Ryan Nitzen | October 4, 2024
We’re live from the 2024 Motocross of Nations at the Matterley Basin circuit in Winchester, UK. Stay tuned to this thread for an up-close experience of the action.
After a jam-packed weekend of racing, Team Australia finally wins their first Motocross of Nations!
Team Australia tops the MXON for the first time! USA and Netherlands rounded out the podium. Photos: Alex Kelly
SUNDAY – RACE DAY
Race 1 (MXGP / MX2)
Jorge Prado kicked things off with a holeshot in race one before Slovenia’s Tim Gajser quickly took over. The MXGP aces ran up front before Eli Tomac made his way to second.
Jorge Prado grabbed the holeshot in race one.
Romain Febvre later followed suit and made his way around Prado but no one could touch Gajser up front. The Honda rider struck first with a six-second gap to Tomac in second. Febvre rounded out the podium with Prado eventually taking fourth. Cooper Webb struggled on the rutted track and crossed 17th.
Gajser ran away with the win.
Tomac and Febvre battled for the podium spots.
Febvre (1) chasing Tomac (22).
Webb took 17th.
Race 1 MXGP / MX2 Results (Top 10)
| 1. |
Tim Gajser – SLO |
(Hon) |
|
| 2. |
Eli Tomac – USA |
(Yam) |
06.810 |
| 3. |
Romain Febvre – FRA |
(Kaw) |
08.978 |
| 4. |
Jorge Prado – ESP |
(GG) |
18.038 |
| 5. |
Jeffrey Herlings – NED |
(KTM) |
28.371 |
| 6. |
Kay de Wolf – GER |
(Hus) |
30.159 |
| 7. |
Jeremy Seewer – SUI |
(Kaw) |
31.445 |
| 8. |
Hunter Lawrence – AUS |
(Hon) |
42.032 |
| 9. |
Alberto Forato – ITA |
(Hon) |
51.153 |
| 10. |
Ken Roczen – GER |
(Suz) |
58.580 |
Race 2 (MX2 / Open)
Jett Lawrence dominated race two as the Open class rider for Team Australia. He took over the lead from Ruben Fernandez and went on to claim victory by nearly eight seconds over second place.
Ruben Fernandez led early on in race two.
But Jett Lawrence took over the top spot.
Fernandez rode strong and held on to second, earning another consistent result for Spain. Simon Laengenfelder came out as the top MX2 rider, finishing an exciting third place in the mixed field. The Americans, Aaron Plessinger and Cooper Webb, took seventh and ninth respectively.
Simon Laengenfelder finished third, making him the top MX2 rider in race two.
Jett Lawrence swept race two.
Kay de Wolf earned the win as the top MX2 rider with 1-2 finishes and after race two The Netherlands leads the way with 34 points, USA with 35, and Australia with 39.
Kay de Wolf won the MX2 overall.
Plessinger crossed seventh.
Webb battled to stay in the top 10.
Race 2 MX2 / Open Results (Top 10)
| 1. |
Jett Lawrence – AUS |
(Hon) |
|
| 2. |
Ruben Fernandez – ESP |
(Hon) |
07.919 |
| 3. |
Simon Laengenfelder – GER |
(GG) |
10.438 |
| 4. |
Maxime Renaux – FRA |
(Yam) |
12.162 |
| 5. |
Kay de Wolf – NED |
(Hus) |
29.029 |
| 6. |
Conrad Mewse – GBR |
(Hon) |
35.536 |
| 7. |
Aaron Plessinger – USA |
(KTM) |
37.007 |
| 8. |
Karlis Reisulis – LAT |
(Yam) |
41.572 |
| 9. |
Cooper Webb – USA |
(Yam) |
43.286 |
| 10. |
Mikkel Haarup – DEN |
(Tri) |
43.325 |
Race 3 (MXGP / Open)
Race three proved to be the most decisive and exciting race of the weekend. Tomac started at the front of the field and battled with Prado in the early laps before the Spaniard dropped backwards.
Tomac leads early in the final race of the day.
Captain America continued to lead until race one winner, Tim Gajser, found his way around Tomac on lap eight. Jett Lawrence later passed Tomac for second, pushing the American back to third.
Gajser uncorks the uphill quad to pass Tomac for first.
Lawrence then went after Gajser in the closing stages and traded the top spot late in the race. In a thrilling last lap, Gajser re-passed Lawrence with two turns left and ultimately took the win. The two crossed the line less than half a second apart. Eli Tomac logged another consistent finish in a distant third, keeping Hunter Lawrence and Jeffrey Herlings at bay. Plessinger took eighth in the final moto of the day.
Jett clawed his way to the front, passing Gajser in the process.
Gajser sealed the deal and passed back with two turns to go.
Australia’s consistency earned them the overall win at this year’s Nations, their first in the event’s history. Team USA came away second, just three points shy of the win. The Netherlands took third in the overall rankings. Tim Gajser earned the MXGP overall with 1-1 finishes while Jett Lawrence took Open honors.
Team Australia takes the Chamberlain trophy for the first time.
