Valin unbeatable

TM rider Andrea Uccellini initially took the early lead, but the Italian was quickly overtaken by Mathis Valin (Kawasaki) and Jens Walvoort. Valin managed to pull away from the field slightly in the opening laps and ultimately won with a lead of 2.8 seconds over Guillem Farres, who, after crashing in the first corner, staged an impressive comeback from 15th place.

Längenfelder misses out on the points

Simon Längenfelder fought hard and moved into the top 10 just before the finish, but time ran out. Finishing 11th, the German came away empty-handed and consequently dropped to third in the World Championship standings.

Sacha Coenen’s daring charge

Sacha Coenen also had to fight his way through the field after a crash at the start, and even went down himself in the process. Yet the Belgian pulled off another spectacular ride to finish fourth.

Situation at the top of the standings

Thanks to Simon Längenfelder’s zero-point race and Sacha Coenen’s fourth place, the Belgian was able to extend his lead at the top of the standings by a further point and now leads the table with 38 points, ahead of Guillem Farres. Längenfelder dropped back to third place and his deficit increased from 37 to 44 points.

MX2 Qualifying Race, Montevarchi

1. Mathis Valin (F), Kawasaki

2. Guillem Farres (E), Triumph, +2.887

3. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA), Triumph, +4.002

4. Sacha Coenen (B), KTM, +16.035

5. Noel Zanocz (H), KTM, +20.380

6. Janis Martins Reisulis (LV), Yamaha, +21.235

7. Jens Walvoort (NL), KTM, +23.273

8. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LV), Yamaha, +30.071

9. Liam Everts (B), Husqvarna, +32.516

10. Kay Karssemakers (NL), Kawasaki, +37.917

11. Simon Längenfelder (D), KTM, +39.486

12. Julius Mikula (CZ), KTM, +45.783

World Championship Standings

1. Sacha Coenen (B), KTM, 387

2. Guillem Farres (E), Triumph, 349 (-38)

3. Simon Längenfelder (D), KTM, 343 (-44)

4. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA), Triumph, 334 (-53)