De Baets Yamaha Supported MX Team’s Lotte van Drunen has been crowned the 2024 WMX World Champion today at the seventh and final round of the series in Turkey. Arriving in Afyonkarahisar with a healthy 17-point lead, van Drunen rode two smart and consistent races aboard her GYTR-kitted YZ250F to place fifth overall and become the youngest ever WMX World Champion.

With three GP victories and five race wins this season, the Dutch sensation was the class of a talented field of female racers in 2024. After placing second overall at the season-opener in March, van Drunen won both races at the heavy sand track of Riola Sardo in Sardinia for round two, taking her first win of the year and moving to the top of the Championship Standings.

Demonstrating her superior ability on a variety of race tracks, a second win soon followed in Spain before she placed third at the hardpack circuit of Teutschenthal in Germany. In the deep mud of Maggiora for round five, the 17-year-old placed sixth – her lowest result of the season but one that secured vital championship points to maintain her series lead.

After a nine-week summer break in the calendar, and a point-scoring ride in MX2 at the MXGP of Flanders, the WMX title race resumed at van Drunen’s home GP in The Netherlands. The Arnhem circuit was the venue for her career-first GP victory in 2023, and she replicated the two race-winning results to dominate the GP and create a 17-point lead ahead of the final round in Turkey.

Knowing consistent results in Afyonkarahisar would be enough to secure her maiden world title, van Drunen placed fourth in Race One on a perfect race track, with her nearest rival, Daniela Guillen, finishing second. Lining up for Race Two on a heavily watered circuit and needing to finish eighth or better to secure the championship, van Drunen rode a cool and calculated race to finish fifth, and with it, became the 2024 WMX World Champion.

In securing the coveted crown in the 20th running of the WMX series, van Drunen also won the WMX Manufacturer’s World Title for Yamaha and becomes the third female alongside Kiara Fontanesi and Nancy van de Ven to win the WMX World Championship aboard YZ250F machinery.

The first of two consecutive MotoGP dates at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli took place in changeable conditions for the San Marino Grand Prix and Red Bull KTM Racing captured three positions inside the top ten with Brad Binder rushed to 4th place, Jack Miller managed a decent 8th while Pol Espargaro completed his third and final wildcard of the 2024 season and crossed the finish line in 10th.

Race day at the flat and sweeping Misano layout provided freaky weather compared to the heat and intense sunshine on Friday and Saturday. After the 10 minute warm-up rush in the morning, Red Bull KTM focused on the 27-lap Grand Prix, held in front of a record 89,000 Sunday attendance.

Brad Binder jumped into the top five after reacting quickly to the lights and making headway from the second row. Jack Miller was also swift away as Pol Espargaro tried his best to win some ground from P15 on the grid. After seven laps rain began to fall on one side of the circuit. Six riders pulled into the pitlane to change bikes and Brad and Jack profited from the shake-up to surge further forward.

Binder battled for the top five and won 4th, obtaining enough points to move up to 5th in the championship standings. Miller had his hands full in a duel for the top eight and with deteriorating rear grip but rode strongly. Espargaro charted a course from mid-pack to the edge of the top ten and banked his best result of his wildcard stint this year.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing will now prepare for the last official testing day of the season on Monday at Misano. After a week’s respite from action, MotoGP will then gather again at the coastal venue for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and the last event in Europe before the ‘flyaway’ stint of the calendar begins.

Brad Binder, 4th: “It was a bit of a stressful situation on the grid with rain dropping. A bit sketchy and we weren’t too sure what to do. However, I stuck with my gut feeling and it worked out well. The track was at its worst in the first sector but it quickly dried. It was a chaotic race because you were unsure how hard you could push and how much risk to take. I’m happy with 4th and to be in the top five again and we found a good compromise with the bike. I was comfortable. Now we have to work through the items we have in the test and make more progress.”

Jack Miller, 8th: “A long old race. I wanted a little bit more and I felt good but I couldn’t go any faster. About ten laps from the end the lefthand edge of the rear tire started to go and I did what I could to manage the situation. The right side was fine was hard to carry good corner speed. We improved the bike a lot from Friday and I felt comfortable. I wish the rain had hung around for a bit longer!”

Round eight of the 2024 Superbike World Championship has now concluded for Team HRC at the Nevers Magny-Cours circuit in France, with riders Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona placing fifth and seventh in the Superpole race, and seventh and tenth in Race 2.

