RAM QUALIFYING RACES

PRADO & DE WOLF MASTER THE SAND AT LOMMEL TO WIN THE RAM QUALIFYING RACES AT THE MXGP OF FLANDERS

LOMMEL (Flanders, Belgium) 27 July 2024 – The deep sand of Lommel awaited the FIM World Motocross Championships today, and the RAM Qualifying Races at the Stedelijk Motorcrossterrein Lommel circuit tested the world’s top Motocross racers as always to make for two thrilling contests!

Reigning World Champion Jorge Prado won a stunning MXGP encounter for Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing, as a packed venue couldn’t take their eyes away from a charging Jeffrey Herlings, who very nearly caught the Spaniard on the final circulation, ultimately having to settle for second for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing!

The win sees Prado get closer to Team HRC’s Tim Gajser for the lead in the RAM Qualifying Challenge for the season, as he now has four Saturday wins to the Slovenian’s six in the battle for the RAM Driving Experience.

The battle for victory in MX2 again came down to the two Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing teammates, Kay de Wolf and Lucas Coenen.  With decisive early passing by Kay and a late mistake for Lucas, it was dynamic Dutchman De Wolf who extended his Championship lead, but for sure the teenage Belgian will be back tomorrow!

After Herlings had set the quickest time in Free Practice, Prado set a fast early pace in Time Practice which Herlings very nearly caught at the end of the session, while Crendon Tru7 Honda rider Conrad Mewse shocked everybody on his return to MXGP action with the third fastest time, even ahead of Gajser!

As it would play out, the RAM Qualifying Race would mirror the Time Practice session for the top two positions, as Prado pulled a clean holeshot, tailed by Gajser and JK Racing Yamaha fast starter Isak Gifting.  Prado proceeded to pull a gap, as Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP duo Calvin Vlaanderen and Andrea Bonacorsi battled past Gifting, with Herlings initially in sixth place!

It took Herlings until lap five to get past Vlaanderen for third, as Fantic Factory Racing star Brian Bogers held fifth ahead of Team Ship to Cycle Honda SR Motoblouz charger Kevin Horgmo.  The Norwegian put on a brilliant race, passing both Bonacorsi and Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre halfway through, before lunging past Bogers for an eventual fifth position on lap nine of twelve, proof that his fitness is at a high level in the gruelling sand.

By lap seven, Herlings had caught Gajser, and was barely held up by the Championship leader as he swept past on a long left hander, and set his sights on the five-second gap to Prado out front!

Behind them, Gajser took a lonely third ahead of Vlaanderen, Horgmo, Bogers and Febvre, with Mewse proving his speed to recover from an awful start and pass Bonacorsi for eighth, as the Italian held on for ninth.  The final point went to Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jeremy Seewer.

With Herlings quicker in the first three quarters of the circuit, he threatened to pass Prado in each of the last three laps, finally diving to the inside of a big left-hand corner berm in a move that looked decisive, but somehow the Spaniard danced out of the way and held on, using his speed in the final sector to claim a hard-earned fourth RAM Qualifying Race win of the season!

With the top three in the Championship again taking the top three positions in the race, albeit in a different order, there is little movement in the Championship situation, but with the big points being paid out tomorrow, that could be a different story! With an even bigger crowd due in to line the fences around Lommel, the atmosphere is going to be astronomical when the big boys hit the circuit on Sunday!

Jorge Prado:”I felt good quite all day long. In the RAM Quali race I didn’t find my flow at all but I managedto stay in front of everyone else. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll get a bit more flow and I can ride more like myself as I was a little bit tight. Also I need to get used to these ruts in the sand as it makes it hard to get the rhythm but it’s the same for everyone. We’ll go again tomorrow but it’s nice to be again inP1, especially in the sand right?!  So let’s see tomorrow two 35minutes, in will be interesting!”

MXGP – RAM Qualifying Race – Classification:  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, GASGAS), 26:24.996; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:01.078; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:25.512; 4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:40.400; 5. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, Honda), +0:46.526; 6. Brian Bogers (NED, Fantic), +0:52.860; 7. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:58.329; 8. Conrad Mewse (GBR, Honda), +1:07.539; 9. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, Yamaha), +1:10.247; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Kawasaki), +1:10.723

MXGP – World Championship Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 671 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, GAS), 637 p.; 3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 617 p.; 4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 478 p.; 5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, KAW), 452 p.; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 389 p.; 7. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 367 p.; 8. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 289 p.; 9. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HON), 274 p.; 10. Valentin Guillod (SUI, HON), 273 p

Again the Nestaan Husqvarna boys topped the Practice times, Lucas Coenen in the morning, before Kay de Wolf claimed first gate pick in the Time Practice session, ahead of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing star Liam Everts and a surprising Camden McLellan for Monster Energy Triumph Racing!

