Lata wins MXGP of Germany qualification race

Honda HRC’s Valerio Lata took his first qualification victory of his career as he led from start to finish to comprehensively win the MXGP of Germany MX2 qualification race. Throughout the day, the Honda CRF250R had been looking menacing and once he grabbed the holeshot, he powered away from the competition and controlled the race to take the maximum 10 points and take first gate-pick for the GP scoring motos tomorrow.

A second-place in the morning free practice session at the rutted Teutschenthal circuit set the tone for Lata, which he quickly backed up with by placing fourth in the timed session. With the gate-pick favouring the inside, fourth gave him a good chance come out in the top five, but utilising every horsepower of his Honda CRF250R, he swept around the first turn in first place and immediately set about creating a gap to the chasing pack. A blistering first laptime three seconds faster than the field gave him the buffer he needed, which he then managed like a seasoned professional to take the chequered flag. This was Lata’s first qualification race win, and the first for Honda HRC since they started paying out championship points and once he crossed the line it sparked scenes of celebration throughout the team. The goal now is to help him do the same again tomorrow when 50 points are at stake and a possible first podium of 2025 is within his grasp.

Unfortunately, fellow CRF250R rider Ferruccio Zanchi has had to withdraw from the GP after sustaining an injury in the free practice session. After seeing the medical crew at the facility, it was decided he would head home and have further checkups to evaluate the exact issue, which will then give everyone a more detailed timeline for his return.

In the MXGP class, Ruben Fernandez continued his strong recent results with a fifth place, at a circuit that isn’t his favourite. The Spaniard had to battle hard for every point and although he isn’t a fan of the rutted conditions, he is still able to negotiate the terrain with speed and precision and give himself a fighting chance of another podium performance tomorrow. There is also a good opportunity for the #70 to move into third place in the championship standings, which would be just reward for an impressive 2025 campaign to date.

MX2 Qualification Race
1. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), 25:10.487; 2. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:03.998; 3. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), +0:10.394; 4. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:14.679; 5. Mathis Valin (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:17.947; 6. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:19.440; 7. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:20.636; 8. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:24.399; 9. Guillem Farres (ESP, Triumph), +0:26.531; 10. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:28.134;