Herlings, Coenen’s, Längenfelder and Adamo reflect on Chinese MXGP

MXGP moved from Turkey to China for the penultimate round of 20 in 2025. The long oriental trip was memorable for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing: Jeffrey Herlings went 1-1 with the KTM 450 SX-F and Sacha Coenen triumphed with the KTM 250 SX-F as Red Bull KTM filled the MX2 podium. The team have title shots in both categories as the calendar winds to a conclusion.

Jeffrey Herlings pushes up to 112 career victories with his third MXGP Grand Prix win in succession and his third ‘1-1’ of the season
Lucas Coenen toils in the sapping Chinese climate and a second moto crash means 9-14 for the Belgian for P12 overall in MXGP
P1 for Sacha Coenen for the second time in 2025 as the Belgian wins the first moto and strives to a P4 run in the second
A strong charge by Andrea Adamo earns the Italian P1 in the second moto and runner-up overall for the day. Simon Laengenfelder finishes 3rd in China and holds the red plate into the season closer
MXGP will plough onto Australia and for the first grand prix in the country since 2001. The series will head to the northern territory of Darwin to close the 2025 campaign

The third MXGP of China took the championship into a new track but in a familiar region of Shanghai. The Shanghai International off-road circuit was laid out in the Fengxian district and provided a mix between hardpack and ruts with loamy terrain that was considerably rougher for the second motos of the race schedule. Teams and riders also had to deal with high heat and humidity.

Jeffrey Herlings, who turned 31 on the eve of the GP, won a damp Qualification Heat on Saturday, meaning Pole Position and 10 championship points for the fourth time in 2025 (the second highest total in the class behind Lucas Coenen). His Belgian teammate rode to 7th place. In MX2 Red Bull KTM went 1-2 with Sacha Coenen earning another holeshot and then rushing to victory ahead of Simon Laengenfelder. Andrea Adamo was 8th.

Sunday brought sunny skies but the harsh temperatures meant the races were oppressive and demanding. Herlings was able to power to the lead in the last minutes of the opening MXGP moto. The Dutchman has now taken the checkered flag at least once in the last three grands prix. Coenen, struggling physically, was further back and crossed the line in P8. Herlings was strong from the start of the second race. He defended P1 from Tim Gajser all the way to the flag, the difference only 0.6 at the conclusion. Win #112 of his career is also the fifth of the year and the sixth podium (four in a row). Coenen made a promising start but then a fall into the second corner meant he had to restart from last and reached P14 for P12 overall: only the second time he has missed the top three from the last fourteen rounds.

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The MX2 class was won by Sacha Coenen with 1-3 and for his second overall success of the term. The Belgian comfortably controlled the first moto and fronted a ranking that had all three Red Bull KTM riders in the top four: Laengenfelder in P3 and Adamo in P4. For Coenen the win underlined his recent bright form and was the second race in a row he has managed to set the pace. Laengenfelder had the holeshot and the lead from the outset of the second moto with Coenen and Adamo in P2 and P3 and all three trying to conserve energy. Coenen made a mistake and crashed, allowed Adamo to rise to P2 and the Italian proved to be more resilient throughout the full race distance as he hunted and overtook his German teammate on the last lap. The race win was Andrea’s eighth of the year and ensured all three Red Bull KTM riders filled the podium for the first time in 2025. Adamo, 2nd overall in China, now has 12 trophies, Laengenfelder, 3rd, has 11 and Coenen 9.

The 2025 championships will go all the way. Coenen has 882 points in the MXGP class and trails Romain Febvre by 47 with only 60 points remaining. Herlings holds 5th in the standings and can still push up to 4th (17 points is the difference). MX2 is incredibly tight. Laengenfelder heads defending champ Kay de Wolf by 16 points with Adamo secure in 3rd. Coenen has 4th locked.

The MXGP finale will take place at another new venue. The Hidden Valley Motorsports Complex in Darwin houses a purpose-built track and stages the first Australian GP in a quarter of a century. Round 20 gets fast next weekend.

Jeffrey Herlings, 1st and 1st for 1st overall in MXGP: “So hot. I was cooking. So humid. The speed was not a problem…just the heat. I managed to pull it off. Another 1-1 and I’m hoping it’s going to be a bit cooler in Australia. I had just one day to adapt here and now we’ll have more time for the final round. I want to give it up to the Red Bull KTM team for this win. I’ll try and do my best again next week.”

Lucas Coenen, 9th and 14th for 12th overall in MXGP: “If I can sum up the weekend in one line then it would be: no power in the body and tired. I don’t know what happened. That’s all. The weekend in China here is done and we have one more to go – as well as the Nations – so I just need to try and be ready and look forward to the last GP.”

Sacha Coenen, 1st and 3rd for 1st overall in MX2: “A difficult weekend for everybody but my riding was good…apart from a stupid mistake in the second moto. I was cruising and just lost the front. I picked-up and kept going though and I’m really happy to win and happy because we worked for this.”

Andrea Adamo, 4th and 1st for 2nd overall in MX2: “Two pretty good motos. I didn’t have a good start in the first and it was difficult to come back, even if my speed was alright and I was one of the fastest on track at the end, so I know I’m fit. I was confident then for the second moto. A better start and I made my race. Sacha was fast and good but I took the chance to pass him. I hammered the lap-times and set a pace so I could see Simon. I put him under pressure and could win the moto. Super.”

Simon Laengenfelder, 3rd and 2nd for 3rd overall in MX2: “Finally a good start in the second race and it meant I could stay away from problems. When the track was more technical, I was feeling quite good and it was only at the end that Andrea was faster. Still, a good weekend and now we go into the last round. I made the [championship] gap a bit bigger going to Australia. You never know what will happen but I’m going for it. I hope it will be less humid!”