Photo credits: Infront Moto Racing
It is time for us to again head to an iconic track in western Czechia for the 14th round of the FIM MXGP World Championship. This year is a special year for the track in Loket as it celebrates the 30th anniversary since the first grand prix hosted in that venue. And as the championship battle is getting closer and closer, we are up for a great spectacle on such a special weekend.
The fight for the red plate in the MXGP class is getting tighter and tighter as Lucas Coenen (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) narrowed the gap to only 15 points towards Romain Febvre (Kawasaki Factory Racing). Lucas was in the class of his own in the last GP in Finland as he de-classed the whole field, no one getting even close to his pace. But Romain has past experience and previous good results on this track on his side as he has stepped on the top of the podium three times (2015, 2019, 2023). Considering Coenen’s current form, Febvre will have to clear his mind from a (for his standards) bad GP in Finland and focus on delivering a masterful performance in the hills of Loket, to beat the young Belgian superstar.
The title fight at the moment is obviously between the two guys at the top, but the battle for third place is still on. Glenn Coldenhoff (Fantic) hadn’t yet find a successful formula to make a podium in Loket but with the pace he is holding, he might just surprise us with one this year. He is at the moment 42 points ahead of Ruben Fernandez (Team HRC), who has also shown glimpses of brilliance this year.
It is as well worth noting that Jeremy Seewer (Ducati) has seen the crowd from the podium six times. Can he make it seven this year? Also Yamaha’s Calvin Vlaanderen is coming fresh from a podium performance from Finland, can he keep the momentum going?
Unfortunately we still won’t see Tim Gajser (Team HRC) lining up at the gates as he still didn’t get the green light from his doctors to return racing. But as we could see from his social media posts, it won’t take long before we see the 5-time world champion back again. Also Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) and Jeffrey Herlings (KTM) are still recovering from injury and the timetable for their returns is at the moment still unknown.
In MX2, Simon Längenfelder (GASGAS) remains the man to beat with a 43-point lead, but the pressure is rising fast. Defending champ Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) was flawless in Finland, and with two sand rounds coming up, a strong Loket showing would be a huge boost in his title defense. He has also stepped on the top of the podium here last year.
Andrea Adamo (KTM), meanwhile, is caught between chasing Längenfelder and fending off de Wolf. Both he and the German leader are hardpack specialists, so we can expect another epic battle.
Sacha Coenen (KTM) has been on the podium 5 times in the last 6 rounds. Last year he finished 5th, but with the pace he is having, certainly wouldn’t be a surprise seeing him on the podium again.
Also with Liam Everts (Husquarna) still being injured, Thibault Benistant (Yamaha) will most likely get to the top 5 in the champion standings.
Loket will without a doubt deliver a great racing weekend. Who will step on the top of the podium? Will we see a new red plate holder on Sunday?
