Simon Längenfelder (KTM) on Loket: Good starts, but little to show for it

Despite a good start to the Grand Prix season, a win in the qualifying race and three strong starts, the weekend at Loket proved to be a bitter setback for the German MX2 title holder Simon Längenfelder. After a somewhat unfortunate 5th place in the first race, he wanted to do better in the second race and battle it out with Guillem Farres for the race win. Simon went into the race with great intensity, riding aggressively, but went a little too far and crashed.

Statement from Längenfelder

“I was determined to go on the attack in the second race and tried to overtake Farres, but I made a mistake. After that, I was too shaken to last another 30 minutes. I had to pull out of the race.”

I was too shaken up afterwards to keep going for another 30 minutes. I had to pull out of the race.

Simon Längenfelder

Fortunately, no fractures or similar serious injuries were diagnosed. “Now I need to rebuild my strength and focus on the next race in Lommel,” said the German.

Dropped from 3rd to 4th

Simon Längenfelder scored 10 points in Loket on Saturday for winning the qualifying race and 16 points for fifth place in the first race. As a result, he dropped from third to fourth in the standings at Loket. His deficit to the leader increased from 42 to 71 points. This makes defending his title in the remaining six Grands Prix of the 2026 season a difficult task.

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Promotion to the MXGP in 2027?

Should he successfully defend his title, Simon would have to move up to MXGP next year. This is stipulated in the regulations. If he fails to defend his title, he could remain in MX2 in 2027 given the age limit of 23, as he will turn 23 on 27 March 2027, meaning he could stay in MX2 for the 2027 season. However, all the signs suggest that Simon is planning to move up to the MXGP. For instance, he competed in Dreetz as part of the ADAC MX Masters on the 450cc KTM and won the day’s race.