The Superpole race ran in dry conditions at 11am CET. Vierge made a very strong start and was almost immediately up into fourth. Holding this position for the first half of the race, the Spaniard was pushed off track on lap seven, which caused him to slip back to sixth. A gritty performance by Xavi saw him regain a position in the final stages to secure final fifth position in today’s sprint. Lecuona got off to a great start, quickly making up several positions on the opening lap to move into tenth. Consistently lapping faster than his rivals in the early stages, Iker gained significant ground and progressed to seventh by mid-race. He held this position to the finish, making a remarkable recovery and gaining twelve positions over the course of this short 10-lap sprint.

Thanks to their Superpole race results, Vierge and Lecuona started from fifth and seventh on the grid for the second 21-lap Superbike race, which ran in dry conditions at 3.30pm. Just like this morning, Xavi was lying in fourth place through the very first corners and moved into the top three just moments later. Iker was ninth in the early stages, his strong pace allowing him to close in on, and pass, those immediately ahead to take seventh by lap five, soon tucking in behind team-mate Vierge who had in the meantime slipped to sixth. Xavi lost his position to Gardner and Redding in a last-lap battle, which meant he crossed the line eighth, with Iker finishing just a tenth of a second behind in ninth. However, after the race, Lecuona was handed a three-second penalty for cutting the course, which saw him dropped to tenth place. Vierge was promoted to seventh, as Redding also received a one-position penalty.

Vierge lies fourteenth in the general standings with 69 points, Lecuona sixteenth with a tally of 56. Team HRC will test on 11-12 September at Motorland Aragón in Spain, before turning its attention to the ninth Superbike World Championship round, set to take place over the weekend of 20-22 September at Cremona Circuit in Italy.

MXGP

Team HRC’s Tim Gajser followed up his MXGP of Turkiye qualification win, with a solid second overall in today’s two motos. The Slovenian rider went four-two in tricky conditions at the Afyon circuit and now leads the 2024 MXGP Championship by 14 points with two rounds remaining. Teammate Ruben Fernandez rode better than his 10^th overall suggests and the pair now head to China motivated to improve upon today’s results.

For Gajser, that means aiming for another victory after coming up just short over the course of these two races in Turkiye. Line choice was at a premium on a pretty one-lined track and although the Honda CRF450R rider was able to get out of the gate well, he wasn’t quite able to capitalise on that to maximum effect and instead had to settle for 40 points in this 18^th round of the championship.

The penultimate round of the series is next weekend as the series returns to China after a five-year hiatus, where Gajser will be looking for a higher points tally to take to the final round of the campaign, which once again sees the rider’s line-up for a third time in Spain.

That is a round that Fernandez is looking forward to, as he continues his road to recovery after missing the majority of this year. After a fifth in qualification, he was running in sixth until the very last lap of the first moto, when a small crash dropped him down to ninth. He wasn’t quite able to bring the same speed into race two and had to settle for crossing the line in 12^th place, but it was another couple of motos under his belt and it brings him closer to where he wants to be.

MX2
Ferruccio Zanchi powered his Honda CRF250R around the first turn in first position in race one of the MXGP of Turkiye, grabbing the holeshot in a great moment for the MX2 rider. At over 1000m elevation, every ounce of horsepower is important and Zanchi proved that all the work done by Team HRC was worthwhile as he took the early lead. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to hold off the competition for long, and then one of the riders who passed him, crashed right in front of the #73 and he joined that rider on the dirt. Remounting near the back of the field, he charged through to 11^th but then a small mistake near the end meant he crossed the line in 17^th.

Moto two was a lot less eventful as he stayed around the top 10 for the entirety of the moto, receiving the chequered flag in 10^th place, to end the weekend in 14^th overall. It wasn’t what he wanted but this was another good moment for the youngster and should give him more confidence for the final two rounds of the season.

Tim Gajser  

After winning the qualification race I was excited to go racing today, but I didn’t quite have the same feeling on the track today. What they did overnight didn’t really make the track better and it was very one-lined and I couldn’t make the pass in that second race. Still, I can’t be too disappointed as I’m still leading the championship with two rounds remaining and I’m confident I can get the job done. A big thanks to all the team for all their effort and we’ll keep building for China next weekend.

The final month of the 2024 FIM Motocross World Championship began with the trip to Afyon and the Grand Prix of Turkey, round 18 of 20 in the series and before rushes to China and Spain to close the series. Dry and hot conditions saw Jeffrey Herlings rebound from a tough first moto to rank 6th overall. In MX2 Liam Everts was 4th by the end of the afternoon.

