Simon Laengenfelder secured second overall at the Grand Prix of Turkey, claiming his first podium since Flanders with a moto win and third-place finish at the Afyon Motor Sports Centre. The result came as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing contested round 17 of 19 in the FIM Motocross World Championship, with the team maintaining strong positions in both MXGP and MX2 standings.
The German rider showed his intent early in the opening MX2 moto, making a decisive move on series leader Guillem Farres on lap six of seventeen. Laengenfelder pulled away to build a six-second advantage, claiming his fifth moto win of the season on the fast, jumpy hard-pack circuit.
In the second race, Laengenfelder circulated inside the top three for the majority of the distance, ultimately finishing third behind Liam Everts. The 1-3 scorecard delivered his eighth podium of 2026, matching teammate Sacha Coenen‘s tally and marking back-to-back Turkish GP rostrums for the KTM 250 SX-F rider.
“The last few GPs have been quite tough for me so getting that win felt good,” said Laengenfelder. “It’s been a long time since Sardinia. I stalled the bike in that second moto and then everyone had their position. Second overall is fine and now I’m looking forward to the flyaways in China and Australia.”
Laengenfelder sits fourth in the MX2 championship, requiring 20 points to breach the podium positions currently occupied by teammate Coenen. He trails championship leader Farres by 80 points with 120 remaining across the final two rounds.
The weekend proved disastrous for Sacha Coenen, who entered Sunday suffering from stomach illness. Despite carving through to sixth in the opening moto, the Belgian crashed heavily over the long triple jump. Though fortunate to escape serious injury, Coenen retired from second position in race two after grabbing his 15th holeshot of the campaign.
In MXGP, Andrea Adamo posted consistent 5-6 finishes for sixth overall aboard the KTM 450 SX-F. The Italian rookie remains fifth in the championship, seven points ahead of the absent Lucas Coenen, who continues to recover from a left hip injury and will miss round 18 in China.
Jeffrey Herlings dominated proceedings with a double moto victory for Honda, extending his championship lead to 156 points over Romain Febvre.
The series continues with the penultimate round at Shanghai International Circuit on 12-13 September before concluding with the Australian Grand Prix double-header.
Photo: KTM Media