As with MXGP though, the Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing team claimed the holeshot, as Simon Laengenfelder, helped by a near-crash in the first corner for Everts’ teammate Sacha Coenen,  took the early lead. He held off an outside charge from Lucas to keep the lead for over half of the first burst around the track!  That proved crucial as series leader De Wolf was able to reel them both in and make quick passes on them both to head the pack at the end of the first full lap!

Lucas Coenen was able to blast around the outside of the German to make an inside move stick into the following corner, and then it was the battle of the teammates out front as we have seen through much of this MX2 season.

Laengenfelder had to fend off a challenge from Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 sand lover Rick Elzinga, but the young Dutchman couldn’t make a move and the pair stayed in third and fourth until the chequered flag.  Behind them was Everts, who had suffered two crashes in the first four laps but still recovered to fifth with a last lap pass on McLellan. Without mistakes, Liam could be the biggest threat to the Husqvarna men tomorrow.

Karlis Reisulis brought his Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 machine home in seventh ahead of Sacha Coenen, while Ferruccio Zanchi mounted a heroic comeback from the very back of the field to take ninth for Team HRC.  Dutchman Scott Smulders also advanced well to take the final point for KMR Honda Racing Team Powered by Krettek.

Lucas Coenen continued to pressure his teammate, looking for that two-point swing and the mental victory against his Championship rival, but a mistake that led him to running off track on the penultimate lap left the young Belgian with too much to do, and the Dutchman took the race win by just over six seconds at the flag.

De Wolf will take stock, as will his teammate, and the duo could well give us a pair of incredible races tomorrow, with Everts, McLellan, Laengenfelder, and Elzinga all with a chance of getting onto the podium as well!

Do not miss a single spinning wheel of action tomorrow, because both classes have some monumental battles in prospect for us!

Kay de Wolf: “It was a really nice and comfortable race. I felt good out there. I just did my own thing and, in the end, I made a few small mistakes but we’ll fix it for tomorrow. Otherwise, riding was good and I’m very happy with it and I’m looking forward for tomorrow to do it again”

MX2 – RAM Qualifying Race – Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), 26:15.748; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:06.539; 3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GASGAS), +0:42.429; 4. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:46.790; 5. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:47.680; 6. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:49.153; 7. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, Yamaha), +1:12.016; 8. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +1:32.898; 9. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +1:56.757; 10. Scott Smulders (NED, Honda), +2:15.150

MX2 – World Championship Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 636 points; 2. Lucas Coenen (BEL, HUS), 589 p.; 3. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, GAS), 568 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 521 p.; 5. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 457 p.; 6. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, TRI), 433 p.; 7. Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 389 p.; 8. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 365 p.; 9. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 236 p.; 10. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, HON), 231 p

MXGP OF FLANDERS QUICK FACTS:

Circuit length: 1850m

Type of ground: Sand

Temperature: 21°

Weather conditions: Cloudy

TIMETABLE 

SUNDAY: 09:45 EMX Open Race 2, 10:25 MX2 Warm-up, 10:45 MXGP Warm-up, 11:30 EMX250 Race 2, 13:15 MX2 Race 1, 14:15 MXGP Race 1, 16:10 MX2 Race 2, 17:10 MXGP Race 2.

LINKS

Infront Moto Racing

FIM

FIM Europe

Lommel

USA CANADA
 

CBS Sports Network

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 ET – Delayed

Sunday July 28 2024 – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 ET – Delayed

LATIN AMERICA

Direct TV

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 – CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 – CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 – CET LIVE

BRAZIL
 

Bandsports

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 – CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 – CET LIVE

MEXICO

FOX SPORTS Mexico

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 – CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 – CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 – CET LIVE

BELGIUM 
 

PLAY SPORTS OPEN

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 – CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 – CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 – CET LIVE

ESTONIA

Go3

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 – CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 – CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 – CET LIVE

FINLAND

MAX

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 2 – 18:00 – Finnish timing – LIVE

FRANCE
 

AUTOMOTO TV LA CHAINE 

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 – CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 1 – 15:00 CET Delayed

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 – CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 – CET LIVE

LA CHAINE L’EQUIPE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET LIVE Streaming

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 – CET LIVE Streaming

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 – CET LIVE Streaming

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 – CET LIVE Streaming

LATVIA
 

TV3 Sport Open

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 – CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 – CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 – CET LIVE

LITHUANIA
 

Go3

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 – CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 – CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 – CET LIVE

SLOVENIA
 

Sport TV1

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 – CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 – CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 – CET LIVE

SPAIN

TV Galicia

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 – CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 – CET LIVE

INDIA and Subcontinent (Bhutan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives)
 

VIACOM  – Jio Cinema

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 1 – 16:30 IST – Streaming

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 1 – 17:30 IST – Streaming

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 2 – 19:30 IST – Streaming

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 2 – 20:30 IST – Streaming

INDONESIA

CHAMPIONS TV

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 – CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 – CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 – CET LIVE

