Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing just completed a successful double header in the Iberian Peninsula, as Kay de Wolf secured another haul of solid points at the Grand Prix of Spain. Intu Xanadu, a relatively new venue that's not far from the centre of Madrid, hosted the round, the sixth stop of the 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship.
Kay de Wolf was rather unfortunate to miss out on a podium finish at the hard-pack track. '74' was in the thick of the battles at the front in both motos and ultimately ended in fourth overall, tied with the star in third. Fourth was the spot that he took in moto one, after an off-track excursion, and he clinched the same position in moto two. A slightly worse start made that second encounter more of a challenge. The good news is that he still occupies third in the standings and is just nine points adrift of the rider in second.
For Roan van de Moosdijk, the Grand Prix of Spain was yet another opportunity to put a good number of points on the board. The first moto was a tricky affair – he was caught in the chaos of lap one and had to climb from outside of the points to tenth at the finish. The second moto was much less eventful; he started and finished in eighth place. 10-8 scores left him in eighth in the overall classification and ensured that he remains sixth in the championship.
Lucas Coenen showed even more potential on Spanish turf, yet more poor luck robbed him of a strong result. Sixth was a fantastic effort in moto one, after he ended lap one in ninth, but he did not progress further than the first lap in moto two. '96' was tangled in a fall with other riders and the damage that was done to his bike forced him to retire prematurely. Fourteenth overall was where he was eventually ranked at the end of the Grand Prix – he remains ninth in the championship.
Kay de Wolf: "It was another solid Grand Prix for us, but you always want more and the podium was not far away at all. There are still a lot of positives that can be taken from this event though – we will put those to good use in the future. Thanks to the team for all of their work and constant support!"
Roan van de Moosdijk: "It was a tricky round for us, especially with where we started in each moto. I need to work on that. I was happy with my progress in moto one and saw more potential in moto two, so we will take those positives into the upcoming rounds."
Lucas Coenen: "It is frustrating to end a Grand Prix weekend like this, especially when I feel like we could have achieved so much. The first moto was solid and set us up for a good overall result, but there was just nothing that I could do in moto two. I am keen to put two motos together in France!"
Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing will return to their base in Lommel, Belgium, now, as there will be a short break in the 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship. The seventh round will be held at the historic venue of Villars sous Ecot in France on May 21.
Download high-res images from the Grand Prix of Spain here.
Results – 2023 FIM Motocross World Championship, Round Six
MX2 – Overall
1. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS) 50pts; 2. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 44pts; 3. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 36pts; 4. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 36pts… 8. Roan van de Moosdijk (Husqvarna) 24pts; 14. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 15pts
MX2 – Moto One
1. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS) 33:57.249; 2. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 34:06.088; 3. Thibault Benistant (Yamaha) 34:07.635; 4. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 34:10.092… 6. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 34:13.571; 10. Roan van de Moosdijk (Husqvarna) 34:49.638
MX2 – Moto Two
1. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS) 35:49.746; 2. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 36:05.150; 3. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 36:16.207; 4. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 36:24.847… 8. Roan van de Moosdijk (Husqvarna) 36:53.174
MX2 – Championship Standings
1. Jago Geerts (Yamaha) 319pts; 2. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 271pts; 3. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 263pts… 6. Roan van de Moosdijk (Husqvarna) 219pts; 9. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 154pts