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The run continues: Red Bull KTM own both classes at MXGP Grand Prix of Latvia

Jeffrey Herlings and Sacha Coenen will reflect fondly on the 2025 Grand Prix of Latvia as the pair ruled MXGP and MX2 through the rough sandy Kegums soil. The eleventh round of the season was played out in sunny weather and the Dutchman and Belgian were accompanied by Lucas Coenen and Simon Laengenfelder for spoils as Red Bull KTM logged 1st and 2nd in both categories and claimed three of the four motos. From 11 Grands Prix this year the team have won four in MXGP and seven in MX2.

  • Jeffrey Herlings goes 1-1-1 with the KTM 450 SX-F for his second victory in the space of a week
  • Lucas Coenen notches six podiums in a row and closes the gap to the top of the MXGP standings
  • A first MX2 overall win of the season for Sacha Coenen with 1-2 results and the fourth trip to the podium this term for the 18-year-old
  • Simon Laengenfelder finishes P2 but ascends to the top of the MX2 championship again as Andrea Adamo suffers with back pain and picks up points for 10th overall
  • MXGP finally breathes after the triple header and will reconvene at Matterley Basin for the British Grand Prix in two weeks

MXGP changed country, track and surface for the first Grand Prix to open the second half of the 2025 campaign. The series travelled from Germany to Latvia, from the tight and undulating confines of Talkessel to the more open and flatter layout of Kegums and from rutted hardpack to loose, sandy and bumpy terrain. The climate continued to vary for the FIM Motocross World Championship in the wake of the German sunshine/showers and Kegums was largely bright and warm on Saturday for the MXGP and MX2 classes, graced with another full European program.

On Saturday Jeffrey Herlings and Lucas Coenen left the MXGP Qualification Heat with a 1-2. The Dutchman collected his first Saturday win of 2025 and therefore 10 points and Pole Position. Coenen was close behind in 2nd. In MX2 Simon Laengenfelder controlled proceedings for his second victory of the year while Andrea Adamo and Sacha Coenen had to pick up from a multi-rider crash and recover to P11 and P13 respectively.

The skies remained largely blue on Sunday while the race action were mostly orange. Herlings and Coenen made decent starts in the first moto and Herlings checked out from the first lap, controlled the distance and eventually led the young Belgian to the line by less than two seconds (but almost a minute in front of everyone else). The second moto was a replay: Coenen holeshotted (for the ninth time; triple the quantity of any other rider) but Herlings grabbed P1 and then built his cushion to record a first 1-1 of the season, his second GP win in a row and the 109th of his career. The accumulation of 60 points pushes him to 9th in the standings. Coenen, with a 2-2, now has seven trophies for the year and is just 26 points from the red plate.

Sacha Coenen holeshotted and won the first MX2 race despite late pressure from Laengenfelder who finished 2nd. Coenen took the flag for the second time in 2025. Adamo, with back pain from Saturday, fought back from a crash to take 11th (his lowest classification so far). In the second race Simon and Sacha swapped roles as the German earned P1 out of the first corner. Again, the KTM 250 SX-Fs marked the difference at the front of the field. Laengenfelder seemed to be cruising to a sixth moto win until he made a mistake on the final lap and dropped to 3rd. Kay de Wolf inherited the lead from Coenen but the 1-2 by the Belgian gave him a first overall GP win of the year. Laengenfelder walked the second step of the box; still his sixth top three appearance of the term and establishing a championship standings margin of 27 points over Adamo. The Italian jumped across the line in 9th for 10th overall after a challenging day.

The Grand Prix also opened round 9 of 12 in the 2025 EMX125 European Championship and the latest chapter of a bright story for the KTM Racestore Factory Rookies squad. Nicolo Alvisi won another moto and picked up more silverware last week in Germany and was 2nd overall at Kegums on the KTM 125 SX with a 1-2 card. The Italian is 28 points ahead of the rest in the series. Following the EMX125 outings were the two motos for EMX250 and the SS24 Gabriel KTM team for round 8 of 13. Gyan Doensen rode the KTM 250 SX-F to a 3-3 for his second podium result of the year. The talented Dutch youngster has risen to 4th in the standings.

France, Germany and now Latvia: MXGP has earned a break and will cool engines before the British Grand Prix at Matterly Basin in England on June 21-22.

Jeffrey Herlings, 1st and 1st for 1st overall in MXGP: “Really good! Let’s repeat this nine more times! I’m really thankful. Lucas and Romain [Febvre] were pushing hard so I have to give it up to them. I knew it wouldn’t be easy but it’s great to win again – I got a 1-1 last year and to have another; I’m pleased for that. Let’s keep this ball rolling. I know it won’t be easy but we’ll do what we can.”

Lucas Coenen, 2nd and 2nd for 2nd overall in MXGP: “A good weekend but I was hoping for better in the second moto. I ran a bit wide at the start and then I made some mistakes and didn’t really find the flow. It was tricky on track. Positive and negatives today and I know what we have to work on. Another podium though and that’s a positive.”

Sacha Coenen, 1st and 2nd for 1st overall: “Very happy. Two good starts, and two solid motos after a crash on Saturday and we are getting back some of the consistency. We cannot complain! The goal is to keep going like this and keep at the front.”

