Red Bull KTM Factory Racing stood on top of the MX2 podium for the fourth occasion this season as Liam Everts claimed P1 for the second time in his career after a thrilling conclusion to the Grand Prix of the Netherlands in Arnhem.
The FIM Motocross World Championship is heading towards a conclusion for 2023 and the Grand Prix of the Netherlands was the first of the four last dates with Turkey, Italy and Great Britain remaining on the slate. The MXGP paddock travelled directly to the relatively new sandy circuit in Arnhem after last weekend’s Swedish fixture and found a compact but invitingly fresh layout to discover.
Weather conditions remained bright and warm through the weekend. Cloudy skies coated the RAM Qualification Heat on Saturday where Liam Everts rode to a solid 2nd position and Andrea Adamo was also in the top ten with a steady 8th. Red Bull KTM could not count on Jeffrey Herlings or Sacha Coenen. Herlings suffered a slow speed fall in practice and left the circuit to convalesce from a fractured right collarbone. Coenen twisted his right knee on Saturday, could not complete the Heat and finally elected not to attempt the program on Sunday.
The MX2 motos produced two watchable affairs of differing rhythm, speed and mistakes. Adamo improved his feeling and speed considerably from Saturday and finished 2nd in the opening race, just in front of Everts. The Belgian aced the holeshot in the second moto and although he could not beat Lucas Coenen, his 2nd position was enough to top the overall standings that saw five riders split by just four points. Adamo slipped and had to recover to 5th, which minimized the damage in the championship table. His closest rival is his teammate, and Everts only made a 4-point gain.
MXGP moves a hefty distance east in the coming week with the annual trip to Afyon and for the Grand Prix of Turkey on the first weekend of September.
Liam Everts, 3rd and 2nd for 1st overall in MX2: “I didn’t expect to have the win today. I should have been 2nd in the first moto but made that clumsy mistake with two laps to go. I pumped myself up for the second moto and got the holeshot. I needed to keep Jago [Geerts] behind me and that’s what I did.”
Andrea Adamo, 2nd and 5th for 5th overall in MX2: “Not bad motos for me today, mainly because I felt quite lost on the track after Saturday. I was struggling. So, we made some changes and the first moto was good. I was even able to catch Simon [Laengenfelder] for a while until I had a little issue with the goggles. The tip-over in the second moto cost me the podium or maybe more. But I’m happy anyway because I felt fast and comfortable on the bike, especially when the track was so rough. I’m looking forward to the last three races of the championship and I will go to the hard-pack in Turkey with a smile!”
Sacha Coenen, DNS in MX2: “Yesterday started really well and I had a good flow on the track. I was in 3rd during the Qualifying race but ejected off the bike and hurt my knee. I thought about riding after having a few scans but, in the end, we decided to wait for Turkey. Hopefully the knee will feel better. I think I have pain just because of the impact.”
Tony Cairoli, Red bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “We are very pleased to win again with Liam and it was in exciting circumstances, right up until the last corners! Andrea was also riding strong. He didn’t have the best luck as he should have been fighting for the podium but he is collecting very good points for the championship. We are 1-2 in MX2, so, super. Sacha was a bit sore and decided to look towards Turkey. What bad luck for Jeffrey. He didn’t touch the ground that hard but the collarbone is broken. It has been one of those years for him, and now we need to see if he will make it back on track with the races we have left this season. Overall, I’m super-proud of all our efforts this weekend.”
Results MXGP Netherlands 2023
1. Romain Febvre (FRA), Kawasaki, 2-1
2. Jorge Prado (ESP), GASGAS, 1-4
3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI), Yamaha, 3-2
4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED) Yamaha 4-3
5. Tim Gajser (SLO) Honda, 5-5
Standings MXGP 2023 after 16 of 19 rounds
1. Jorge Prado (ESP), GASGAS, 821 points
2. Romain Febvre (FRA), Kawasaki, 729
3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI), Yamaha, 652
4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED) Yamaha 600
5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP), Honda, 542
7. Jeffrey Herlings (NED), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 456
Results MX2 Netherlands 2023
1. Liam Everts (BEL) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 2-3
2. Lucas Coenen (BEL) Husqvarna 6-1
3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER), GASGAS 1-6
4. Jago Geerts (BEL) Yamaha 4-3
5. Andrea Adamo (ITA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 2-5
DNS. Sacha Coenen (BEL) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Standings MX2 2023 after 16 of 19 rounds
1. Andrea Adamo (ITA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 705 points
2. Liam Everts (BEL) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 633
3. Jago Geerts (BEL), Yamaha, 603
4. Simon Laengenfelder (GER) GASGAS, 595
5. Lucas Coenen (BEL), Husqvarna, 511
14. Sacha Coenen (BEL) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 218