Monster Energy Triumph Racing’s Mikkel Haarup has secured fifth overall at the MXGP of Turkey in Afyonkarahisar. A determined fight through the pack in race one rewarded the Dane with sixth, while in moto two, he landed a well-deserved podium finish in third. For Mikkel’s teammate, Camden McLellan, the hard-charging youngster overcame crashes in both races to place eighth overall.

Afyonkarahisar hosted the 18th round of the FIM Motocross World Championship and provided a classic hardpack circuit. With multiple jumps and high speeds, it proved a fun track to compete on, with both Monster Energy Triumph Racing riders adapting quickly and running up front aboard their TF 250-X machines all weekend long.

It was Haarup who fared best out of the talented teammates. On Saturday morning he posted the fastest time in Free Practice, then Time Practice, before racing to third in the Qualifying Race. This speed carried over into Sunday, and Mikkel emerged from the fast first turn in third. Frustratingly, a few corners later, the 22-year-old fell and remounted in last. In what was undoubtedly the ride of the weekend, Haarup clawed his way back to sixth by race end to give himself a chance at a place on the overall podium.

Race two began in the same way as the first moto, with Mikkel at the sharp end of the field. Settling into fourth early on, he made the pass for third on lap six but by that time, the leading riders were just out of reach. Placing third for his sixth top-three race finish of the season, Haarup secured fifth overall and remains fifth in the MX2 World Championship standings.

Camden McLellan arrived in Turkey with plenty of speed but had his results in both races affected by small crashes. After getting off to a great start in race one, he clipped Mikkel’s stricken machine just a few corners into the moto and fell, but battled hard for an eventual seventh. Another first-lap fall saw McLellan once again battle for the duration of the race, and he crossed the line in eighth for eighth overall. Ahead of the penultimate round in China, Camden remains ninth in the standings.

Monster Energy Triumph Racing returns to action next weekend at the MXGP of China. In a slight change to the normal schedule, practice and qualifying will take place on Saturday, September 14 with the GP races taking place on Monday, September 16.

Mikkel Haarup: “We’re done with round 18, and it’s been a really good weekend. On Saturday I was fastest in Free Practice, Time Practice, and then I was third in the Qualifying Race, so this set me up for a good GP. I had a great start in the first moto but then fell a few corners into the race, and that gave me a lot of work to do. I made it all the way back up to sixth and just missed fifth, so that wasn’t too bad. Another good start in race two put me in fourth early on, and then I moved into third. Overall I just missed the podium again, but I’m pleased with my riding and I’m looking forward to the next two rounds.”

Camden McLellan: “This weekend was a little frustrating but also positive at the same time. I had a great start in race one but then crashed when I clipped Mikkel’s bike just a few turns into the race. It was a shame as it was my best start in a little while but that’s how racing goes sometimes. Then in the second one, I had another small crash and got back to seventh. We now head to China for the next one and I’m feeling good and healthy so I think it’ll be another good GP for me.”

Vincent Bereni – Monster Energy Triumph Racing Team Manager: “It’s been another challenging weekend but also a very rewarding one. We’ve never been to a track at this altitude before and on the technical side, everything was perfect. Both riders also performed well, and Mikkel was first in Time Practice, which was a first for Triumph and it shows how good the bike is and how fast Mikkel is too. It’s shame Mikkel crashed in race one and Camden crashed in both, but besides that, their speed was very impressive.”

Results – MXGP of Turkey

MX2 Race 1

1. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 34:49.525
2. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS) 34:54.813
3. Liam Everts (KTM) 35:31.722
4. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 35:42.387
5. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 35:44.778
6. Mikkel Haarup (Triumph) 35:44.983
7. Camden McLellan (Triumph) 35:50.340

MX2 Race 2

1. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 34:23.346
2. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 34:27.336
3. Mikkel Haarup (Triumph) 34:33.627
4. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS) 34:34.803
5. Liam Everts (KTM) 34:35.181
6. Rick Elzinga (Yamaha) 34:48.841
8. Camden McLellan (Triumph) 34:50.963

MX2 Overall

1. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 50pts
2. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 40pts
3. Simon Langenfelder) 40pts
4. Liam Everts (KTM) 36pts
5. Mikkel Haarup (Triumph) 35pts
6. Rick Elzinga (Yamaha) 28pts
8. Camden McLellan (Triumph) 27pts

MX2 World Championship Standings

1. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 873pts
2. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 829pts
3. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS) 774pts
4. Liam Everts (KTM) 727pts
5. Mikkel Haarup (Triumph) 624pts
6. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 601pts
9. Camden McLellan (Triumph) 368pts