Simon Laengenfelder, 2nd and 3rd for 2nd overall in MX2: “We came here without the red plate and we leave quite a few points in front so we have to say it was a good weekend. It’s a pity about the mistake on the last lap when I cross-rutted. I couldn’t get the bike started fast enough to stay up front. Those mistakes happen sometimes. I was perhaps cruising a bit because of the last lap and wasn’t fully focused. I’ll have to try and make sure that doesn’t happen again. There are a lot of fast guys in this class and going for the championship…but I feel quite confident about what we are doing right now.”

Andrea Adamo, 11th and 9th for 10th overall in MX2: “The crash on Saturday compromised everything. I was in a bit of pain because Sacha’s wheel hit my back. It was the base of my problems today: I had bad starts and could not find my way up to the front group. I also had two crashes! It’s the way it is. The only positive thing was my speed when I could get going. A tough weekend but in 20 GPs we cannot always win or be on the podium. I tried the maximum and we still have nine races to go.”

 

Results MXGP Latvia 2025

 

1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1-1

2. Lucas Coenen (BEL), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 2-2

3. Romain Febvre (FRA), Kawasaki, 6-3

4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED), Fantic, 3-7

5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP), Honda, 4-6

 

Standings MXGP 2025 after 11 of 20 rounds

 

1. Romain Febvre (FRA), Kawasaki, 530 points

2. Lucas Coenen (BEL), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 504

3. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED), Fantic, 362

4. Maxime Renaux (FRA), Yamaha, 347

5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP), Honda, 338

9. Jeffrey Herlings (NED), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 279

 

Results MX2 Latvia 2025

 

1. Sacha Coenen (BEL) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 1-2

2. Simon Laengenfelder (GER), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 2-3

3. Kay de Wolf (NED), Husqvarna, 8-1

4. Liam Everts (BEL) Husqvarna, 3-5

5. Thibault Benistant (FRA), Yamaha, 7-4

9. Andrea Adamo (ITA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 11-9

 

Standings MX2 2025 after 11 of 20 rounds

 

1. Simon Laengenfelder (GER), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 515 points

2. Andrea Adamo (ITA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 488

3. Kay de Wolf (NED), Husqvarna, 478

4. Liam Everts (BEL), Husqvarna 419

5. Sacha Coenen (BEL) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 389

KTM NEWS

AARON PLESSINGER CONTINUES 450MX PODIUM FORM AT THUNDER VALLEY

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Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Aaron Plessinger raced to a hard-fought third-place finish in Round 3 of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship at the Thunder Valley National, earning his second-consecutive 450MX podium result. Colorado began with Plessinger posting the second fastest qualifying time, before powering his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to the front group of Moto 1 out of the gates. After briefly making a late pass for the race lead, ‘The Cowboy’ would reach the checkered flag with a convincing P2 result. Another strong start in Moto 2 saw Plessinger in the mix with the front-runners once again, navigating ultra-technical track conditions to claim fifth position, and third overall for the weekend. He's also currently positioned third in the 450MX standings. Aaron Plessinger: “That first moto was a lot of fun and I was really amped! I didn’t feel fatigued after that one, and then I made a small bike change going into the second moto, which I should have just left alone. That was on me, and I struggled that second moto, but it was just a good day. I had some really good lines in the first one, but being in the battle and making passes on those guys is all I can really ask for. Back to work this week – we’ll come back next weekend looking for that elusive win.” Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle posted a consistent performance at the third round of 250MX competition, racing his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to sixth position in the opening moto. A P5 ride in Moto 2 on a deteriorating track was enough for fourth overall, and an important haul of championship points. Tom Vialle: "I ended up with fourth overall today, which wasn't ideal because I just wasn’t feeling it on the track. I was running third in each of the motos, then ended sixth in the first one after a small crash, followed by P5 in Moto 2. I just didn’t have the feel that I needed all day, so we’ll keep working for next weekend in High Point and make some improvements.” 250MX teammate Julien Beaumer experienced a challenging day out at Thunder Valley onboard his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION. He showcased his speed throughout the races, however, a fall during each outing kept him out of front-running contention. A 17th-place score overall via 16-14 results has him now sitting P7 in the standings. Julien Beaumer: “Not a good day at Thunder Valley. I crashed both motos and that pretty much sums up my weekend. The result doesn’t show how I am riding at the moment, so we’ll regroup and come out swinging at High Point.” Next Race: June 14 – High Point, Pennsylvania Results 450MX Class – Thunder Valley National 1. Jett Lawrence (Honda) 2. Eli Tomac (Yamaha) 3. Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 7. RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna) 8. Malcolm Stewart (Husqvarna) Standings 450MX Class 2025 after 3 of 11 rounds 1. Jett Lawrence, 145 points 2. Eli Tomac, 120 3. Aaron Plessinger, 118 6. RJ Hampshire, 87 11. Malcolm Stewart, 60 Results 250MX Class – Thunder Valley National 1. Chance Hymas (Honda) 2. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) 3. Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki) 4. Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 6. Casey Cochran (GASGAS) 14. Ryder DiFrancesco (GASGAS) 17. Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) Standings 250MX Class 2025 after 3 of 11 rounds 1. Haiden Deegan, 144 points 2. Jo Shimoda, 119 3. Chance Hymas, 95 5. Tom Vialle, 85 7. Julien Beaumer, 81 10. Casey Cochran, 64 17. Ryder DiFrancesco, 43