Turkey is the first of two eastern trips for MXGP, and the flat and familiar layout of Afyon staged the eighth Grand Prix in the country and brought the series back to Afyonkarahisar. The circuit was first used in 2018. Warm and predictable weather and a hard-packed and rough course were the main challenges for the riders in the MXGP and MX2 classes. The championships are narrowing, and Red Bull KTM are firmly in the fight for medal positions.

On Saturday the RAM Qualification races saw Herlings power his way to a good start and then the lead. He classified 3rd for the same choice of positions in the gate for Sunday. Liam Everts was better placed in MX2 and grabbed the win for his third Pole of 2024 and his first since the Italian Grand Prix. Andrea Adamo was 8th. Sacha Coenen did not travel to Turkey: the Belgian is recovering from a muscular injury picked up in Sweden and has still not cleared the problem. He is undergoing treatment to be back 100%.

On Sunday the heat remained high, and the track was slick in places. Herlings almost crashed after contact with Romain Febvre out of the gate of the first moto. He rallied back to the top six on the first lap but then crashed and burnt his arm. Jeffrey was able to remount and score 10th. After some treatment he throttled across the fast layout for 3rd.

In MX2 Everts was initially 3rd in the first moto, dropped to 5th but then worked his way back to the top three. He couldn’t quite make the start he needed at the second gate drop and after completing the opening lap in 5th maintained that standing all the way to the flag. Andrea Adamo could not implement podium pace in Turkey. The Italian rode well to return to 5th from outside the top ten in the first outing and then took 9th.

Two rounds and four motos remain this season. Herlings is 3rd in the championship standings and 39 points from 2nd and 53 from the red plate. Everts is 4th in the MX2 list with Adamo 6th and Coenen 8th in his second Grand Prix year. Onto China and the long trip to Shanghai.

Jeffrey Herlings, 10th and 3rd for 6th overall in MXGP: “I believe Jorge, Tim and me were the fastest guys this weekend but they both finished on the podium and I crashed in the first moto and lost a lot of time, as well as burning my arm on the exhaust. In was in quite some pain. I had to come from last for P10. I managed to be good in the second moto but it was almost impossible to pass on this track. We just followed each other. No podium today. I’m looking forward to China. The season is coming to an end and two races to go. Realistically the championship is going to be very difficult but we’ll do what we can.”

Liam Everts, 3rd and 5th for 4th overall in MX2: “A positive weekend. Winning the quali race was a good thing and then I was with the leaders in the first moto until I tucked the front. I worked my way back to P3: it was a good moto actually. In the second race I didn’t feel that comfortable in the beginning but then found a way to push later on. I just missed the podium so I’m a bit gutted about that. We need to work a bit more on the starts. If we can get that better then we’ll be on a very good way. We’ll have some fun in China.”

Andrea Adamo, 5th and 9th for 7th overall in MX2: “Not the best weekend. I compromised the GP a bit by not finding my speed on Saturday or getting my starts when the track was difficult for passing. The first moto was solid but the second one I lost a lot of time in the beginning. We will have another chance in China.’

MotoGP rounded the complex combination of 16 corners and gradients of the MotorLand circuit for the first time since 2022 and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing completed qualification and the Sprint at the Gran Premio de Aragon with Brad Binder scoring 6th in the Sprint. Teammate Jack Miller managed 13th as Jose Antonio Rueda qualified on the Moto3™ front row with the KTM RC4.

• Four points for a resurgent Binder after starting from 7th on the grid for the twelfth round of 2024 MotoGP
• Miller maintains his upward trend for competitiveness with decent speed but suffers with grip around the greasy MotorLand circuit and takes 13th in the Sprint
• Strong pace from Jose Antonio Rueda in front of home fans for 2nd in Moto3™ Q2 while class rookie Deniz Öncü earns his best qualification of the season with 4th in Moto2™

Hot, stormy conditions and intense record-breaking lap-times were the distinguishing features of round twelve of 2024 MotoGP and a return to the epic and open MotorLand venue for the fifteenth time since 2010. Red Bull KTM helped set the pace on a steamy Friday morning and across a slick new asphalt that became grippier as the Grand Prix progressed. Both Brad Binder and Jack Miller were unlucky to miss out on direct Q2 entry in the afternoon after setting top-five lap-times earlier in the day.

The South African and Australian had to push the limits in Q1 on Saturday and with the track state altering once more: thunderstorms had delivered rain across the venue that evening and FP2 was run with damp patches but thankfully qualification was dry. Jack initially topped Q1 but in the final flurry of laps was bumped to 5th as Brad was the only rider to find a time in the 1min 47 bracket and went into Q2 with 1st place. He then recorded the 7th quickest effort for the same rank on the grid.