VIDIO

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 1 – 13:00 CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 1 – 14:00 – CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 2 – 16:00 – CET LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 2 – 17:00 – CET LIVE

PACIFIC / AUSTRALIA
 

STAN SPORTS

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 1 – 21:00 AEST – LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MXGP Race 1 – 22:00 AEST – LIVE

Sunday July 28 2024  – MX2 Race 2 – 00:00  AEST – LIVE

Monday July 29 2024  – MXGP Race 2 – 01:00 AEST – LIVE

26min Behind-the-Gate Magazine Partners:
 

AMERICA

Latin America             Direct TV                                 Thursday after each MXGP 8:30pm

Mexico                        FOX Sports                              Thursday after each MXGP 8:30pm

USA                             BEiN USA                                 TBA

EUROPE

Albania                        GP1                                         Thursday after each event at 20:15

Austria                        GP1                                         Thursday after each event at 20:15

Baltics                          TV3 Sport Open                      Thursday after each MXGP

Belgium                       Play sports                              tba

Belgium                       SPORT TEN                              tba

Bosnia                         GP1                                         Thursday after each event at 20:15

Croatia                        GP1                                         Thursday after each event at 20:15

Finland            MTV                                        During the week after the event

Hungary                      GP1                                         Thursday after each event at 20:15

Kosovo                        GP1                                        Thursday after each event at 20:15

Montenegro                GP1                                         Thursday after each event at 20:15

Northern Macedonia  GP1                                         Thursday after each event at 20:15

Portugal                      SPORT TV                                Tuesday after the event        

Romania                      Look Sport                               Wednesday after each event

Serbia                          GP1                                         Thursday after each event at 20:15

Slovenia                      Sport TV                                  Tuesday after the event

INDIA and Subcontinent (Bhutan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives)
 

VIACOM 18                                                                        Wednesday after the event

INDONESIA                  Champions TV

                                    Moji

                                    Vidio

AUSTRALIA

Australia                      Stan Sport                               Wednesday after each event

WORLDWIDE

Worldwide                  Motorvision                            During the week after the event

Worldwide                  Redbull TV                               Race Craft and Vlog

Worldwide                  YouTube – MXGP TV               16 days after the event.

Watch it ALL LIVE on www.MXGP-TV.com

MXGP of Flanders LIVE MXGP-TV Timetable

CEST

Start

Finish

Saturday

Studio Show

12:00

12:30

EMXOpen Race 1

14:55

15:30

EMX250 Race 1

15:40

16:20

MX2 RAM Qualifying

16:25

17:10

MXGP RAM Qualifying

17:15

18:00

Sunday

EMXOpen Race 2

09:40

10:30

EMX250 Race 2

11:25

11:55

MX2 Race 1

13:00

14:00

MXGP Race 1

14:00

15:00

MX2 race 2

16:00

17:00

MXGP Race 2

17:00

18:00

LOMMEL (Flanders, Belgium) 27 July 2024 – After a decade of development Alpinestars chose the iconic MXGP of Flanders at the Lommel Circuit in Belgium to launch the latest addition to its family of autonomous Airbag products: the Tech-Air® MX. Available to Alpinestars-supported professional athletes, this pre-production System is now ready for use in training and practice during race weekends, in full cooperation and accordance with current MXGP and FIM regulations. 

TECH-AIR^® MX AIRBAG SYSTEM 
Alpinestars has a long and leading history in developing Airbag body protection for motorcycle racing.  Tech-Air® Race was introduced in MotoGP in 2009, utilizing the data that was recorded in road racing with its large team of racers in different categories since 2003.  There have been several generations of Tech-Air® Race since then, all benefiting from the vast amount of data logged by hundreds of Alpinestars racers worldwide.
 
The same approach was applied to Tech-Air® Off Road, which represents the state of the art in protection at the Dakar race since 2019, with data logging done at Dakar and World Rally Championship races by Alpinestars riders since 2014.
 
Alpinestars has been doing data logging with its athletes in FIM MXGP and AMA Supercross and Motocross, since 2016, in order to develop the sophisticated activation algorithm that can precisely and swiftly trigger airbag protection in the challenging and dynamic environments that MX and Supercross riders encounter – including ruts, berms, and different configurations of jumps and whoops

“Really happy about the Alpinestars airbag vest, I’ve been using it for a while and it’s really comfortable and normal, like a normal chest protector. It’s light and it gives you extra protection So, it’s really good to have when riding since a lot of things can happen in motocross. It’s always good to have extra protection. And, it’s really good to know that you have an airbag with you.” 
– Jago Geerts

Thus, Tech-Air® MX provides extensive and effective upper body protection in a compact chest protector that comes with an autonomous Airbag System embedded inside. The Tech-Air® MX is a convenient Airbag protection solution that MX riders can easily wear as part of their kit, offering unrivaled upper body protection at the track.

