The much-anticipated debut of Triumph in the Motocross World Championship saw the British marque meet with immediate success, with a podium for Mikkel Haarup at the MXGP of Argentina.
Although Haarup and his factory Triumph teammate, Camden McLellan, were able to achieve podium finishes in preseason races, there was nothing certain about how Triumph would fare in the 250cc MX2 class of the Motocross World Championship. In the end, the start was positive.
Despite a messy Qualifying Race from Mikkel Haarup, which left him with only the 19th gate pick after two crashes, the Dane rebounded on Sunday at the Villa la Angostura circuit in Argentina, leading laps in the second moto and taking 5-2 finishes, enough for an overall podium.
After the race, Haarup said: “Yeah, it’s been a really amazing start to the season! A podium is perfect and a great way to start the year for myself, and Monster Energy Triumph Racing.
“My qualifying race was not so good, but I knew that I had the speed to run in the top three today.
“All through the off-season we have been building and building and what we’ve achieved today is the result of a lot of hard work by everyone involved. I felt comfortable on the bike all weekend and that was really important on a tricky track like this. Today we’ve shown what this bike is capable of and overall, I’m really happy with my performance.”
Camden McLellan took 11-6 finishes to finish ninth overall in his first World Championship race as a factory rider. He said: “That’s the weekend wrapped up in Argentina and it’s safe to say that there were a lot of nerves and a lot of excitement all weekend.
“The track was really rough, but my bike felt dialled all day and I’m happy to be going home healthy. It’s been a great day for the team with Mikkel getting up on the podium, so I’m pleased for him and everyone at Monster Energy Triumph Racing.”
The Grand Prix was dominated in the MX2 class by Lucas Coenen. Although his only victory of the weekend came in the Qualifying Race on Saturday, 17-year-old Coenen’s speed, intensity, and energy were a step above the rest all weekend. Ultimately, this cost him in Sunday’s Race 1, which saw him crash and retire, before finishing third in the second race.
As Coenen crashed himself out of contention, the slack was picked up by his factory Husqvarna teammate, Kay de Wolf, who went 2-1 for the second victory of his Grand Prix career after last year’s MXGP of Latvia.
GasGas’ Simon Laengenfelder finished second overall after winning the first moto and finishing fourth in the second, while 2023 MX2 World Champion Andrea Adamo took fifth overall with 8-5 finishes.
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