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Spanish points haul for Red Bull KTM through Castilla-La Mancha MXGP mudfest

Top five results for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team as MXGP reconvened for the first of three 2025 Grand Prix dates on the Iberian Peninsula. Simon Laengenfelder was highest placed with 4th in MX2 at Cozar in central Spain as heavy rainfall created rough, slow, slick and difficult racing conditions.

  • Rain affects play in Castilla-La Mancha for the second appointment of MXGP and a sparse crowd surrounds the redesigned hardpacked layout as Red Bull KTM pick up more silverware
  • Lucas Coenen logs more race mileage with the KTM 450 SX-F in just his second appearance in the premier class. The 18-year-old Belgian rides to 9th overall
  • Simon Laengenfelder and Andrea Adamo secure 4th and 5th in MX2 with the KTM 250 SX-F while Sacha Coenen earns the red plate for the first time after his Saturday Quali Race result but is 13th on Sunday
  • The FIM Motocross World Championship will have only a few days to clean-up, reset and refocus before moving north for round three in France next weekend

MXGP was back in Castilla-La Mancha only a few months after the Cozar circuit debuted in the FIM World Championship as the final appointment of the 2024 season. This time, the Spanish venue hosted round two of the current campaign and the first European date for the series. The climate was ‘unspanish’ over the weekend with showers and cloudy skies creating a soft, soaking and deeply rutted terrain for the reworked course.

Red Bull KTM travelled to the site in central Spain with four fit runners in their roster. Lucas Coenen, Andrea Adamo, Sacha Coenen and Simon Laengenfelder had their goals for MXGP and MX2 fixed while Jeffrey Herlings was back in the saddle of his KTM 450 SX-F for his first training and practice laps of the year and anticipating a return to MXGP action in a matter of weeks. Marc-Antoine Rossi was also absent and will have shoulder surgery on Monday 17 March.

On Saturday Lucas Coenen ran to 6th place in the MXGP Qualifying Race after recovering from a crash and with the track in its driest and roughest state, compared to the ‘mudder’ of the morning. In MX2 Sacha Coenen and Andrea Adamo went P2 and P4 respectively.

Lucas, fitter and stronger compared to his MXGP debut in Argentina, was luckless at the start of the first moto and in more treacherously mud after rain overnight and through the morning. Sunday’s motos had a ‘lottery’ feel to proceedings. The Belgian had to pick-up from the carnage of the first corner and rode excellently to come back from last to 9th. In the second race he flew into the lead by the second corner but a slip dropped him to P4. He completed the gnarly contest with 9th as the rain fell again.

Laengenfelder fought from a slow-speed tumble to a top finish 5th in the first MX2 outing. The German was then consistent and cautious in the afternoon for P4 and only just missed the podium. He holds 3rd place in the championship standings. Adamo went down on the start straight of the first moto but returned to P9. The Italian’s technique helped to a decent 3rd place later on and he ranked 5th on the day. Sacha Coenen also had to retaliate from a difficult first lap of Moto1 and was P11. The Belgian then had a tough second moto and classified 15th.

MXGP marches on to France and the St Jean D’Angely circuit near La Rochelle for round three and the Grand Prix of Europe next week.

Lucas Coenen, 9th and 8th for 9th overall in MXGP: “I had the speed on Saturday but got a little tight and 6th was OK from the heat. We had a lot of rain for Sunday. I crashed in the start and had to come back from last to 9th in the first moto but the start was a lot better in the second race. It was a shame to have that little tip-over. The rest was history. P8: finito! Onto the next one.”

Simon Laengenfelder, 5th and 4th for 4th overall in MX2: “A difficult weekend in Spain but we worked well. I couldn’t get any points on Saturday: too many crashes and a bad start, but on Sunday better starts! Still some mistakes but I think this is normal in these conditions. 4th overall; not too bad and if I could have passed Andrea at the end then it would have been the podium. It’s still early in the season and already looking forward to the next races.”

Andrea Adamo, 9th and 3rd for 5th overall in MX2: “A special weekend. The track was quite dry but with many ruts on Saturday and then we had so much rain in the night and Sunday morning. We knew the races would be like a nightmare. You needed to be a bit lucky out there. The goal was to have two good starts and bring the bike to the finish. Unfortunately, I had contact with Sacha in the first race and filled myself and the bike full of mud! I gave everything I had to come back to P9, which was decent. The start was better in the second moto and I worked my way up to P3. Not bad. It’s only the second GP but I feel good, fast and fit. We will give 100% to be on the podium as much as possible in the next GPs.”

Sacha Coenen, 11th and 15th for 13th overall in MX2: “On Saturday I had a good feeling with the bike and the track but it was flooded on Sunday. I made a good start in the first moto but then slid-out and had to restart. I found my way up to 7th and then had a tip-over on the last lap, which was a shame. The start for the second moto wasn’t good and I crashed too much. I’m just happy to finish the weekend and leave this GP healthy.”

Joel Smets, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “Two GPs into the season and we’ve been dealing with some injuries, but, looking at the positives I’m happy to be working with Jeffrey again now that he is back on the bike. We’ve all been waiting for his return. Marc-Antoine will need more time and will have surgery tomorrow. We can then start planning his comeback. Andrea has shown a lot of positive things meanwhile and I don’t think we have taken all the championship points that he deserved. From the first qualifying moto in Argentina he has shown good speed and he did it again this weekend in conditions that are maybe not his favorite: that reveals how ready he is. He’s a player for the championship and we’re looking forward to the next races.”

