Motocross of Nations 2024 Qualifying Recap / Results
The 77th edition of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations (MXoN) got off to an action-packed start at the historic Matterley Basin in Great Britain, where riders across the globe faced off in the Ram Qualifying races. Teams vied for the top spots, eager to secure favorable gate picks for tomorrow's main events. Here's how the day unfolded:
MXGP
In the MXGP qualifying race, Spain's Jorge Prado secured a vital victory after a fierce battle from start to finish. Slovenia's Tim Gajser and Prado were neck and neck for the holeshot, while Australia's Hunter Lawrence trailed closely behind. However, a major moment came early on when Dutchman Jeffrey Herlings tipped over, dropping him to around 11th. He quickly remounted and began his charge through the field.
Germany’s Ken Roczen, despite starting from a less favorable 36th gate, made impressive progress, overtaking riders to settle into the top five. Herlings, ever relentless, found his rhythm and made key passes, including a move on Roczen to take fifth. Unfortunately for Australia, Hunter Lawrence, who was running in third, fell on the final lap, handing his spot to France's Romain Febvre.
Prado held his nerve and crossed the line first, earning one point for Team Spain. The top five were rounded out by Gajser in second, Febvre in third, Lawrence in fourth, and Herlings in fifth. Roczen finished sixth, while Team USA’s Eli Tomac settled for seventh.
MX2
The MX2 race saw France’s Tom Vialle take the holeshot, sweeping around the outside on his number two machine. Belgium’s Lucas Coenen also had a strong start from the right side of the gate. Australia's Kyle Webster was at the front at the start but fell at the beginning of the moto, dropping him back some positions.
The new MX2 World Champion, Dutchman Kay de Wolf, overtook America’s Cooper Webb for third. Meanwhile, Coenen mounted a charge of his own, working his way into fifth place. Webster’s momentum faltered when he crashed again, eventually dropping to 23rd.
De Wolf continued his forward push, passing Anstie for second, while Coenen also made his way past the Brit. A thrilling battle unfolded between Coenen and de Wolf until Kay went down, getting cross-rutted and tossed off the bike. Lucas charged to the rear end of leader Vialle and then, he went down in a long rutted right turn. Vialle cruised to a comfortable 9.5-second victory. Coenen held on for second, with Austria’s Simon Längenfelder taking third. Anstie and de Wolf completed the top five, while Webb finished seventh for Team USA.
Open
In the final qualifying race, Open Class, Australia’s Jett Lawrence overcame a start device issue and emerged victorious. Fabio Santos of Brazil took the early lead, but Lawrence quickly made his way through the pack, eventually overtaking Spain's Ruben Fernandez, who had briefly led after a mistake by Santos.
Maxime Renaux of France slotted into third behind Fernandez as the three riders battled for control. The British contingent saw Conrad Mewse fight his way into fourth, just ahead of Italy’s Alessandro Lupino. In the closing laps, Lawrence stretched his lead to six seconds, sealing the win for Team Australia. Fernandez finished second, Renaux third, and Mewse fourth, with Lupino rounding out the top five. USA’s Aaron Plessinger came in sixth.
Qualifying Standings
After three races, Spain emerged as the top qualifier with a strong performance across the board. France followed closely in second, and Australia secured the third spot. Host nation Great Britain finished fourth, while Germany completed the top five. Team USA sits ninth after the qualifying races. These results set the stage for what promises to be an unforgettable MXoN main event.