Race 3 MXGP / Open Results (Top 10)
| 1. |
Tim Gajser – SLO |
(Hon) |
|
| 2. |
Jett Lawrence – AUS |
(Hon) |
0.459 |
| 3. |
Eli Tomac – USA |
(Yam) |
17.172 |
| 4. |
Hunter Lawrence – AUS |
(Hon) |
18.129 |
| 5. |
Jeffrey Herlings – NED |
(KTM) |
20.434 |
| 6. |
Jeremy Seewer – SUI |
(Kaw) |
1:00.988 |
| 7. |
Alberto Forato – ITA |
(KTM) |
1:09.220 |
| 8. |
Aaron Plessinger – USA |
(KTM) |
1:12.390 |
| 9. |
Maxime Renaux – FRA |
(Yam) |
1:17.022 |
| 10. |
Ken Roczen – GER |
(Suz) |
1:20.261 |
Overall Team Results (Top 10)
| 1. |
Australia |
26 |
| 2. |
USA |
29 |
| 3. |
The Netherlands |
36 |
| 4. |
Spain |
45 |
| 5. |
France |
50 |
| 6. |
Germany |
62 |
| 7. |
Slovenia |
67 |
| 8. |
Italy |
70 |
| 9. |
Switzerland |
86 |
| 10. |
Latvia |
103 |
SATURDAY – QUALIFYING
Saturday’s qualifying races are the first time fans see each nation take to the track to race for Sunday’s gate positions. This weekend’s MXGP division might be the most stacked field ever but it was the newly crowned MXGP World Champion, Jorge Prado, who made it look easy by taking the MXGP quali win. Fellow Euro racers, Tim Gajser and Romain Febvre rounded out the podium. Team USA’s Eli Tomac was seventh.
Jorge Prado gets debriefed after winning the MXGP qualifying race. Photos: Alex Kelly
MXGP Qualifying Results (Top 10)
| 1. |
Jorge Prado -ESP |
(GG) |
|
| 2. |
Tim Gajser – SLO |
(Hon) |
05.630 |
| 3. |
Romain Febvre – FRA |
(Kaw) |
21.471 |
| 4. |
Hunter Lawrence – AUS |
(Hon) |
23.964 |
| 5. |
Jeffrey Herlings – NED |
(KTM) |
25.547 |
| 6. |
Ken Roczen – GER |
(Suz) |
31.869 |
| 7. |
Eli Tomac – USA |
(Yam) |
38.105 |
| 8. |
Alberto Forato – ITA |
(Hon) |
46.176 |
| 9. |
Isak Gifting – SWE |
(Yam) |
1:04.284 |
| 10. |
Jeremy Seewer – SUI |
(Kaw) |
1:05.276 |
MX OPEN
Jett Lawrence is back in Europe with a point to prove in the MX Open division. He easily crossed the line first, six seconds clear of Spain’s Ruben Fernandez. Team France rounded out the qualifying podium with Maxime Renaux taking third. Aaron Plessinger grabbed sixth.
Jett Lawrence won the Open moto.
MX Open Qualifying Results (Top 10)
| 1. |
Jett Lawrence – AUS |
(Hon) |
|
| 2. |
Ruben Fernandez – ESP |
(Hon) |
06.145 |
| 3. |
Maxime Renaux – FRA |
(Yam) |
24.348 |
| 4. |
Conrad Mewse – GBR |
(Hon) |
38.368 |
| 5. |
Andrea Bonacorsi – ITA |
(Yam) |
45.036 |
| 6. |
Aaron Plessinger – USA |
(KTM) |
46.068 |
| 7. |
Cornelius Toendel – NOR |
(KTM) |
56.545 |
| 8. |
Jan Pancar – SLO |
(KTM) |
58.669 |
| 9. |
Jago Geerts – BEL |
(Yam) |
1:00.169 |
| 10. |
Fabio Aparecido dos Santos – BRA |
(Yam) |
1:04.762 |
MX2
Defending champs, Team France, came away number one in the MX2 qualifying race as Tom Vialle crossed the line first. The former MX2 champion showed he’s still got it even under pressure on the world stage, beating out Lucas Coenen and Simon Laengenfelder. Cooper Webb started up front but dropped a few positions to the MX2 regulars, finishing seventh at the checkers.
MX2 Qualifying Results (Top 10)
| 1. |
Tom Vialle – FRA |
(KTM) |
|
| 2. |
Lucas Coenen – BEL |
(Hus) |
09.653 |
| 3. |
Simon Laengenfelder – GER |
(GG) |
16.742 |
| 4. |
Max Anstie – GBR |
(Yam) |
22.311 |
| 5. |
Kay de Wolf – NED |
(Hus) |
26.730 |
| 6. |
Camden Mc Lellan – RSA |
(Tri) |
42.113 |
| 7. |
Cooper Webb – USA |
(Yam) |
47.414 |
| 8. |
Mikkel Haarup – Den |
(Tri) |
47.931 |
| 9. |
Oriol Oliver – ESP |
(KTM) |
58.805 |
| 10. |
Andrea Adamo – ITA |
(KTM) |
58.966 |
FRIDAY – PRESS DAY
The Matterley Basin circuit is one of the most picturesque venues. Photos: Alex Kelly
The calm before the storm.
The defending champs, Team France.
Two-thirds of Team USA, Eli Tomac and Aaron Plessinger.
Team Australia – Michael Byrne, Hunter Lawrence, Kyle Webster, and Jett Lawrence.
The man.
England gets the honors of being this year’s home team. Here’s Tommy Searle (left), Conrad Mewse (center), and Max Anstie (right).
Stars and bars baby.
Tomac watches Tom Vialle’s start practice.
Romain Febvre is rocking the number one this weekend.
Aaron Plessinger.
Cooper Webb is going to be a wild card in the MX2 division.
Webb and his custom Thor gear.
KTM has four bikes in their pit with Tom Vialle, Andrea Adamo, Aaron Plessinger, and Jeffrey Herlings.
Up close with Aaron Plessinger’s KTM 450SX-F power plant.
Eli Tomac is sporting the #22.
FMF did these custom mufflers for the Cooper Webb and Eli Tomac.
Webb’s YZ250F.
Jett Lawrence’s Honda CRF450R.
Ricky Carmichael unveiled the new Triumph TF450RC Edition.
RC and his new steed.
