The MX2 World Championship reached an unforgettable conclusion in Australia as a downpour of rain created chaos, but through the drama Simon Längenfelder emerged as the new World Champion. After years of persistence, the German finally clinched his first ever World title, etching his name into the history books in remarkable circumstances. He is the first German world title since Ken Roczen in 2011 – ending a 14 year wait.
“I finished three times third in this championship, and the last two years were tough because I had an injury each year. I always needed to at least skip one race or something. It’s not that I want to say that I would have won if I didn’t have the injury, I think I was not ready and the other riders were better in those years. But this year I could finally keep myself together,” Längenfelder explained.
The KTM rider admitted that the way the championship was decided left him almost speechless:
“I’m just incredibly happy that this finally paid off. Today was just crazy, I couldn’t even realize or understand what was happening or how it was happening. With this rain, I never expected so much rain. So, I am just incredibly happy to take on this world championship.”
For Längenfelder, the road to glory has been one of learning and resilience.
“I would say you always learn more when you lose than when you win. Winning is, sometimes it comes easy but losing is the hardest part and coming back up. I think I’ve done that quite good.”
Looking ahead, the German will now head to the MXoN in Ironman to represent his country and also battle to win the MX2 class – but he is glad the pressure of the world title is now off so he’ll go to America to enjoy and have fun. On running the #1 plate in 2026 – it is something Längenfelder will think about.
“When I was talking with my girlfriend, we were always saying, it’s tough to think about it (running the #1 plate in 2026) after the championship. But I’ll keep you thinking about it. To race the Nations is always a special thing. I think everybody knows it’s one of the biggest events. But the most important is being world champion. So, I would say, it’s just enjoying this from now on and just seeing what happens at the MXoN.”
After carrying the red plate for much of the season, Längenfelder admitted the pressure was immense, but he delivered when it mattered most.
“Finally the pressure is away. I think there was quite a lot of pressure on me. I would say, I put also a lot of pressure on myself because I had the red plate for such a long time. The gap was not that big so to end this, I’m really proud of myself.”
With a career-first World Championship secured, Simon Längenfelder can now enjoy the moment and celebrate a hard-earned triumph that confirms his place among the sport’s elite.