With Airbag technology being so new in the world of motocross, Alpinestars looks forward to collaborating with the FIM to share data and information. This collaboration aims to aid in the long-term implementation and regulation of MX Airbag technology, similar to our previous efforts in MotoGP and Dakar/World Rallies.

“So today I’ve been riding with the pre-production version of Tech-Air^® MX body protection from Alpinestars. It was very surprisingly good. I really enjoyed doing it. There has been a lot of development done on it, and I think it’s something for the future. I think having an airbag in motocross could really benefit, you know, the protection for us and the safety of us riders.”

– Jeffrey Herlings

The Tech-Air® MX System can be worn over or under any properly fitting apparel with enough room to accommodate the inflation of the airbag. The System offers superior ventilation, with a low-profile and lightweight construction, and maximizes comfort and freedom of movement.

Activating the Tech-Air^® MX is easy; simply attach the left buckle of the System to the Chest Protector, and an internal magnetic switch will detect the left buckle is closed and automatically turn on and activate the Airbag System. Detaching the left buckle will automatically deactivate and turn off the System.

“I just got off the track with the latest version of the Alpinestars airbag body protector. I’m really excited for you guys to test it. The first impression is good right away. It doesn’t really feel much different to the whole body protector, but, obviously, the safety is a big plus in the direction we need to go. It’s really comfortable and when I’m riding I don’t feel it, so it’s definitely a positive thing. I’m very impressed with how it feels on track. It doesn’t feel like anything different, it feels nice and snug on the body and, comfortable when riding. So it’s good.”

– Calvin Vlaanderen

AI TECHNOLOGY AND CRASH MONITORING PERFORMANCE
An industry-first, the Tech-Air^® MX is a fully self-contained, standalone active electronic System that features six integrated sensors: 1 triaxial accelerometer and 1 triaxial gyroscope. These sensors monitor the rider’s body for shocks or unexpected movements and communicate with the System’s computer, sending data inputs every millisecond, or a thousand times per second. Developed through years of research in collaboration with the world’s leading pro-MX/SX and MXGP riders, our team has analyzed riding data from thousands of hours of riding data and crashes, to to accurately assess when to deploy the Airbag ahead of an impact or other dangerous riding event.
 
Upon the identification of a crash situation, the algorithm will trigger the deployment of the protective Airbag, providing unrivaled protection to the rider (with an average inflation time of 40 ms, depending on the volume of the airbag size). The impact absorption while wearing the Airbag when inflated, results in the System being more than 4 times as protective as passive impact protectors.

TECH-AIR^® MX RIDING MODES

The pre-production Tech-Air® MX System comes pre-loaded with the MX/SX Riding Mode. While still in final development, the Tech-Air® MX System will offer riders the possibility of switching between 3 different Riding Modes on the final production Airbag System. Each Riding Mode features an optimized algorithm that enables the system to detect imminent impacts and deploy the protective airbag in crash situations, specific to the type of riding the user is doing at the time.

EASY GAS INFLATOR REPLACEMENT

A quick-release cover opening allows for rapid gas inflator replacement by users (where local regulations allow). In addition, the bladder will likely be certified for up to four to six individual deployments before requiring service, this will be confirmed for the final production version of the System.

TECH-AIR^® APP AND SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATES
When it comes to other features, the Tech-Air^® MX is Bluetooth enabled, allowing riders to easily update their System via the free Tech-Air^® App when new releases of the System’s software with new crash-detection algorithms become available. Offering a wide variety of functionalities, the App provides riders with the ability to check the System’s operational status, and battery life, consult the User Manual, and record their rides on an enhanced Google map with MyRide, subject to network coverage.
 
Regarding battery life, a fully charged battery will provide the System with approximately 30 hours of active ride time. The LED Display features an integrated charging port for convenient and easy charging of the System. Additionally, an integrated LED display is positioned on the Chest Protector and indicates the System’s operational status, battery status, and available Riding Modes.

PROTECTION

The Tech-Air® MX System provides CE LEVEL 1 passive protection on both the chest and back. Additionally, when the Airbag is inflated, it offers CE LEVEL 1 active protection on the back, delivering four times more protection than the passive protector alone. When deployed, the Tech-Air® System’s Airbag provides protection to the rider’s shoulders, chest, and back, ensuring unprecedented upper body coverage for motocross.

• Average inflation time of 40 milliseconds, depending on the size of the Airbag.
• The Tech-Air® MX System is Category II CE Certified to the 686/89/EEC European PPE Directive and a version of EN1621-4:2013, which guarantees impact protection performance within 40 milliseconds to 5 seconds of full pressure inflation.