MX history was made yesterday in international motocross racing, as GasGas took their maiden race and overall event win thanks to Standing Construct’s Glenn Coldenhoff.
Racing at the Motorsportpark Gelderland Midden venue for the Dutch International a 2-1 result gave the Dutchman overall victory first time out on the new GASGAS Factory Racing MC 450F. Teammate Ivo Monticelli earned a strong seventh-place moto two finish while in the MX2 division Simon Langenfelder turned heads as he raced to a first moto fifth place, for seventh overall.
In his first competitive outing since round two of the FIM Motocross World Championship, Glenn Coldenhoff lined up on home soil for the Dutch International onboard the new GASGAS Factory Racing MC 450F machine.
A strong start in race one enabled Coldenhoff to shadow race leader Romain Febvre for the duration of the moto, making a charge for the lead as the race neared its conclusion. The 29-year-old was able to pull to within one second of the race lead, ultimately ending the moto in a strong second place.
Ivo Monticelli underwent shoulder surgery in April and after just four weeks on his bike lined up for the Dutch International. Race one was quickly over as a crash and subsequent bike damage forced the Italian out of the moto. Moving into seventh place on lap seven of the second race, Monticelli displayed impeccable fitness and challenged for sixth place in the closing stages of the 30-minute race.
Simon Langenfelder delivered a heroic ride in the opening MX2 moto at the Dutch International. After the first-lap chaos settled down, Langenfelder went to work, passing no fewer than 14 riders to move into fifth position as the race wound down. With just four laps remaining and despite a sizeable margin to reach fourth place, the young German was relentless in his efforts, closing the 20 second gap down to just seven seconds by race end.
Moto two saw history made with Glenn Coldenhoff taking GASGAS’ maiden international motocross race win. Charging to the moto two holeshot, a small mistake on the opening lap relegated Coldenhoff to second position before he formed part of a four-rider battle for the win. Able to take control of the race at the halfway stage and withstand pressure from many of his MXGP rivals, Glenn took the race victory and with it the overall win.
After a strong opening moto, Langenfelder emerged in fifth place from the first corner and then settled into a comfortable rhythm. Over the course of the 30-minute moto the 16-year-old battled his MX2 rivals to cross the line in 10th place, claiming seventh place overall.
Glenn Coldenhoff:“It felt great to be back racing. I’ve worked really hard and put in a lot of time training and riding and it showed today. Ahead of this weekend I picked up a small foot injury and I was unable to ride for five days but it’s fully healed and I’m 100%. Qualifying was good, third place. My reaction on the start wasn’t great in race one and I had to push hard to move forwards. I was riding a little tense as I’ve not raced for such a long time so second place was a great way to return to racing. In race two I pulled a huge holeshot. I then made a little mistake and dropped back to second. I was able to regain the lead at the halfway point and then it was a charge to the end, we were all pushing so hard for the win and I’m really happy to have taken the race and overall win for myself and the team.”
Ivo Monticelli:“It was great to be back racing on my GASGAS. I had shoulder surgery in April and three months off of my bike. I’ve been riding for one month now so today was the first race for me and also the team. Unfortunately, in the first race I crashed and then crashed with another rider and his bike damaged mine, so I was unable to continue, which was disappointing. Race two was really good for me, seventh place and closing in on sixth at the end so I know my fitness is good, especially as the track was really rough.”
Simon Langenfelder:“This weekend was a tough race. I was a little nervous, which is to be expected as I haven’t raced for such a long time with the MX2 guys. First moto wasn’t great, a bad start and I clashed with another rider, but I was able to make a charge forwards and ended the moto fifth. I was a little surprised as I was around 20th on the first lap, so I know my speed is good. The second race, I had a great start, but I went into the first corner too fast. I managed to stay upright and then settled into a rhythm. 10th place in the moto was ok, not as good as moto one but overall I’m really happy. It’s great to be back racing and I’m happy for my team too.”
Both Standing Construct GASGAS Factory Racing and the DIGA Procross GASGAS Factory Juniors will be in action next weekend, in Axel for the second Dutch International event ahead of the MXGP World Championship resuming on August 9.
Results – 2020 Dutch International
MX1 – Overall
1. Glenn Coldenhoff (GASGAS) 47pts; 2. Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) 47; 3. Gautier Paulin (Yamaha) 38; 13. Ivo Monticelli (GASGAS) 14
MX1 – Race 1
1. Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) 19 laps, 33:12:079; 2. Glenn Coldenhoff (GASGAS) 33:14:977; 3. Jeremy Seewer (Yamaha) 33:24:310
MX1 – Race 2
1. Glenn Coldenhoff (GASGAS) 19 laps, 33:27:549; 2. Romain Febvre (Kawasaki) 33:29:131; 3. Gautier Paulin (Yamaha) 33:296:23; 7. Ivo Monticelli (GASGAS) 33:49:543
MX2 – Overall
1. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 50pts; 2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 37; 3. Roan Van De Moosdijk (Kawasaki) 36; 7; Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS) 27
MX2 – Race 1
1. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 18 laps, 31:50:993; 2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) 31:52:600; 3. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 32:00:031… 5. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS) 32:20:586
MX2 – Race 2
1. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 19 laps, 33:09:002; 2. Ben Watson (Yamaha) 33:09:818; 3. Thibault Benistant (Yamaha) 33:29:039… 10. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS) 34:27:470