Crazy weather conditions played a huge role once again in the 2024 FIM Motocross World Championship, as the series reached its halfway point in Maggiora. Fantic Factory Racing MXGP’s Brian Bogers came close to the podium at the Italian brand’s home GP. In EMX125, Simone Mancini was third of the day with his teammate Noel Zanocz still on top of the overall standings.
Fantic Factory Racing MXGP
Qualifying day was heavily affected by the rain but Brian Bogers handled the muddy conditions perfectly. The Dutchman was among the fastest riders on the iconic track of Maggiora from the get-go and set the second fastest lap time in time practice, followed by an impressive qualifying race in third place.
It was a tougher Saturday for Glenn Coldenhoff in P14 but he fought back in race 1 on a rain-free Sunday. Both the Fantic Factory MXGP riders were battling in the top 10 all moto long, with Bogers crossing the finish line in sixth just ahead of his teammate in P7.
At the start of the second moto, Coldenhoff was involved in a second turn crash and had to charge through the field. He still salvaged a tenth place. Bogers managed to avoid the pile up at the start and quickly moved into the top 5. A strong race pace allowed him to finish in fourth place for fifth overall, just three points shy of the podium. With Coldenhoff in sixth overall, two Fantic XXF 450 placed in the top 6 at the Italian brand’s home round.
Brian Bogers: “Another top 5 and this time a completely unexpected one because I got sick on Friday. I still felt good in the motos though. Normally, Maggiora is a difficult track for me. But before the weekend I said, with how I feel with this Fantic, I can ride on any track. I think that is what I showed, on the mud on Saturday and in the dry on Sunday. I was in the top 5 all weekend long, except for the sixth place in the first moto. Having missed the beginning of the season, I am still catching up on my physical form compared to the other riders. I miss a bit of the basic fitness which means they recover a bit faster during the week but in the motos I don’t feel it, that is where I am getting better and better. I feel good.”
Glenn Coldenhoff: “I was struggling big time on Saturday and I was still a bit off on Sunday. The riding was a bit better but my starts weren’t great this weekend. In the first moto I made some good moves and the result was acceptable. In the second moto I was not able to pass, I should have been much more in front but it was just one of those weekends. It didn’t start off well on Saturday and in the end, it is good that I ‘survived’ this one. Now we have a weekend off, to work hard and get ready for Indonesia. I got a podium there last year, so I keep the positives and I hope to be on the box there again.”
Fantic Factory Racing EMX125
At his and Fantic’s home GP, Simone Mancini was fast from the very beginning despite muddy conditions. The young Italian set the fastest lap time and took the pole position, while Noel Zanocz was fourth in the qualifying session and Douwe Van Mechgelen set the 10th best lap time in the same group.
EMX125 race 1 was first postponed to Sunday and eventually cancelled due to the poor weather conditions. In the sole race of the weekend, Simone Mancini couldn’t quite take profit from his first gate pick. He lost several positions in the first corner, dropping down to 11th place. Thanks to his solid pace, he managed to work his way up to third and place the Fantic XX 125 on the third step of the podium in front of his home crowd. Noel Zanocz didn’t have a good start eighter but the red plate holder salvaged important championship points in P8. Douwe Van Mechgelen was involved in a crash at the beginning of the race and had to restart from the back of the field, eventually crossing the finish line in 19th.
Simone Mancini: “It was kind of a strange weekend. The rain affected the schedule and, with a single race, you have to be very careful not to make any mistakes. My start wasn’t the best but I managed to recover and reach the third place. The track conditions made it difficult as there was only one line. I also struggled a bit with lappers and had a contact with a slower rider towards the end. Anyway, I would like to thank the team for the amazing work. We now have a bit of time to prepare the next EMX125 round that will take place in Sweden in August.”
Noel Zanocz: “In the practice sessions on Saturday we had a lot of mud, for the race on Sunday the track was okay but after the heavy rain there was basically just one line. That made it hard to pass. I started in the back but still managed to finish eight. We are still leading the championship by 14 points, so all in all, it was not too bad but I think I could have done better.”
Fantic Factory Racing MX2
After a season-best qualifying in P9 despite extremely tough track conditions, David Braceras was hopeful going into Sunday but, unfortunately, the Spaniard was involved in a start crash in race 1 and had to chase the field from dead last. He crossed the finish line in P17. After a solid start, Kay Karssemakers was battling in the middle of the pack but was forced to retire due to a small issue.
Braceras improved his performance in race 2, he set a solid race pace and didn’t make any mistakes, bringing home P12 on his Fantic XXF 250 and 13th overall. After the unfortunate DNF in the first moto, Karssemakers struggled to find his rhythm but still finished 15th.
David Braceras: “I am quite happy. We did a step forward, myself as well as with the bike. I did my best qualifying race of the season so far in P9 and I was happy with that. For Sunday, the track changed completely, it was really dry and another story. In the first moto I crashed in the first turn and it took me a lot of time to get going again. I came back to 17th from dead last, the rhythm was quite okay. My start was decent in the second moto but I was on the outside in the second corner and lost many positions. I was somewhere around P15 and managed to finish in P12. I still miss a little bit of speed to get into the top 10 regularly but we saw progress this weekend. We will keep on working in the next two weeks to make another little step for Indonesia. I would like to thank Fantic, my mechanic and all of my team. We keep going.”
