Relentlessly overtaken: Simon Längenfelder (KTM) struggles with problems

The season got off to a promising start for Simon Längenfelder. The German won three of the first four Grands Prix and finished on the podium at every Grand Prix. After that, he had a fair bit of bad luck. There were signs of hope in Montevarchi, but the turnaround failed to materialise.

A turnaround in Trentino

After a brilliant start to the season, the downward spiral began in the first race of the fifth round in Trentino: visibility problems, illness at his home Grand Prix and then the heavy crash in the second race at Kegums. Längenfelder has not stood on the Grand Prix podium since Round 4 of the World Championship.

Relentlessly overtaken in Montevarchi

Last weekend in Montevarchi (World Championship round 9), he took the holeshot in both races. As we all know, starts are important, but they aren’t everything. At the start of the first race, he controlled the proceedings; halfway through, things became increasingly difficult, but third place behind Guillem Farres (Triumph) and Sacha Coenen (KTM) was still a decent result in the end. In the second race, he took the holeshot again, but this time he was overtaken even more quickly and ruthlessly: by the end of the first timed lap, he had already been pushed back to eighth place. Längenfelder seemed like a different rider and was looking more towards the back of the field than the front. At the start, he simply couldn’t seem to find his rhythm on the slippery track, but the situation didn’t improve – on the contrary: he had to let riders pass who don’t normally compete in his class and eventually finished the second race in 12th place.

Speculation about the causes

The true causes of his problems remain unclear and have not been officially commented on. MXGP TV presenter Paul Malin linked his fitness issues to an infection with the Epstein-Barr virus, which affects many riders and causes them problems. Symptoms such as a weakened immune system, fatigue and a general drop in performance can be triggered, particularly in stressful situations.

My holeshots were the only positive thing about this weekend

Simon Längenfelder

Gegen Sacha Coenen fand Simon Längenfeder in Montevarchi kein Mittel

Foto: Align Media

Dropped to 4th in the World Championship standings

Längenfelder is currently going through a frustrating spell. In the championship standings, after 9 of 19 Grands Prix, he has slipped back to fourth place, 59 points behind. That doesn’t mean he has to write off his title defence, but a turnaround is urgently needed at this stage.

“I came to Italy feeling confident,” said Längenfelder, commenting on the situation. “The holeshots were the only positive thing about this weekend. Naturally, I’m dissatisfied with my race performance, but I won’t stop fighting.” The action continues this coming weekend in Agueda (Portugal) with round 10 of the World Championship.