Guillem Farres strikes back in Afyon

Was Afyon exactly the weekend Guillem Farres needed in his fight for the MX2 title? After the difficult weeks since his crash in Uddevalla, the Triumph rider made a triumphant return at the MXGP of Türkiye with an overall victory. Farres won the qualifying race on Saturday and followed it up with a 2-1 win on Sunday. Simon Längenfelder finished second overall with a race win and a third-place finish, while Liam Everts completed the podium.

What was particularly interesting about Farres was how openly he spoke about the past few weeks after the race. The break after Arnhem clearly came at the right time for him. "My body really needed this break. The weeks after the crash in Uddevalla were tough, and Arnhem was also a difficult race for me," Farres explained.

In Afyon, the situation was different. Farres was at the front from the start, made hardly any major mistakes over the entire weekend, and especially in the second moto, he regained the control one would expect from a championship leader.

However, it wasn't entirely without resistance.

Längenfelder was simply faster in the first moto

Farres initially led the first heat and immediately tried to break away. Längenfelder closed the gap behind him. The German overtook him and subsequently managed to create a gap.

Farres was still searching for an answer after the overtaking maneuver, but found none. "I really wanted to win. Simon then overtook me and I tried to follow him and look at some of his lines. But he managed to pull away from me," said Farres.

For a rider with the Red Plate, it would have been easy to explain this second place finish with World Championship tactics. But that's precisely what Farres didn't do. Längenfelder was faster, so he took second place.

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Farres once again got into a good position early on, this time found his rhythm, and was able to gradually pull away. No wild moves, no unnecessary mistakes. Once the gap was there, he managed it. "I got myself into a good position right from the start. After that, I rode my own pace, felt comfortable, and didn't make any mistakes. I was able to build a gap and then control the race."

With a score of 2-1, the GP victory was secured.

The World Championship is of course also on Farres's agenda.

Farres continues to lead the championshipWith two Grands Prix remaining in the season, the red plate is almost impossible to ignore. He doesn't even try. "Of course, it feels great to lead the championship. But I approach every race like a new one. The championship is always somewhere in the back of my mind, but as soon as I get on the bike, I try to win."

Sunday in Afyon perfectly illustrated this point. In the first moto, he tried to beat Längenfelder, but eventually realized that the KTM rider was faster at that point. In the second moto, Farres got his next chance and took it.

Especially after his crash in Sweden, this is quite important. Farres not only had to regain his speed, but also put together a weekend without any major mistakes. Afyon delivered both.

Längenfelder himself does not understand his fluctuations.

Behind Farres, Simon Längenfelder made his comeback. His victory in the first moto was his first since Sardinia and came after several GPs in which things clearly weren't clicking for the German.

Längenfelder himself made clear how big the difference was compared to previous weeks. "The last GPs were pretty tough for me. I lacked intensity and speed, actually, I was lacking a bit of everything. At one point, I even thought to myself: What's going on here? That's why this victory in the first race felt really good."

Why did it work again specifically in Afyon?

Längenfelder didn't have a proper answer to that either: "I don't know. I think nobody knows."

In the second moto, a mistake of his own cost him the chance to challenge for the lead again. Längenfelder was in third place when he stalled his KTM and lost touch with the leaders. On the increasingly difficult track, the gaps between the riders were largely fixed after that.

Despite a score of 1-3, it was still enough for second place overall.

He says the title fight is over for him. However, his rediscovered speed could still play a role in the last two GPs – especially for Farres.

Everts remains on the podium

Liam Everts finished third overall, securing his third consecutive podium finish. However, the Husqvarna rider wasn't truly satisfied.

In the first moto, he felt he lacked intensity and some of the small things that can quickly cost him positions at this level. He made some minor adjustments before the second race and felt better afterward. Second place ultimately secured him another podium finish. "Of course, I'm very happy to be back on the podium, but it wasn't anything particularly special."

Farres will likely view his Sunday differently. After the difficult weeks since Uddevalla, he wins the Qualifying Race and Grand Prix and travels on with the Red Plate.

There are still two GPs to go. But in Afyon, Farres showed one thing above all: After his crash and the subsequent difficult races, he is once again capable of controlling a whole weekend at the front.

You can find the results of the Turkish MXGP in our usual overview