2024 Monster Energy Motocross of Nations
Monster Energy Triumph Racing’s Mikkel Haarup has placed a hard-fought fourth overall in the MX2 class at the 2024 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in Great Britain. Competing for Team Denmark aboard his TF 250-X machine, Haarup narrowly missed out on a top-three finish by two points, while Camden McLellan, racing for Team South Africa, placed 11th in MX2 despite crashing out of race two.
Matterley Basin in Great Britain hosted the 77th edition of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations. Heavy rain in the lead up to the race resulted in a technical race track, with intermittent drizzle adding to the challenge on Sunday. As the event marked a home race for Triumph, it added even more prestige for the brand and the Monster Energy Triumph Racing team, who travelled to the UK to compete for the first time.
As the lead rider for Team Denmark, Haarup was eager to impress. In the MX2 Qualifying Heat, he placed eighth, and with his teammates Mads Fredsoe and Nicolai Skovbjerg also delivering strong results in their races, the Danish team went through to the main races.
The opening race on Sunday saw the MX2 and MXGP classes combined. From a mid-pack start, Haarup reached as high as 15th before a fall dropped him down to 25th. With plenty of time left on the clock, the Dane began carving his way through the pack, passing rivals on both 250cc and 450cc machinery to reach 13th by race end and classify as the third MX2 class rider. An exceptional result given his early race incident.
In race two, Mikkel was up against the Open Class riders who primarily were on 450cc machines. After a good jump off the start grate, Haarup got caught up in a first turn crash and was fortunate to escape unscathed. Rejoining the race in near last position, the 23-year-old then delivered what may well be his best performance of the year. Even with another small crash on lap two, Mikkel charged from 30th, passing riders on almost every lap, to finish 10th, nearly making the pass for ninth in the final turn. Frustratingly, despite his exceptional effort, Haarup just missed out on an MX2 class podium in fourth. Team Denmark would ultimately place 11th overall.
Competing for Team South Africa, McLellan, like his teammate Haarup, was focused on ending the season on a positive note. Sixth in the MX2 Qualifying Heat set the tone for a strong weekend, however the points-paying races weren’t quite so fruitful for the talented racer.
Forced to stop for goggles due to the rain that fell in race one resulted in a 16th-place finish for McLellan, while in race two, as he was closing in on the top 10, he crashed heavily and damaged his bike too badly to continue. With his strong result from race one, the South African placed 11th overall in MX2 with his team placing 18th in the final classification.
With the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations complete, it brings to a close an incredible debut season for Monster Energy Triumph Racing. From the highs of overall podium results by both riders to an unfortunate mid-season injury for Camden, the year can be underlined as a success.
Results – 2024 Monster Energy Motocross of Nations
Race 1 – MXGP and MX2
1. Tim Gajser, MXGP, Slovenia (Honda) 35:11.182
2. Eli Tomac, MXGP, USA (Yamaha) 35:17.992
3. Romain Febvre, MXGP, France (Kawasaki) 35:20.160
4. Jorge Prado, MXGP, Spain (GASGAS) 35:29.220
5. Jeffrey Herlings, MXGP, The Netherlands (KTM) 35:39.553
6. Kay de Wolf, MX2, The Netherlands (Husqvarna) 35:41.341
13. Mikkel Haarup, MX2, Denmark, (Triumph) 36:28.908
16. Camden McLellan, MX2, South Africa (Triumph) 36:47.459
Race 2 – MX2 and Open
1. Jett Lawrence, Open, Australia, (Honda) 36:14.723
2. Ruben Fernandez, Open, Spain (Honda) 36:22.642
3. Simon Langenfelder, MX2, Germany, (GASGAS) 36:25.161
4. Maxime Renaux, Open, France, (Yamaha) 36:26.885
5. Kay de Wolf, MX2, The Netherlands (Husqvarna) 36:43.752
6. Conrad Mewse, Open, Great Britain, (Honda) 36:50.259
10. Mikkel Haarup, MX2, Denmark, (Triumph) 36:58.048
Race 3 – MXGP and Open
1. Tim Gajser, Open, Slovenia, (Honda) 35:51.888
2. Jett Lawrence, Open, Australia (Honda) 35:52.347
3. Eli Tomac, MXGP, USA (Yamaha) 36:09.060
4. Hunter Lawrence, Open, Australia (Honda) 36:10.017
5. Jeffrey Herlings, MXGP, The Netherlands (KTM) 36:12.322
6. Jeremy Seewer, MXGP, Switzerland (Kawasaki) 35:39.553
2024 Monster Energy Motocross of Nations – Overall Classification
1. Team Australia, (Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence, Kyle Webster) 26pts
2. Team USA (Eli Tomac, Aaron Plessinger, Cooper Webb) 29pts
3. Team The Netherlands (Jeffrey Herlings, Glenn Coldenhoff, Kay de Wolf) 36pts
11. Team Denmark (Mikkel Haarup, Mads Fredsoe, Nicolai Skovbjerg) 109pts
18. Team South Africa (Camden McLellan, Tristan Purdon, Cameron Durow) 137pts
MXGP Class Overall
1. Tim Gajser, Team Slovenia (Honda) 2pts
2. Eli Tomac, Team USA (Yamaha) 5pts
3. Jeffery Herlings, Team The Netherlands (KTM) 10pts
MX2 Class Overall
1. Kay de Wolf, Team The Netherlands (Husqvarna) 11pts
2. Karlis Reisulis, Team Latvia (Yamaha) 20pts
3. Simon Langenfelder, Team Germany (GASGAS) 21pts
4. Mikkel Haarup, Team Denmark (Triumph) 23pts
11. Camden McLellan, Team South Africa (Triumph) 53pts
Open Class Overall
1. Jett Lawrence, Team Australia (Honda) 3pts
2. Maxime Renaux, Team France (Yamaha) 13pts
3. Ruben Fernandez, Team Spain (Honda) 14pts
