Impressive sixth overall for Simon Längenfelder at MXGP of Great Britain
Career-best result for GASGAS Factory Racing's MX2 young gun at hard and fast Matterley Basin circuit
Round two of the 2021 FIM Motocross World championship proved to be a memorable one for Simon Längenfelder with the DIGA Procross GASGAS Factory Racing rider claiming a career-best result of sixth overall in the MX2 class. Super consistent 6-5 moto finishes, plus a race two holeshot, marked an impressive day at the office for the young German. Simon’s teammate, Isak Gifting, placed 15th overall as he continues to work his way back from an early season injury.
· Simon Längenfelder claims career-best overall result with sixth at MXGP of Great Britain
· Isak Gifting with a 10th-place in race two
· Längenfelder rockets to the MX2 race two holeshot on his MC 250F
Round two of the FIM Motocross World Championship took GASGAS Factory Racing back to where our MXGP participation began back in early 2020 - the Matterley Basin circuit in the UK. The track is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular of the series with its big, floaty jumps and high speeds creating intense, bar-to-bar action in every moto. The 2021 edition proved to be no different with its slick surface catching out many riders in both classes.
Arriving at Matterley Basin for round two of the MX2 series following his positive performances in Russia, Simon Langenfelder was set on continuing his strong start to the season. In the opening race of the day, Simon came agonisingly close to claiming the holeshot before running slightly wide in turn one and settling into sixth position. A largely untroubled moto saw the 17-year-old bring his MC 250F home in a confidence-boosting sixth place.
Claiming the holeshot in race two set Simon up for another solid result. Despite being shuffled back to fifth during the early stages of the moto, he went on to tick off consistent laps and keep the leading riders in sight for the full duration of the 30-minute-plus-two-lap moto. Crossing the line in fifth, Simon earned sixth overall, a career-best result that elevates the youngster to seventh in the MX2 World Championship standings.
Simon’s DIGA Procross teammate Isak Gifting arrived in Great Britain with a foot injury and feeling a little bit battered and bruised after his sizable crash two weeks ago in Russia. Another small crash in race one kept Gifting out of the points, but he rebounded in race two for a well-earned 10th-place finish and vital championship points.
Simon Langenfelder: “I’m really happy with my results today. I felt good on the track all day and didn’t really make any mistakes and I enjoyed the GP. I very nearly holeshot race one but then ran a little wide, which was a shame, but I still made a decent start. I dropped back a little but had a good race to finish sixth. In race two I had another great start and this time I stayed a little tighter and claimed the holeshot. It was an awesome start to the race and being up front is great for my confidence. It was a fight all moto and I ended up fifth for sixth overall. Overall, two great starts, two great results and now I’m looking forward to Maggiora next weekend.”
Isak Gifting: ““I’m feeling a little bit better with my injury and after my crash in Russia. Today could have gone better if it wasn’t for another crash in race one. Fortunately, it was only small, but it cost me some time. Everyone was around the same speed, so it was hard to battle through. The second race was a step in the right direction though. A good start, a few battles and I ran in eighth for quite some time. I slipped back to 10th at the end but it’s points on the board and I can build from this result next weekend in Italy.”
DIGA Procross GASGAS Factory Racing now look forward to lining up next weekend at the MXGP of Italy on July 4, round three of the FIM Motocross World Championship.
Pictures: Juan Pablo Acevedo
