Simon Längenfelder (KTM): Severe stomach problems held him back

Food is a recurring theme in overseas races. Max Nagl used to take his own food with him to overseas races in Thailand or other Asian countries because he was sensitive to the change in diet. Sacha Coenen also struggled with stomach problems whilst in Turkey. In China, it was Simon Längenfelder’s turn. The defending champion took the holeshot in both races. In the first race, he was overtaken on lap 15 by the eventual Grand Prix winner Camden Mc Lellan (Triumph) and finished in second place. In the second race, he held second place for six laps before his stomach problems took their toll and he was pushed back down to ninth place. As Maxime Grau’s Honda failed the noise test after the race, the Frenchman was penalised with a two-place grid penalty. As a result, Längenfelder was classified in 8th place.

Severe stomach problems

“The second race in particular was the problem,” explained Längenfelder after the race. “The rest of the weekend was quite OK and the starts were always spot on. I almost led the entire first race, but Camden was very aggressive. I was quite happy with second place in the first race, as I was able to vary my lines and felt good on the track and on the bike. In the second race, I then had stomach problems and massive pain, and it got harder with every lap. Today could have been a nice podium finish. Now we’re off to Australia, where I have some good memories. I hope we can get this stomach problem under control.”

Third place still possible

As Sacha Coenen (KTM) retired from the second race and was only classified in 17th place, Längenfelder now trails the Belgian in third place by just 7 points ahead of the final round. A podium finish is therefore still within his reach.