The Sprint consisted of 11 laps. Binder charged through and fought with world champion Francesco Bagnaia. The low grip conditions caused havoc for many riders, especially with the launch from the grid and excessive wheelspin. Brad made his way to 6th while Jack was submerged in a hectic tussle for points and a couple of mistakes put him out of the top ten and down to 13th.

Moto3, Moto2 and then MotoGP races will roar into action from 11.00 CET and for 17, 19 and 23 laps on Sunday.

Brad Binder, 7th in qualification, 6th in the Sprint: “I started on the back foot with wheelspin all the way until the first turn and it meant I did not have enough speed to unclip my start devices. It was like that for most of the first lap and I lost some positions. After that I tried to find my bearings and go forwards. It was dirty out there. It was hard to believe how low the grip was. I made a few mistakes but I was trying hard to play catch-up. Hopefully tomorrow we’ll get off the line clean and we’ll have a much better race because I felt like I could give the top three a good go.”

CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. – Victory in the final round of the 2024 AMA Pro Motocross Championship saw Chase Sexton and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing clinch the 450MX title with a clean sweep at the Ironman National, completing a spectacular first outdoor season together with a total of seven overall wins in 11 rounds.

The finale saw Aaron Plessinger finish second on the 450 Class podium to secure third in the final standings, while P1 in Indiana for Tom Vialle elevated him to second position in the 250MX title race. In addition, KTM earned the Pro Motocross Manufacturer Championship and Julien Beaumer was awarded the 250 Class Rookie of the Year honors.

Equipped with the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, Sexton qualified fastest this morning and fittingly sealed the title by winning Moto 1 in commanding fashion. The 24-year-old Illinois native then picked up his 13th moto win of the series in the final outing, capping off his campaign in style to lift the coveted #1 plate.

Sexton took his first Pro Motocross win of the year in Round 2 at Hangtown and then won the last six rounds in succession at RedBud, Spring Creek, Washougal, Unadilla, Budds Creek, and Ironman on his way to a first-career Pro Motocross crown. The result marks KTM's first 450MX title since Ryan Dungey won in 2015.

Chase Sexton: "I felt the safest out front in Moto 1, they were all riding really good, and the pace was high, so that was a dream ride for me to wrap it up in that one with no mistakes. The championship's what we came for and we accomplished that, so I appreciate it and we're excited! To come out here in the outdoors and have a really awesome season, I don't know how to put it into words... This is the best form I've had to date in my career, the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team is awesome, and it means a lot. I'm stoked – I just want to keep doing this, because every title you get makes you want to win more. Thank you!"

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Plessinger finished second on the 450MX podium at the Ironman National with 2-2 results, making it six podiums this season, including the past four in a row. As a result, The Cowboy matched his final position of one year ago with third in the championship, and also carries career form into the upcoming SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) Finals series.

Aaron Plessinger: "I put it all out there, I was trying and giving it my all to keep with Chase. Those last few laps were tough – I left it all on the track today. It's all of these people who kept me going because it was a long, hot day, but I have to give it up for my family, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, and everybody behind me! It has been such a good season and I'm really proud of Chase and the whole team."

A wire-to-wire opening moto win riding the KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION saw Vialle set himself up for a chance at his maiden 250MX overall victory in 2024, which he managed to achieve courtesy of a hard-fought fourth-place finish in Moto 2. With seven overall podiums to his credit, the Frenchman climbed to second in the final standings to complete his second season of AMA Pro Motocross competition.

Tom Vialle: "I was really trying to get that overall and we were able to today! The start is so important, it makes it so much easier, and I had a good moto in the first one. I had a gap and it was really amazing, I felt so good on the track. And then I was able to make it happen for the overall in that second moto – I'm really happy."

The 250MX Rookie of the Year award belonged to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team newcomer Beaumer, who finished 11th in the championship. It's been a positive first full season of Pro Motocross for the 18-year-old, gaining immense experience throughout the series, and building important foundations for his career. An 8-30 scorecard at Round 11 after crashing out of the final race landed him 14th overall.

MXGP
Team HRC’s Tim Gajser put in two superb motos to take victory at the MXGP of Switzerland, scoring a maximum 50 points and increasing his lead from nine to 18 points, with three rounds remaining of the world motocross championship. It was the Honda CRF450R riders’ first one-one performance of the season and a timely one, given the fast-approaching end to this highly competitive 2024 series.

