Simon Längenfelder appears to have rediscovered the intensity that made him the MX2 World Championship title favourite after an encouraging return to the podium at the South African Grand Prix.
The German enjoyed a superb start to his title defence, winning three of the opening four rounds and standing on the podium at the other. It looked as though Längenfelder was in complete control of the championship, but his momentum suddenly disappeared. Since round four, he had failed to finish on the podium, with inconsistent performances leaving him slipping down the standings and searching for answers. Those answers may finally have arrived.
As the World Championship returned to South Africa for the first time since 2008 at the Terra Topia MX track, Längenfelder immediately looked like the rider we saw at the start of the season. He won the MX2 qualifying race on Saturday before backing it up with consistent 3-2 finishes in Sunday’s motos to secure second overall. More importantly than the result, the KTM rider looked to have regained the aggression and confidence that had been missing in recent weeks.
“Let’s say, we made a few changes, and we have a few new people in the team. That for sure helped me out a lot to bring that intensity and have that fire back. I’ve been struggling with that in those past few races, especially in the second moto always. This weekend, I was there again, so super happy about that qualifying race win, about three really good starts and about that weekend”, Längenfelder stated.
Behind the scenes, Längenfelder has made a significant change by bringing former Grand Prix rider and race winner, Marc de Reuver into his corner. The pair officially began working together before the South African Grand Prix, and the early signs suggest the partnership has already had a positive influence on both his riding and mindset.
“Let’s say he (Marc de Reuver) is on fire. He is open and it changes a bit for sure. I think, like Guillem said, you need to come to the races, and you need to be best friends with the people around you. You need to work perfectly together. Everybody needs to push hard and need to want the best for the other one. This is just so important. I think he’s a great guy now on the team”.
Attention now turns to the next round, where the championship heads to Foxhill after Matterley Basin venue was dropped from the calendar. While Längenfelder admits he’ll miss one of his favourite circuits, he is looking forward to the challenge of the historic venue.
“I’m sad they took Matterley Basin away because that was always a weekend I went there and I knew already that this track suited me perfectly. I saw some pictures and videos from Foxhill but it looks good. It actually looks really steep in some places, but I guess we’ll see when we’re there”.
Despite his difficult run of form, Längenfelder’s performance in South Africa has reignited hope that he can still play a major role in the championship battle. After eleven rounds, he sits 51 points behind red plate holder Sacha Coenen and 37 adrift of Guillem Farres. While there is still work to do, his return to the podium—and the renewed confidence that came with it—suggests the title fight may not be over just yet.
