Red Bull KTM Factory Racing wrapped another prosperous FIM Motocross World Championship season with yet another MX2 rostrum appearance, this time at Matterley Basin for the British Grand Prix and the final round of nineteen in 2023. World Champ Andrea Adamo was 3rd in England. The team ended the year with their three new recruits in P1, P4 and P14 in MX2 with the all-conquering KTM 250 SX-F.
2023 MXGP closed with the second of another back-to-back sequence and a return to the wide, open and flowing Matterley Basin circuit in southern England. The former Motocross of Nations site and regular home to the British Grand Prix for over fifteen years helped bring the curtain down on the current season and with a bright and dry climate in the UK. The terrain was quick, grippy and rutted in key sections but, unusually, did not offer much in the way of effective line choice.
On Saturday, Adamo was the top performer in the RAM Qualification Heat with 2nd place. Free of the pressures of leading the championship and defending 1st place since round eight, he was able to run comfortably to the top two. Everts was one of three riders split by just four points in the chase to be 2023 runner-up. The Belgian was 9th on Saturday, four positions behind countryman Sacha Coenen who rode to 5th.
On Sunday the trio filled those slots in the gate as the English weather remained agreeable. In a static first moto Adamo was a distant 4th while Everts took 7th and Coenen jumped past the flag in 17th. The track was at its roughest for the second moto and produced some gripping entertainment with position changes, different race rhythms and connotations for the final championship standings. The last race order saw Adamo in 3rd (for 3rd overall), Everts in 5th (taking the holeshot but classifying 6th overall) and Coenen making 17th again and therefore 17th for the Grand Prix.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing are MX2 world champions for the fourth time in the last five years and have defended their 2022 title, owned on that occasion by Tom Vialle. They collectively won 5 of the 19 Grand Prix but have totaled 19 podium trophies. There have only been 5 rounds without a Red Bull KTM 250 SX-F as part of the MX2 rostrum ceremony and both Adamo and Everts have sprayed champagne together on 5 occasions. In the MXGP class Jeffrey Herlings rode his KTM 450 SX-F to 4 GP wins (the second highest amount) and set a new all-time record with 103 triumphs; every single one achieved with a KTM 450 SX-F or KTM 250 SX-F. The Dutchman walked the podium 6 times in 2023 before being forced to the sidelines with injury.
Adamo and Everts will now close the international season by representing their countries at the 76th Motocross of Nations in Ernee, France on October 8th.
Andrea Adamo, 4th and 3rd for 3rd overall in MX2. 1st in the championship: “I still need a couple of days to think about the last week. It was very short! I’m really happy right now. The whole season was a challenge; to put almost twenty races together. I was the most consistent rider and that really helped me to reach my goal. For next year we will make a good plan, hope to have a good winter and I want to be stronger in 2024.”
Liam Everts, 7th and 5th for 6th overall in MX2. 4th in the championship: “In general it was a tough weekend but I got a bit better every session and that was a positive. Finishing 7th in the first moto I wasn’t feeling too great; not much more to say. It was nice to end the season with a holeshot in the second though. I battled for a while and ended up in 5th for 6th overall. Mixed feelings to end 2023 in this way but it was a great season with three wins and eight podiums in total. I’m looking forward to the Nations now.”
Sacha Coenen, 17th and 17th for 17th overall in MX2. 14th in the championship: “I felt good at the start of the weekend and my speed was good. I made some mistakes though. I threw away a decent start in the first moto, and in the second, with a crash and another error. Not the greatest but I know I was fast and I’ll take that from today. It has been a difficult season. We didn’t get the results we wanted but we’ll work as hard as we can to make that better next year.”
Results MXGP Great Britain 2023
1. Tim Gajser (SLO) Honda, 1-1
2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI), Yamaha, 2-4
3. Romain Febvre (FRA) Kawasaki 5-2
4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED), Yamaha, 3-5
5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP), Honda, 6-3
Standings MXGP 2023 after 19 of 19 rounds
1. Jorge Prado (ESP), GASGAS, 921 points - Champion
2. Romain Febvre (FRA), Kawasaki, 854
3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI), Yamaha, 759
4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED) Yamaha 695
5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP), Honda, 654
8. Jeffrey Herlings (NED), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 456
Results MX2 Great Britain 2023
1. Jago Geerts (BEL) Yamaha 3-1
2. Simon Laengenfelder (GER), GASGAS 1-4
3. Andrea Adamo (ITA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 4-3
4. Kay de Wolf (NED) Husqvarna 6-2
5. Thibault Benistant (FRA) Yamaha 2-5
6. Liam Everts (BEL) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 7-5
17. Sacha Coenen (BEL) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 17-17
Standings MX2 2023 after 19 of 19 rounds
1. Andrea Adamo (ITA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 826 points - Champion
2. Jago Geerts (BEL), Yamaha, 759
3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER) GASGAS, 755
4. Liam Everts (BEL) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 734
5. Lucas Coenen (BEL), Husqvarna, 577
14. Sacha Coenen (BEL) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 258