After a second place in yesterday’s qualification race, the #243 used this to his advantage to round the first corner of each moto inside the top 10, on what ended up being a much ruttier and more technical track due to overnight rain. From there, he made a number of quick passes on lap one, so that by the time they crossed the line for the first time, he was already into the lead. It was exactly what he needed to do with his competition right behind him, but they ended up having no match for the speed the Slovenian was able to show, and he pulled out a gap very quickly and controlled the moto, receiving the chequered flag 14 seconds ahead.

Knowing the job was only half done, and that every point counts at this stage, he tried his best to replicate the same in race two, but starting from a bit further back, his job was made a bit more difficult. Still, once he found his rhythm, he moved from fourth to first in four laps, putting on a masterclass in passing, before once again pulling out a gap to cross the line and spark scenes of celebration amongst Team HRC.

With rounds in Turkey, China and then finishing in Spain, Gajser knows that he needs to keep this momentum up if he wants to win his sixth world championship, but he is very confident and highly motivated to finish the job after what has been an excellent 2024 so far.

Teammate Ruben Fernandez also showed some great fighting spirit on his return to GP racing, going 17-9 for 11th overall, which could have been a lot better had another rider not collided with him midway through race one. This dropped him from 11th position and meant he was in survival mode for the rest of that moto. It certainly didn’t deter in race two though, as the Spaniard got a top 10 start and kept himself there for the rest of the moto. With a weekend off before Turkey, Fernandez can assess his performance and work on some things before heading east for the overseas double-header that sees the series go back to China directly after the round in Afyon.

A great start for the rider of the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team who has been fighting for P4 for over half the race.

Spielberg (Austria), August 18th 2024 - Marco Bezzecchi among the protagonists of the Austrian GP that took place today in Spielberg. Riding the Ducati Desmosedici GP, the rider of the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team signs a great comeback and the sixth final place.

Starting from the ninth place on the grid and capable of an excellent start, Marco is immediately in the slip stream of the leaders. Eighth at the end of the first lap, he imposes a constant pace until he gets back in touch with the riders fighting for the fourth place. He scores 10 points and is 11th in the general standings with 73 points.

104 pints, P9 in the standings and a race followed from Rome in front of the TV for Fabio Di Giannantonio, after the bad crash on Friday afternoon and the dislocation of his left shoulder.

MECHANICSVILLE, Md. – A fifth-consecutive victory in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Budds Creek saw Chase Sexton take another important step in his quest for the 2024 450MX crown at the penultimate round of the season, as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Aaron Plessinger finished third overall, and Tom Vialle returned to the podium with a runner-up result in 250MX.

Sexton qualified quickest onboard the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, before going on to finish second in the opening moto of the weekend. He rebounded from an early crash in Moto 2 to storm into the lead during the closing laps, securing the overall – marking his ninth podium of the series – and maintaining a 28-point advantage in the standings with a single round remaining.

Chase Sexton: "Like I said last weekend, I feel like I made improvements over the break. First motos, I don't know why, they've been tough for me and I just haven't had the flow, and then by the second moto they come around. I didn't make it easy on myself when I fell over, but it was a good race and that second moto was awesome with a really good flow and aggression. It was hard, but I had fun! Looking forward to next weekend."

Plessinger has been in fine form throughout the outdoors and made it three-straight podiums at Round 10. The Cowboy qualified in P6 and then led his share of Moto 1, eventually taking the checkered flag in third position. He was once again up front in the final outing on his way to another P3 result, landing him third on the podium and he also sits in that same position in the championship.

Aaron Plessinger: "That's three podiums in a row! You dream of this as a little kid and it always feels good – that one felt even better. In the first race, I felt like I was riding around in no man's land, but in Moto 2 I fought for it and didn't just roll over or let them go. It's awesome to be up here and on the podium again!"

Frenchman Tom Vialle was in contention all day in the 250MX Class, qualifying fourth on the timesheets and then charging through the pack in both races to register 2-3 scores. Those finishes saw the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider take his sixth Pro Motocross podium of the year, currently ranked third in the point standings.

Tom Vialle: "My starts weren't that good today, but I came back in both motos from pretty far back, and I was able to fight to the end. I think I was really fast in that second moto, so I'm happy with how I rode today, and the track was really good. One more to go!"

It was also a convincing day in the office for rookie teammate Julien Beaumer, matching his best career finish in sixth position at Budds Creek. The teenager rode his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to an outstanding fourth place in the first moto and then backed it up with seventh this afternoon for P6 overall. He is positioned 11th in the points with one round left to run next weekend.