Simon Längenfelder continued his strong end to the MX2 World Championship season with another podium finish at the penultimate round in China. The German rider was close to securing the overall win but was denied late in the second moto by fellow KTM rider, Andrea Adamo.
Despite that, Längenfelder’s consistency meant he left China with a solid third overall and, more importantly, a 16-point cushion in the championship standings heading into the final round in Australia.
“I finally got a holeshot again in the second race,” Längenfelder said. “I think especially my starts were good this weekend. Let’s say I could stay a bit out of trouble, sometimes it’s more difficult than other times. But on the track, especially in the second moto, I was feeling quite good but then, in the end, Andrea passed me. I would still say it was a good weekend and also for the championship. Now we’re going into the last round and I don’t really know what the points gap is exactly, but I have a gap and I made it a bit bigger for Australia. You never know what’s going to happen but I’m looking forward to it.”
Längenfelder also responded to comments that he is able to bounce back from any setbacks he has this year but he doesn’t think there’s anything to that stating he always tries his best and sometimes things don’t just work out.
“When I go back and watch the races, I hear that Paul Malin always says it – that I always fight back – but I don’t think that’s got anything to do with it. I am always trying my best and sometimes it’s just working better than other times. We just try to make the best out of each situation, to be open and be ready for everything.”
Looking ahead to the final showdown in Australia, the factory KTM rider is keeping his expectations measured but is hopeful he’ll be able to deal with the tough conditions that all the riders will face.
“I don’t know. I don’t expect too much heading to Australia. I heard that it’s less humid there at the moment so that’s good. I think it’s a bit more hot but I think less humid is nicer and especially also when recovering between the races. You never really stop sweating. We’ll see how it goes in Australia.”
With one round left and a crucial 16-point advantage in the standings, Längenfelder has positioned himself well to secure his first ever World title. We’ll find out this weekend if he can get the job done which would be a dream come true for the young German but Kay de Wolf certainly won’t give up without a fight.
