For Simon Längenfelder, 2025 will be remembered as the year his years of dedication, sacrifice, and steady progress finally paid off. After a tense and unpredictable MX2 World Championship campaign, the German talent secured his first world title in dramatic fashion at the final round in Australia. Längenfelder opened up on the journey, the pressure, and the people who helped him reach the top.
The road to the top
“What can I say? It’s been a long, long road and it’s been very stony and very much uphill. I’m just happy that I finally achieved it. I think I joined the Austrian Factory team in 2020, first with GasGas and now KTM. We’ve been slowly building and we’ve got better each year together with my team we made a step, in those past four years until now, I’m together with the De Carli team. We made some big improvements, and I think together with this team, this bike and all this organization in the background, we’ve been slowly building. Now we’ve been at the moment where it was go time and where I had the chance to win the world title. I did it, so it was a dramatic way, especially those last few races.”
The showdown with Kay de Wolf
“We were very tight, we were on a really, really high level together with Kay, but I want to win, so I didn’t make the life easy for him as well. We had some quite hard fights to decide the championship then in those muddy conditions in Australia in that second race. It was crazy, I couldn’t believe it in the beginning because normally there were still 10 minutes on the clock and then they red flagged the race and I wasn’t sure if I even made it or not, because at some point in that second race, I wasn’t even in a championship winning position because I came together with Kay one time and crashed by myself a second time. It was a tough race, but my bike kept on going, I kept on going, tried to just wheelie over the puddles and save my bike to bring home the title.”
I think it wasn’t a normal race (in Australia). I think we all knew that Kay’s only chance on being world champion is if I made some mistakes or if he took me down. I think that was obvious and we all expected that so I was prepared. But also me, I did some stupid mistakes, especially going there in the outside corner. I should have went on the inside. But in the beginning, they rebuilt all the outside berms. But at that moment, it was already broken down so I should have changed my line to the inside and prevent all of this from happening. But yeah, it happened. I think many say it’s unfair, he can’t be a loser, whatever. I think that it’s motocross and winning a world title means a lot and they just put everything on the line. I think I also put everything on the line. But mostly riding like this doesn’t help you get a world championship. I think especially in that moment, you saw that it didn’t work out for him.”
“So, I think riding fair and not taking somebody down is the better way. But in this moment, you just go for the world championship, and you should expect those things happening.”
Chaos in Australia
“The race got red flagged. It was so muddy, I think all the TV screens didn’t work anymore, so it was difficult for everybody to know what exactly happened. But I was also speaking with the timekeeping after, I saw them in the airport and they said as soon as it started raining they switched all the electricity onto their batteries because they already expected problems with electricity with that much rain. So, from their side everything was running fine for their timekeeping, just that in the pit lane nothing was working anymore and I don’t know how it was on the MXGP TV or live timing. But with so much rain I think it’s normal that some problems can happen but MXGP was prepared for that stuff and after they tried to, I don’t know what they tried to do, maybe to turn the race back two more laps because then he was second and I was sixth. Anyway I would have won the championship anyway and that wouldn’t have really made a difference.”
“My mechanics in pit lane, they told me on the pit board, that I needed to finish 6th or better and then on the next lap, they wrote on it that I was twelfth so I was like f**k and they told me save the bike. After that I didn’t think anymore and I was just riding somehow. In the next few laps, I passed like 4 or 5 guys and the rest was just standing next to the track with a broken bike so I was 6th in the end. So, it was a lot of different emotions.”
Coping with nerves and pressure
“Well, I would say in between the adrenaline was very high and it didn’t go down between race one and two. Of course I was a bit nervous and I didn’t know what will happen because you can’t prepare with Motocross. You never know how the start will be and how the conditions will be and I think none of us had expected so much rain after we had sunshine and over 30 degrees every day, that’s why you couldn’t really prepare for it. But of course I really wanted to become world champion and I also wanted to show Kay that I deserved to become world champion. Andrea and also Kay de Wolf didn’t congratulate me on winning the title.”
“I think it’s been a big release. I had the red plate for, I think for 10 rounds straight. In one moment, I had quite a nice gap, about 50 points, where everything was quite easy, because I could also make some mistakes. But then, especially after Arnhem, the gap got really close, because with breaking the wheel in the start crash, together with some other riders, gave me a quite bad gate position. Then it was quite difficult to start from the outside. I lost, let’s say, most of my points lead there. I really needed to be there for those last three rounds.”
“This wasn’t easy, so I was under quite a lot of pressure. But I think I handled it well, we handled it all well. It’s not only me that handled the pressure, it’s mostly the people around me, who really helped me get on different thoughts and away from motocross, while we’re not racing, but still have me fully concentrated at the race. I’m really thankful for all the people around me, that helped me in those difficult moments. But now I’m just happy. I just arrived at home, had a some friends over, and family, and got to celebrate a little bit. So, it’s for sure feeling good and it’s time to soak it in a little bit”
The training that made the difference
“My fitness program is that now for the past four years, I’ve been working together with a trainer in Rome called Giuseppe. He also trained many other riders from the de Carli racing team. So, I’ve still been working together with him. But as I already said before, we’ve been slowly but steadily improving, making small steps and I think that’s what made the difference. We try to make it step by step and not try to make big steps at once and then also make big steps back. We just try to continuously improve. I didn’t change anything from my fitness program. I just moved to Germany and trained a bit more here to have a bit more diversity of tracks. Also just living a bit more in Germany as a native German is also feeling nice.”