 

Results MXGP Castilla-La Mancha 2025

 

1. Tim Gajser (SLO), Honda, 1-1

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

3. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA), Fantic, 8-2

4. Ruben Fernandez (ESP), Honda, 2-12

5. Romain Febvre (FRA), Kawasaki, 7-5

9. Lucas Coenen (BEL), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 9-8

 

Standings MXGP 2025 after 2 of 20 rounds

 

1. Tim Gajser (SLO), Honda, 108

2. Romain Febvre (FRA), Kawasaki, 88

3. Maxime Renaux (FRA), Yamaha, 87

4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED), Fantic, 79

5. Lucas Coenen (BEL), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 57

 

Results MX2 Castilla-La Mancha 2025

 

1. Liam Everts (BEL), Husqvarna, 2-1

2. Kay de Wolf (NED), Husqvarna, 3-2

3. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA), Honda, 1-10

4. Simon Laegenfelder (GER), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 5-4

5. Andrea Adamo (ITA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 9-3

13. Sacha Coenen (BEL) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 11-15

 

Standings MX2 2025 after 2 of 20 rounds

 

1. Kay de Wolf (NED), Husqvarna, 97 points

2. Liam Everts (BEL), Husqvarna 91

3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 78

4. Sacha Coenen (BEL) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 71

5. Andrea Adamo (ITA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 71

KTM NEWS

RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING READY TO RACE ENTERING AMA PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP

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Reigning 450MX Champion Chase Sexton will commence his title defense this Saturday in Fox Raceway’s opening round of the 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship, joining Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammates Aaron Plessinger, Tom Vialle, and Julien Beaumer in the second phase of the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX). Sexton was outstanding on his way to the 450MX title last season onboard the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, entering this year’s 11-round series as a title favorite and wearing the coveted number 1 plate. The 25-year-old Illinois native won seven rounds en route to the crown one year ago, motivated to pick up where he left off outdoors with a true READY TO RACE mentality. Chase Sexton: "Preparation for the start of the 2025 Pro Motocross season is going well. I feel good and am healthy, so that’s a great start! There’s always a lot of industry talk about there being extra pressure when you come in as defending champion, but really for me, I just head into it the way I do any new season. I keep my head down, work hard, and trust the process. I’m excited for the new season to start this weekend at Pala." Joining Sexton in the premier class and also equipped with the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, Plessinger has finished third in the standings for the past two years running and landed on the podium a total of six times in 2024. With momentum increasing and a new Red Bull KTM Factory Racing contract already signed for 2026, The Cowboy's focus is firmly placed on making his presence felt yet again in Pro Motocross. Aaron Plessinger: "I'm super-excited for outdoors. It is my favorite series that we race and I've been doing motos, some testing, and everything's coming together nicely. I'm super-stoked, ready to get back out on the gate and show these boys what I've got for the outdoor series! 
We finished well last year, could have really done some damage if I had not had some bad races – hopefully I can contend for the title this season." Already a two-time MX2 World Champion with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and now a double 250SX East title winner in AMA Supercross following Salt Lake City's finale two weeks ago, French standout Vialle will lead the team's 250MX charge alongside last year's 250 Class Rookie of the Year, Beaumer. Entering his third term of Pro Motocross in the United States riding the KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, Vialle is aiming to improve upon his P2 result achieved in the standings from last year, which he earned through racing to seven podiums and victory in Ironman's final round of the season last August. Tom Vialle: "I've been practicing outdoors for a little bit now, but didn't switch early because I was fighting for another Supercross title. Last week was really good, we did some testing with the team and I am happy with where the bike is, and I feel really comfortable riding outdoors this year. I'm excited, because
I think it's going to be my last 250 outdoor season. I was able to win two MX2 titles in the world championship and have won the two 250SX East titles now, so this AMA 250MX championship is the only one that I am missing in my 250 career – I really want to fight for that one this summer and I'm motivated for that. I'm looking forward to seeing where we are at when we get to Pala and then for the whole summer outdoors." Teenage talent Beaumer spent last year learning the craft of professional competition on his way to the 250MX Rookie of the Year honors and, fresh from a breakout season in the 250SX West division where he established himself as a legitimate contender, the 19-year-old out of Lake Havasu, Arizona, has a clear target of now proving his capabilities outdoors on his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION. Julien Beaumer: "I'm looking forward to kicking my season off strong at Pala. Southern California is where I have grown up riding, so I feel right at home racing there. My preparation has gone according to plan, and the team and I feel we are in a good place together, so I'm itching to get this thing started this weekend." Ian Harrison, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: "We are very excited to enter the Pro Motocross Championship with Chase and Aaron in 450MX, as well as Tom and Julien in 250MX this summer. Following Supercross, which was again a really positive and successful season for us as a team, it is always a mad rush to transition to the outdoors with the one weekend off in between. Thankfully, we have a lot to lean on from the previous years, so you generally use that experience as a base coming into Round 1, and then you continue to refine and build momentum from that point. It is always an exciting time, a lot of anticipation, and we are confident that we will be competitive when the gates drop this weekend and throughout the 2025 season." The 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship will drop the gates this Saturday, May 24, at Fox Raceway in Pala, California, for the season-opener, set to span 11 rounds throughout the U.S. this summer and culminating at Budds Creek Motocross Park in Mechanicsville, Maryland, on August 23.