Going up against Deegan and MXoN goals
“This is a tough question actually (if he is faster than Haiden Deegan). My personal view on this is that riding motocross in Europe and riding motocross in America is almost two different sports. They have such big tracks and such different racing attitude as well different timetables. They need to be really aggressive in the beginning of the moto whereas in our category in Europe we have a lot of time in the free practice, a lot of time in qualifying. We don’t need to be super aggressive in the beginning. Our racing is a bit different from their structure. I think I’m a really good rider and I think that I can be faster than him for sure. But it depends what track and how the overall point is. I think he’s riding in the Nations I heard, even with the broken collarbone so we can find out there. The MXoN I think everybody knows, this is tough against the 450s and sometimes you don’t really see everybody racing against each other because you need to take either the outside gate or whatever so it’s tough.
Of course, riding with Kenny is always great. I have to say, he is an idol of mine and the way he rides technically and also personally as a person I think you can only learn from him and I am very happy to have him again at the MX of Nations. I say from the expectation this year I did everything I wanted. I became world champion and I can just enjoy the event at the MX of Nations. Of course we want to do our best but we all know that at the MXoN you have to count so much to get on the podium as a team. Of course my goal is to be the best MX2 rider and to get as few points as possible for Germany but I don’t think we all have too big expectations.”
“I think now with some riders getting injured and everything, the competition got a bit closer and tighter. Many teams struggle to have three really good riders. So, I think that we are as a team Germany quite good with Kenny. You never know, like in Ernee, he even won the MGXP category so he’s for sure a strong rider. I’m quite good as well and then with Max Spies, we hope for also some good racing. So, I think as a team Germany, we’re strong, but as well for sure, USA really strong, France. I think everybody knows Australia with the Lawrences. They are really, really strong and to beat them will not be easy.”
KTM progress and the advantage of stability
“I think as soon as I went to De Carli in 2022 we changed the frame, the KTM was working a lot better on this bike and improved it a lot. So right now, we are on a really high level. I think everybody saw that being on a KTM was key, especially engine-wise, starts-wise, riding-wise, suspension-wise. I think on all those parts, KTM had the best bike. Even though this year, let’s say engine-wise, we never made big differences. We just had our engine all year long the same and it was running super good whilst all the other teams were pushing and pushing. For us, we could train continuously on our same bike. We knew our bike and we didn’t need to change or adapt to any new things so that was for sure key.”
Teammates and rivalries
“With the Coenen’s it was for sure different in the team before we had Jorge (Prado) and Marc-Antoine (Rossi) but unfortunately Marc-Antoine was injured quite a lot last year. It was more or less one MX2 rider and one MXGP rider in the team so this year for sure the situation changed with Sacha but I would say he wasn’t in that championship fight especially in that last part. Maybe in the beginning actually he had the red plate and everything but we all know that a championship is really long and having the red plate in the first few races doesn’t mean too much. In the end he was not anymore in a championship fight but he was improving a lot I need to say and was always on the podium or winning. He has very good starts and then it’s actually quite difficult to get around him. You always want to beat your teammate but the final goal is always to win the championship and that’s what I did.”
Support and gratitude
“First of all, with my parents, it’s been a long, long road. I think, starting when I was like 5, 6 years old, when you start to go on the bike, if the parents don’t help you, it’s impossible to ride motocross. It’s different than playing football. You need the parents as a mechanic, as a cook, as everything. I’m really thankful for what they did for me. They really went beyond the limit, especially in the past few years. During my 125cc career, it was a lot to deal with for my Mum and Dad. I’m really, really thankful for what they did for me. I think it’s impossible to pay back something, and they don’t want nothing back. I think also for them, it’s super, super nice to see what I achieved and what we achieved together. I just want to say a big, big thank you to them.
Also to my girlfriend, Malin, we’ve been together for almost 5 years and I was far away from winning a World Championship 5 years ago. We’ve just been steadily building and she’s been a big part of this victory as well. She’s helping me with more or less everything. As I said before, between the races, just trying to not think about the World Championship all the time – it is impossible when you’re alone. You need the people around you who help you to bring you on different thoughts. She’s been exactly that, and she’s been a big part of this victory.”
Looking ahead
“I think the harder you work, the longer it takes, the sweeter the victory is. I think that’s also one part of it I was thinking about moving up to the MXGP class during the season but I can confirm that next year I will continue racing the MX2 World Championship.”
“When I was 15 or 16, I was still quite young, quite different. I was still going to school and everything, so for sure I improved a lot, I learned a lot. But I think it’s important that I made those major mistakes, also those little mistakes, because from those I learn and I improve and I get to how I am. Some of the most important things would be to try to not overdo stuff and try to just trust the process and really trust it, because sometimes you start doubting and you go off the correct road. I think that would be what I would tell myself a few years back.”
“I’m thinking about it but I think I’ll go with the number one for next year. I was looking at the one on my championship winning bike and I think it’s quite nice.”
Interest in Supercross and America?
“Right now I’ve actually never been really been riding Supercross because of the danger let’s say and because of the tracks in Europe. Let’s say in Germany we almost have no Supercross tracks which are actual Supercross tracks. We have like kids Supercross tracks I would say and you guys in France have way better material there so I’ve never been really riding Supercross and I’m also not really planning on riding Supercross in Paris but you never know, stuff can change really fast so I wouldn’t say no. I would say that right now I’m really happy here in Europe. I have great people around me and I know how difficult it is to have great people around me and for that reason I’m really happy to be a motocross rider and I also want to stay in the next few years in Europe and not go to America.”
Längenfelder’s first world championship was a story of perseverance, pressure, and pride. He becomes just the third German ever to take a motocross world title, joining an elite club while writing his own chapter in history. Surrounded by loyal family, a committed team, and the stability of KTM machinery, he has proven himself at the highest level. And with the number one plate likely on his bike for 2026, the new champion is ready to enjoy the moment – before the hard work of defending his crown begins.
